Planning for Nottingham city and Nottinghamshire to manage local lockdowns following spike in Leicester

As Leicester goes into further lockdown, plans have been published that outline how future outbreaks of covid-19 will be managed in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

The government announced in May that top tier local authorities would lead new Local Outbreak Control Plans, which give powers to local public heath leaders to manage the risk of potential future outbreaks of the disease with some additional focus on high risk groups such as vulnerable elderly people and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

In a national first, Leicester became the first local lockdown due to a spike in cases. The city now faces two more weeks of lockdown.

The plans for Nottinghamshire will see directors of public health lead and manage strategies to reduce and suppress outbreaks of covid-19 infection across the local area, with a focus on using the very latest data to make decisions about how any outbreaks of the disease should be managed, including deployment of local testing and advice on how the virus should best be contained.

The Nottinghamshire Local Outbreak Plan sets out how local government works with the NHS Test and Trace service, so that the county is prepared to contain the virus wherever and if ever it occurs.

The plan outlines how lives would be protected using the emergency response systems in partnership with Public Health England, the NHS, the voluntary sector and the wider community.

They build on existing health protection roles and responsibilities as well as the specific work councils have been undertaking to stop the spread of covid-19.

The Local Outbreak Control Plans in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will be led by a joint Health Protection Board comprising the two directors of Public Health with oversight by two separate member led engagement boards make up of elected councillors of the respective authorities.

Jonathan Gribbin, director of Public Health for Nottinghamshire, said: “We will be reviewing the best available information on a daily basis and working with our partners to deal with hotspots that arise.”

He said the advice was to maintain social distancing wherever possible, wash hands and to get tested if you show symptoms.

Kay Cutts, chairman of the Nottinghamshire LOCP Engagement Board, said: “If we can manage and contain the virus earlier, it will hopefully enable us to continue to recover our economy and help people resume as normal a life as possible.”

The plans involve closer engagement with communities to increase awareness of infection control in care homes and schools but will also work with large employers and include how the NHS Test and Trace system will be rolled out if an outbreak occurs.

They give local public healthcare and local authorities the powers to decide where and how the tracing is implemented locally depending on the nature of any outbreaks.

The main purpose of the plans is to give local experts and decision-makers the power to decide the best strategies ­— using local data, knowledge and, crucially, the influence local leaders have in their communities to help contain the virus.

The county received a share of a £300m fund, which will secure staff needed to sustain these arrangements over the next year or more and engage with the public.