Lambeth council is asking residents to join a virtual meeting to discuss its Covid-19 recovery plan with senior health and care bosses.  

Leaders will be looking for residents’ views on the new Lambeth Together Recovery Plan, the council’s response to Covid-19 across health and care services. 

The council wants to know what people’s priorities are when it comes to health and care services locally, how residents can be best supported, and how the most vulnerable can be protected.  

The plan, which covers an 18-month period from September 2020 to March 2022, includes how it will build on lessons learned, how it will respond to any future outbreaks, and how it will address local health inequalities.  

“We have spent time in June and July considering the learning from Covid-19 and how we can best work together with local people and in our local communities and neighbourhoods.  

“We have sought to understand the experience of local people, the need to do more to address health inequalities (in particular as experienced by our BAME communities) and to support the most vulnerable,” according to the plan.  

The key lessons learned so far include committing to reducing inequalities, working more with local people, better understanding people’s experience of Covid-19, along with the plus and down sides of working virtually.  

Supporting mental wellbeing, building on the council’s relationship with the community sector, and addressing the welfare and development of children, “particularly those who may fall out of sight or behind through virtual working and schooling”, will be priorities going forward, according to the plan.  

To “prevent, predict, and manage” any second wave, the council will use early warning data and intelligence to alert it “quickly to spikes in demand”.  

It will promote Test and Trace, sharing data, and respond with a dedicated Outbreak Control Plan. 

Over the next year and a half Lambeth plans to improve sexual health, improve the welfare of children and young people, improve adult mental health, join up care across neighbourhoods, and mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on people with learning disabilities and autism.  

To address inequalities, the council will focus on the support provided to Black and ethnic minority communities, look at targeted investment to prevent ill-health, and focus on supporting those who have been shielding, to “help them regain their independence and to ensure they are protected in the event of a second wave of Covid-19”. 

This includes being able to access routine health and care services safely.  

The council wants to improving the support for those living with one or more long-term health conditions, “including to self-manage, enabling people to live independently and well”. 

It is planning a “coordinated focus” on staff mental and physical health and wellbeing across NHS, council, and voluntary and community sector organisations. 

Lambeth will also be taking action on smoking and promoting better nutrition.  

The meeting will take place on Friday (September 4) via Microsoft teams from 1pm to 2.30pm.  

To attend the meeting contact the council:  hello@lambethtogether.net