Why areas such as Hartlepool are more at risk from coronavirus than the picture suggests

It came as representatives on Hartlepool Health and Wellbeing Board looked at what needs to be included in the Hartlepool Outbreak Control Plan going forward.

Issues raised included how the best data must be made available to health chiefs in the case of any outbreak, with the problems with the ‘track and trace’ system nationally acknowledged.

Coun Christopher Akers-Belcher, representing Healthwatch Hartlepool, stressed people in more deprived areas, like many of the wards in Hartlepool, are at greater risk in the case of further Covid-19 outbreaks.

He said: “We have some really deprived wards in the town and when you look at the health inequalities in some of our wards, and it’s different across the whole of the town, we have some very wealthy wards and some very poor wards.

“I think we need to drill down into those communities and get the message out. All they’re doing is listening to a national narrative, they’re not listening to a local narrative.

“I think we need to put some really strong emphasis on getting the message out to the community that you’re more at risk in Hartlepool.”

Health chiefs said the local plans should focus on preventing and managing outbreaks in care homes, schools and high risk workplaces and communities.

It also looks at deploying local testing capacity optimally, delivering contact tracing, data integration and supporting vulnerable people to ensure services meet the needs of diverse communities.

Craig Blundred, council deputy director of public health, admitted there had been ‘some challenges’ around collecting data and they are currently looking to gain ‘useful intelligence’ on issues.

He added the plans were not just about responding to potential outbreaks, but also prevention, which makes up a ‘significant proportion’ of the work.

Coun Stephen Thomas said it was important to gain perspectives from different communities and communicate the best messages to them.

He said: “It seems to be very much underpinned by test and trace and clearly there are still some big national issues around test and trace.

“The data and intelligence going forward really is going to be key to identifying and addressing outbreaks within local communities.

“I think there really is a need going forward to have some real significant local data gathering, data processing and identification of local outbreaks if they are taking place going forward.”

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