| State the Delegated Authority that you are relying on in order to make the decision | Delegation from the Mayor to the Chief Executive as follows: I authorise the Chief Executive of the Council, or any officer nominated by the Chief Executive as his Deputy in this regard, to make Executive decisions of a policy, financial and operational nature in response to the Covid-19 emergency |
| Subject of decision | Delivery of an employee wide Flu vaccination programme for employees who do not meet NHS eligibility criteria. |
| Text of decision | Test and Trace Funding will be utilised to support the ongoing efforts to minimise the impact of Covid-19; through an anticipated reduction in flu cases, we will minimise requirements for tests for flu symptoms mimicking Covid-19, increased immunisation should reduce medical support/admissions required. In turn supporting the capacity and resources of health services to meet the demands Covid-19 presents. A maximum of 1550 Flu vaccines will be purchased, the programme will be demand led to minimise risk of waste. |
| Reason for decision | In our local population less than 50% of the individuals within a clinical risk group (excluding over 65’s) access their free flu vaccine. This is a significant percentage of the local population, who we know are also at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 and subsequently requiring medical support. Approximately 70 % of our employees live in Middlesbrough; it is proposed that by increasing the vaccine numbers available and opening up the offer to a greater number of employees, it will help to support our local health and social care services and reduce the anticipated strain. The approved scheme will protect a significant number of employees but also help to protect residents within the at risk groups. A significant number of whom receive care and support from our front line workers, if our employees are immunised they will be less likely to contract the flu virus and transmit to our vulnerable service users. An increase in the number of employees vaccinated will bring organisational benefits; specifically a decrease in the cost of days lost to absence and a reduction in the number of employees who are required to self-isolate due to illness/symptoms which mimic Covid-19. |
| Other options considered (if any) | None |
| Has an Impact Assessment been carried out - if so please attach a copy to the decision using the upload attachment screen which follows | Yes |
| Declarations of Interest by any member or relevant local government body | None |
| Who have you consulted as part of the decision making process | The Gold Command Group for our local authority and our Public health colleagues. |
| Date of decision | 28 September 2020 |
| Service area | Public Health & Public Protection |
| Name of Delegated Officer making the decision - i | Tony Parkinson - Chief Executive |
| Name of the Officer making the decision - If power has been sub-delegated to another officer | N/A |
| Issue date:- | 28 September 2020 by Bernie Carr |
| Creation date:- | 28 September 2020 13:07:09 by Bernie Carr |
| Background paper/Impact Assessments | Copy of Decision Form (331K/bytes) Copy of Equality Impact Assessment (80K/bytes) |