Agenda and minutes

Councillor Mary O’Connor declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 5 – Major Review: Impact of a Pandemic in Hillingdon and the Effects on Council Services, as she was the Chairman of the London Health Commission.

Agreed as an accurate record.

To confirm that the items of business marked Part I will be considered in public and that the items marked Part II will be considered in private.

It was agreed that all items of business were considered in public.

Members were reminded that at their last meeting officers were asked to undertake a sample survey of the Borough’s educational and care establishments to find out whether business and continuity plans were in place in the event of a major pandemic. After discussions with officers of Education and Children’s Services and Adult Social Care, Health & Housing, the Chairman agreed that this survey not be carried out as this work was already progressing. However, Members heard evidence from two witnesses on these plans.

Dr Neil Suggett – Head Teacher of Hayes Park Primary School

Members were provided with details of the preparations which had been made by Hayes Park Primary School. Issues raised were:

• The school worked from a template which was available on the Council’s intranet site when producing their business and continuity plans for a pandemic. There was an appendix attached to this template which provided details on the present swine flu pandemic
• Plans were in place for teachers to transfer to different schools dependent on the impact of the pandemic on school numbers. This was as part of the extended schools partnership of which Hayes Park Primary School was in the Yeading cluster. There was flexibility in the system to ensure the education of children was not compromised
• At this stage there had been no plans to explore the possibility of using retired teachers as back up 
• No decisions had been made on vaccinations but it was likely that staff would take the vaccination if offered it
• Head Teachers of schools met regularly and there was a collaborative approach to planning should there be an upsurge in the pandemic  
• Networking took place between groups of specialist teachers i.e. early years group, PE staff etc
• In relation to agencies that supplied staff to schools, it was agreed that agencies be asked to ensure there were business and continuity plans in place
• Business and continuity plans were in place for administrative and catering staff of the school
• The school would only close if the ratio of teachers to pupils fell
• Hygiene measures were in place such as posters providing guidance and information on hygiene, providing tissues, hand gels and liquid soap
• An isolation area in the school had been indentified for potential swine flu pandemic victims, where parents would be asked to come and collect their children
• Pupils on field trips had also been built into the Risk Assessment procedures
• Information on swine flu and its symptoms had been communicated to parents through the school’s newsletter
• There was confidence that Hayes Park Primary School would cope in the event of an upsurge in the pandemic.

Dr Iran Adil-Smith – Head of Risk and Radiation – Brunel University

·        Brunel University had 13,000 students with 4,000 students living on site

·        The University had already well developed business and continuity plans in place, which had been reviewed and updated as a consequence of the swine flu pandemic. This was now an annex to the University’s current business and continuity plan

·        The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

Members were reminded that at their meeting in June they had discussed possible review topics. Reference was made to Outer London Commission and the new London Plan. The Outer London Commission was established to help deliver one of the aspirations of the new London Plan which was to address more positively the quality of life, social, environmental and transport challenges facing outer London and provide a strategic framework to enable boroughs and others to work together to build on its many strengths.

One of the areas the Outer London Commission was asked to look at was the development of “super hubs” such as the Heathrow area, together with the wider rejuvenation of town centres.  

Members asked that a paper be brought to the next meeting on this theme, together with information on the affects of the economic downturn on businesses and town centres within the Borough and the Council’s response to it.

 Resolved –

1.  That the Work Programme be noted.

Noted.