'Are health hubs a good idea?' Central Beds councillor questions risks over coronavirus pandemic

At last week's social care, health and housing overview and scrutiny meeting, Conservative Leighton Buzzard South councillor David Bowater questioned whether health hubs are such a good idea.

He said: "One person with a contagious disease turning up could close down the whole of the health service, not just one GPs surgery”.

“The current position in Leighton Buzzard seems to be, although we’re not getting the health hub yet, could we at least have four tethering posts for the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to tie their horses up to at the end of the world.”

A ripple of laughter followed councillor Bowater's remarks.

But as councillors were keen to highlight the need for clear information to prevent widespread anxiety during the coronavirus outbreak.

CBC’s assistant director of public health, Celia Shohet, said: “Priority testing is now being given to patients who require critical care, any who are admitted to hospital for pneumonia or other respiratory disease or any clusters of disease in residential or care settings.

“The principle behind that is if you do a test and the result changes your clinical management, then it makes sense to do that test.

“I understand why people want to know, but this is about making best use of swabbing and testing facilities we’ve got.”

Independent Biggleswade South councillor Dr Hayley Whitaker said: “Researchers and people who have the skills required to perform those tests have been contacted by Public Health England to be seconded to ramp up the tests and to make them more robust.

“It’s so we can do the tests quickly, that we can trust the result and do more of them.

“That’s going to take time to get people trained. We are catching up.”

Conservative Heath and Reach councillor Mark Versallion, who chairs the committee, said: “We’re quite clear on the appetite for more information, whether it’s from CBC or this wider emergency planning team.

“There is a clear indication that councillors want that not just for themselves, but on behalf of the people who elected us.

“We will revise and tweak as we go along, but to get something out there early is helpful rather than continuing potentially in a vacuum.”

Independent Linslade councillor Victoria Harvey asked if there is going to be planning for the economic impact of social isolation.

“Loads of small businesses are going to suffer and after all the regeneration money which has gone into town centres this could completely kill off the high streets,” she warned.

Ms Shohet replied that a recovery coordinating group is part of the next phase of the process.

She added: “This group would absolutely look at the economic impact, so I know talks are taking place about that."

Conservative Dunstable Watling councillor Eugene Ghent described it is “an emergency”.

“We need to be showing our residents that we’re doing a daily update for their representatives in the community,” he said.

The committee agreed to send a note to the council’s chief executive asking for councillors to be kept informed daily of developments and updating public advice.