Councillors were this week updated on action that is being taken to get council services ready to deal with a possible coronavirus outbreak across Milton Keynes.
The council has written to private care providers and suppliers to make sure that they are also prepared in case “roughly a fifth of the workforce” are off sick if and when COVID-19 infections reach a peak.
Businesses looking after some of the city’s most vulnerable people, including care homes, home care services, and supported living providers, have been written to, to offer advice, support, and to ensure business continuity plans are up to date.
A meeting on Thursday (12/3) was told the council has asked its providers to buddy up to support each other. The council is taking a “control centre” approach to co-ordinate staff across the city.
Council workers are being prepared to work to provide support to front line services.
Sarah Gonsalves, MK Council’s director of policy, insight and communications read a statement at the health and adult social care scrutiny committee.
She said that COVID-19 “public reassurance messages began in Milton Keynes at the time of the isolation of around 100 British citizens in Kents Hill.”
Since then they have shared health campaign messages on hand washing and using tissues.
The council has also sent guidance to schools and other settings and created letters they can use for a number of scenarios.
On Thursday the council’s advice to its employees was that “unless advised by a professional to self-isolate please come to work as usual, in line with national position.”
Ms Gonsalves also said that the council currently issues a public statement every time a new case is confirmed in MK. However, they are not allowed to report “likely cases”.
She said: “Because of patient confidentiality, very little will be confirmed about each case. We rightly aren’t allowed to report likely cases, just confirmed cases and contract tracing may be taking place in the community before the case is confirmed to us.
“In the short term this will inevitably lead to some speculation about whether there are further cases in MK but we expect this to lessen in time – eg if cases rise, testing speeds up, if national reporting changes from daily to weekly.
“Our response is to reassure people that unless they’ve been contacted by Public Health England they should follow their normal routine.”
She added: “Contact tracing is taking place in plain sight, and is being discussed on social media and elsewhere. There will be much speculation and we appreciate anything councillors can do to reassure their communities, using national guidance.”
She added the council has “also been working closely within a multi-agency setting for several weeks, and these arrangements were tested successfully when the quarantine facility was set up in Kents Hill.”
Cllr Alice Jenkins (Cons, Danesborough & Walton), who chairs the committee, said: “We must thank all members of staff. We are early in a long on-going process which is going on behind the scenes.”
