Agenda item

To approve the Community Vaccination Champions Programme and payment of grant to support the programme.

Resolved that:

1.1         That approval be given to the Community Vaccination Champions Programme.

1.2         That a further grant of £112,000 to Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) be approved for the following:

·      £100,000 vaccination support grants fund for distribution to voluntary and community organisations

·      £12,000 for programme co-ordination.

1.3    That the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the chief finance officer, be authorised to award a grant of £112,000 to Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations for the vaccination support programme.

                  Approval was sought for the Community Vaccination Champions Programme and for a grant of £112,000 to be provided to Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) for distribution of the vaccination support grants fund to voluntary and community organisations and for programme co-ordination.

The Chair of Children’s Services and Education Scrutiny Board raised a question regarding Sandwell preparedness for the new variant of Covid-19 virus.

In response, the Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health stated that while the Council had to end local contact tracing because Government no longer provided the data to deliver this work, in all other respects, the Council had maintained its Covid-19 programme, including outbreak response and support to the NHS vaccination programme.

The Chair of Children’s Services and Education Scrutiny Board also enquired about whether the council was satisfied with the locations chosen for the vaccination sites and pop-up clinics.

The Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health responded that the Council worked extensively with the voluntary and faith sector to find venues in the heart of the community, including mosques and gurdwaras. The pop-up clinics covered every town in Sandwell and had proved very popular.

The more permanent sites for walk-in and appointments were chosen by NHS England. The council was not always fully satisfied with the choices of location or some decisions to close settings. However, it was acknowledged that NHS colleagues were doing their best to allocate resources in the face of a massive challenge.

Reason for Decision

The Community Vaccination Champions Programme started in January 2021 and had proved highly effective in increasing the number of residents who had been vaccinated. Public Health Team approach had been to work closely with health colleagues and trusted faith and community leaders to provide reassurance and information to residents. Over 200 Vaccine Champions were involved in the programme and SCVO had awarded grants to voluntary sector organisations delivering 33 vaccination uptake projects.

SCVO had a proven track record of delivering this programme by proactively engaging with local community groups across Sandwell and particularly those groups who represented and worked with people more likely to be vaccine hesitant.

Alternative Options Considered

An alternative option was considered to distribute the funding direct to voluntary and community sector groups via an expression of interest process, inviting applications from groups. This would, however, be more costly in terms of public health officer time, compared to SCVO distributing the grants. SCVO’s management of the programme had already demonstrated that effectiveness, evidence of delivering value for money and momentum. A different approach would not only cost more but would take time, leading to delay and loss of momentum.

Agreed:-

(1)     that approval be given to the Community Vaccination Champions Programme;

(2)     that a further grant of £112,000 to Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) be approved for the following:

·      £100,000 vaccination support grants fund for distribution to voluntary and community organisations

·      £12,000 for programme co-ordination;

(3)     that the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, be authorised to award a grant of £112,000 to Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations for the vaccination support programme.