Issue - meetings

The Board resolved to:-

(i)       note the progress on the development of the COVID-19 Mental Health

Clinic (follow up service for patients hospitalised) in line with Scottish

Government (SG) approval of the National Health Service – Grampian

(NHSG) specified service design;

(ii)       note that recruitment to posts for this service has progressed;

(iii)      note that additional Grampian wide work on post-COVID symptoms is

underway, led by Dr Emma Davies, (Public Health, NHSG long COVID lead);

(iv)      request an update report from the Director of Public Health at the 25

January 2022 IJB meeting via Dr Emma Davies, registrar in public health, NHSG lead for long-COVID and chair of NHS G long-COVID SLWG; and

(v)      note the wider SG planning for long-COVID as outlined in SG paper

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-long-covid-service/.

The Board had before it a report by the Chief Officer, AHSCP, which presented an update on development of the COVID-19 Mental Health Clinic for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in order to provide assurance of implementation.  At this juncture, Dr Maggie Whyte, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist and Dr Alastair Palin, Medical Director of Adult Mental Health joined the meeting to present their report.

Dr Palin provided background, reporting that in response to a Scottish Government (SG) paper ‘Meeting the mental health needs of people hospitalised with COVID-19’, a national Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was set up to implement recommendations; Dr Alastair Palin attended as NHSG representative. The national SLWG made recommendations on the elements for inclusion in a specific mental health service for people who had been hospitalised with COVID-19. Funding allocation for each NHS Board was specified by the SG and boards were asked to submit proposals in line with the recommendations of the SLWG.

NHSG developed a service model in response to extensive consultation with National Health Services within mental health, acute and Health and Social Care Partnership services (including Psychiatry, Psychology, Allied Health Professionals and Social Care representatives from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Councils). This was led by Dr Murray Smith, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and Dr Maggie Whyte. The model was approved by the SG and funding had been allocated. Recruitment to posts was complete.

Dr Whyte spoke to the report and agreed to forward her slides to the Clerk for distribution to Members.

The report recommended:-

that the Board –

(a)            note the progress on the development of the COVID-19 Mental Health Clinic (follow up service for patients hospitalised) in line with Scottish Government (SG) approval of the National Health Service – Grampian (NHSG) specified service design;

(b)            note that recruitment to posts for this service has progressed;

(c)            note that additional Grampian wide work on post-COVID symptoms is underway, led by Dr Emma Davies, (Public Health, NHSG long COVID lead);

(d)            request an update report from the Director of Public Health at the 25 January 2022 IJB meeting via Dr Emma Davies, registrar in publichealth, NHSG lead for long-COVID and chair of NHSG long-COVID SLWG; and

(e)            note the wider SG planning for long-COVID as outlined in SG paper https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-long-covid-service/

The Board resolved to:-

agree the recommendations.