Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

The UN reported that Moroccan women accounted for just 21% of the country’s labour force, with 54% of those working concentrated in the informal sector (World Bank estimates 2019). The impacts of the pandemic on these trends are illustrated in a recent UK report by the Women and Equalities Committee. The report highlights that women were ‘a third more likely to be employed in sectors that were “shut down” during the first national lockdown, and thus disproportionately at risk of job loss’. The recommendations set out in this report and a UN Policy Brief prompt thinking as to how recovery strategies can address impacts, mitigate the reinforcement of inequalities and how renewal initiatives can transform the position of women in the labour market. Consider:

• Review schemes that were introduced to protect jobs and income to identify inequalities that may have been exacerbated. Integrate knowledge gained from this review into future crisis planning (e.g. integrate an ‘Equality Impact Assessment’ that will draw on evidence of existing inequalities to inform employment support schemes that may be required during future crises)
• Ensure women are equally represented in the planning and decision-making processes for recovery strategies and renewal initiatives
• Identify how the pandemic has had gendered effects on predominantly female run businesses (e.g. closures of businesses such as hairdressers), and if targeted support may be required as part of recovery planning. Repeat this for other communities/groups to identify whether they have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and containment measures
• Conduct a gender analysis on recovery strategies and renewal initiatives to ensure that national and local investment plans will not create unequal outcomes for men and women, and reproduce inequalities (e.g. underrepresentation of women in sectors such as ‘science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)’, which have been targeted for investment globally)
• As part of local and national economic regeneration programmes, ‘fund training schemes specifically aimed at women’ and other minority groups to increase ‘representation and career progression in the Digital, AI and the Green Economy sectors’
• Review policy and legislation around flexible working to ensure they reflect the positive lessons learned on remote and flexible working during the pandemic
• Actively support legislation to expand redundancy protection to protect pregnant women and new mothers
• Recognise that women are not a homogenous groups - review equalities data to ensure that large data sets consider how other factors (e.g. race, class, religion and others) combine to shape the experiences of women in the labour market

In health systems across the world, screening programmes and non-emergency surgical operations have been postponed and cancelled to reduce transmission and free up capacity to treat Covid-19 patients. The USA, UK and Canada have been working to re-start non-COVID related healthcare since the first wave of COVID-19, with subsequent COVID-19 surges creating further challenges, particularly for those countries who are yet to tackle healthcare waiting lists. Those working to reduce the backlog report that some patients continue to defer seeking care so not to increase pressure on services, or because they fear catching the virus. Continued delays will decrease quality of life, increase treatment costs, and worsen outcomes, as the conditions individuals are suffering from deteriorate. There may also be knock-on effects on social care. Consider the measures explored by the UK, USA and Canada:

• Proactively engage the public (e.g. through local communications) to instill confidence in the safety and continued functioning of healthcare systems and encourage them to seek care if they need it
• Ensure ample PPE is available to prevent unnecessary challenges in the delivery of health and social care
• Inform plans by developing rigorous forecasts of future patient demand and service pressures
• Enhance national and local partnerships developed during the pandemic to address the backlog of people needing care. For example:
  • Begin to increase resource capacity through recruitment now to ensure sufficient capacity is available in the future
  • Extend surgical operating hours, including at weekends
  • Draw on volunteers to support vaccination programmes to enable trained healthcare staff to focus on elective care
  • Pool resources between local hospitals and centralize waiting lists so that patients can be treated wherever there is capacity
  • Make greater use of virtual care to increase outpatient access
  • Pilot alternative health care testing programmes (e.g.home testing kits for HPV)

Factors such as underlying health conditions, confined and over-crowded living spaces, limited facilities (e.g. running water, adequate sanitation), stigma and discrimination mean that Roma, Gypsy, Traveller and Boater communities are particularly vulnerable to the risks and associated impacts of COVID-19. Virus infection and death rates of these communities are currently unknown in the UK meaning formal data collection is needed. People in these communities are also likely to not be registered with a GP, to work in precarious job roles or be self-employed, meaning there is possibility that these communities will fall through the net with regards to COVID-19 vaccine programmes and the business/financial support initiatives provided during the pandemic. Consider:

• Partner with local and national organisations that work with Roma, Gypsy, Traveller and Boater communities to better understand their needs during the pandemic
• Work closely with the owners and managers of all residential sites and waterways for these communities to ensure that they stay open and alternative accommodation is arranged for people who become unwell and are required to self-isolate
• Provide additional temporary water, sanitation and waste disposal facilities to those communities who cannot access public facilities (due to closure of public infrastructure during lockdowns)
• Open additional local authority caravan sites temporarily to prevent overcrowding at designated caravan sites as COVID-19 requires these communities to remain static (e.g. holiday campsites that are not in use and would have basic facilities such as running water already in place)
• Establish a designated helpline in partnership with local health authorities (e.g. HSE Midlands Traveller Health Unit) to deal with COVID-19 queries
• Introduce a temporary moratorium to prevent people from being evicted from unauthorised camp locations
• Relax rules temporarily so those living on canal boats can moor in a safe place for an extended period of time
• Establish a targeted education support programme for children in these communities who are at risk of digital exclusion during periods of school closure
• Communicate with Roma, Gypsy, Traveller and Boater communities and the organisations that represent them to ensure that they are aware of and have access to social support mechanisms provided during the pandemic, e.g. Self-employment Income Support Scheme, vaccine programmes
• Include people who are living in these communities in research and outreach programmes to ensure learning is gained from their experiences and the diversity of impacts of COVID-19 on their lives is taken into account when planning for recovery

The ALARP principle acknowledges that we might not be able to eliminate all risk, as risk is part of life, but we may be able to manage it. It is necessary to control risk, particularly when it comes to public health and safety. Throughout the pandemic we have continuously acknowledged the existence of COVID-19 risk and managed this risk to as low a level as practicable through various containment measures. When assessing COVID-19 risk ALARP, consider:

• What level of COVID-19 risk is as low as reasonably practicable and acceptable, e.g. for lockdown to end (this could be based on factors such as levels of hospital admissions due to COVID-19, or the number of people vaccinated)
• The likelihood of the hazard or the risk occurring and what degree of harm might result from the hazard or risk
• What actions are available to minimise the risk
• What cost is associated with available ways of minimising the risk - Is the cost proportionate to the risk
• Communicate with the public and educate them about risk being ALARP, to increase understanding that we will continue to live with COVID-19, and that recovery will consider risk in terms of ALARP
• Develop guidance for businesses (e.g. nightclubs) on operating according to the principles of risk ALARP in relation to COVID-19 containment

We present a high-level report of the 'light touch' Impact Assessment conducted by Essex Resilience Forum and Recovery Coordination Group following the first wave of COVID-19. Lessons include the need to revisit/update impact assessments to identify new impacts from subsequent waves.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 32 (p.2-5).

The 2021 UK Census offers a unique opportunity to increase our long-term understanding of the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on different communities. In due course, local government can use the insight that the Census provides to plan and provide funding for services that will be critical in recovery and renewal, such as changes in housing, education and healthcare. Grassroots organisations, charities and businesses can also use this information to inform their future work and to secure funding. Consider:

• A targeted and localised communications campaign that highlights issues that are relevant for local people in their community:
  • Engage local community members/groups that may have influence and knowledge on the priorities of specific communities to inform communications and support the encouragement of people to take part
• Partner with organisations that work with different communities to promote the value and benefits that the information gained through the Census will bring
• Tailor communications and ensure that the value and benefits detailed are relevant to particular groups (e.g. people with disabilities, ethnic communities)
• Develop a variety of resources that support people to take part, for example:
  • Create a variety of resources (e.g. animation films) that explain how to complete the Census and where people can get support with filling out the Census form, signpost people to organisations that can help
• Ensure all resources are accessible in terms of language and consider access needs of people with disabilities

The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy provides a comprehensive view of the UK’s national security and international policy[1]. This case study will detail the key messages from this review relative to local and national resilience.

Building resilience in the UK and internationally (IV. Strategic Framework - Section 4)

The review recognises that national resilience goes hand in hand with global resilience. The unprecedented challenges brought about by the global COVID-19 crises highlights how international cooperation is critical yet fragile under such immense stress, unaided by the historic preference for efficient governance and processes rather than robust resilience capabilities. The review sets out the UK’s priorities for strengthening both national and global resilience (p.87):

• Build national resilience to mitigate the impacts of ‘acute shocks and longer-term challenges’ on the lives and livelihoods of people in the UK, through robust risk planning, ‘effective and trusted governance, government capabilities, social cohesion, and individual and business resilience’
• Build health resilience at national and global levels to improve global pandemic preparedness through a ‘One Health’ approach informed by learning from COVID-19
• The development of a ‘comprehensive national resilience strategy’ (p.88):
  • A ‘whole-of-society’ integrated approach to resilience that focuses on: ‘improving public communications on preparedness; strengthening the role and responsibilities of local resilience forums (LRFs) and assessing the resilience of critical national infrastructure (CNI)’
  • Review risk assessment approaches, ‘increase local and national capabilities (people, skills and equipment) and strengthen analytical, policy and operational tools’ (p.89)
• Funding and resources through the Spending Review (SR 2020) commitments include; the establishment of a ‘Situation Centre’ which will generate and produce live data, analysis and insights to decision-makers on real time events in the UK and across the world to increase the UK’s ability to quickly identify, assess and respond to national security threats and crises (p.104)

Climate change agenda

The review recognises the urgent need to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss to drive forward a ‘zero-carbon global economy, support adaption and resilience, and protect the most vulnerable’, and to build resilience to climate change impacts at local levels, e.g. against floods (p.89):

• ‘Accelerate the global and national transition to net zero by 2050’ through a variety of initiatives (e.g. increasing support for net zero innovation and new industries)
• Drive ‘sustainable and legal use of natural resources by supporting agriculture that regenerates ecosystems’ and increases the availability of and accessibility to sustainable food resources (p.90)

Connecting resilience, health and migration

Outbreaks of infectious disease are likely to become more frequent in the future and efforts to manage and mitigate their effects is essential. The review supports the view that the resilience and health sectors are inextricably intertwined and require strategic prioritization at local, national and global levels through (p.93):

• Equitable access to healthcare (e.g. COVID-19 vaccines) for global, national and local recovery from the current pandemic through ambitious domestic vaccination strategies and by providing support for developing countries to increase access to vaccines globally (e.g. via the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility initiative[2])
• Reviews of biosecurity strategies to recognise the interconnecting relationships between population ‘health, animals and the environment’ and the development of a robust approach to the resilience of healthcare supply chains (p.94)
• Increase of crisis response capabilities at local levels by providing funding (£5.4bn) to support local authority response capabilities (p.104)
• Investment and cooperation in the reformation of the global health system that recognises the potential value of data and identifies the strengths required between health and economic institutions for resilience (p.94)
• Global coordination and collaboration to increase and improve research and development for vaccination, therapeutics and diagnostics, to strengthen preparedness for pandemics on global scales (p.94)

Migration poses a multitude of complex challenges, such as risk to the lives of the most vulnerable and pressures on host country institutions and systems (e.g. health). To build resilience in this capacity, the UK is committed to providing support that addresses the root drivers of migration, e.g. to improve ‘stability and socio-economic conditions in fragile regions’ (p.95).

Implementation of the Integrated Review

To ensure the successful implementation and delivery of the goals set out in this review, the UK is prioritising (p.97):

• Flexibility, agility, accountability for delivery and strong ministerial oversight when dealing with complex strategic issues, to increase coherence, structure, the ability to react quickly to and deal with cross-cutting challenges and effective implementation;
• Building support for strategy implementation through strategic communications and community engagement
• This review reinforces the view of The National Risk Register[3] on how community engagement and participation in risk planning is essential. The pandemic has provided local and national governments with a unique opportunity to harness and develop volunteers and community response and recovery capabilities to strengthen community resilience and increase its positive impacts on preparedness for future challenges caused by COVID-19 and future crises in a broader sense
• The attainment of a culture that supports integration, adaption and innovation through inclusion and participation. To do this, the review acknowledges the need to further develop and harness the opportunities provided by the pandemic, those that will achieve a culture that manifests the collaborative, agile and inclusive behaviours that enable integration, for example (p.98):
  • The mitigation of cognitive biases that impact decision-making through a systematic process of challenging procedures, decisions and strategies
  • Increase awareness of, connectedness to and representation of all people in the community
• The importance of having the right people with the right knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) to form ‘flexible, diverse and multidisciplinary teams’. To accelerate progress towards professionalisation, training and skills, the UK will review the viability of a dedication College for National Security, in preparation for the next SR (p.99)
• The establishment of a ‘Performance and Planning Framework’ and an ‘Evaluation Taskforce’ to provide continuous review and assessment of integration performance and impact measurement (p.99)

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-britain-in-a-competitive-age-the-integrated-review-of-security-defence-development-and-foreign-policy

[2] https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax

[3]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952959/6.6920_CO_CCS_s_National_Risk_Register_2020_11-1-21-FINAL.pdf

Lockdowns, shielding and school closures have significantly reduced social contact for many people, including older people, children, people with underlying health conditions and those with disabilities. Prolonged isolation from family, friends and social activities poses significant risks to mental health and well-being. To address the impacts of this, consider:

• Establish a community-led mental health and well-being initiative, to support those who may be at risk of more serious distress, to keep people in the community connected and enable socialisation for those who are isolated
• Provide Psychological Frist Aid (PFA) training for those involved in the initiative (see TMB 17)
• Involve local voluntary organisations and groups, and local businesses in establishing and funding the initiative
• Develop a 'check-in' system to build relationships with people in the community and develop an understanding of needs and concerns of those shielding or isolating
• Establish a buddying or be-friending programme to enable local volunteers to support the needs of people in the community by shopping for food, picking up prescriptions or simply just calling virtually/popping by for a chat from the garden:
  • Match a volunteer buddy with up to 10 vulnerable adults/families
  • Buddies can link those who are isolating into existing groups and social activities in the community
• Set up online social activities:
  • Virtual story-telling for children by senior citizens, and vice versa
  • Weekly bingo, book club, quiz night, coffee mornings and kids discos
  • Add humour and prizes for all, such as drawings made by children, to mitigate competitive behaviour in games
  • Online home exercise classes or gardening tutorials
• Recognise that vulnerable people who are isolating may not have access to the internet for virtual activities so also run non-online events:
  • 'Door-step book club', where buddies call to those shielding and discuss books from the person's garden, ensuring they are socially distanced
  • Encourage community donations from businesses/households of unused computers/tablets
  • Develop and deliver local newsletters to include activities such as crosswords/puzzles, and stories written by community members

Although measures to control the spread of the virus have had some positive environmental effects, such as decreases in global emissions of carbon dioxide, the use of single-use plastics has accelerated. For example, some schools have changed to using disposable cutlery during lunches due to COVID-19 restrictions; and bag use has increased to curb virus transmission. Furthermore, PPE waste has strained the capacity of waste management systems due to the complex composition of some PPE materials, making waste recycling a challenge. Consider:

• Address the challenges faced by waste management systems by including surge capacity and the environmental impact of waste in disaster management plans
• Prioritise reusable personal protective equipment
• Move from a linear to a circular economy to prevent products (including plastic) from becoming waste:
  • Introduce a phased ban on the use of all types of single-use plastic, e.g. via a tax on plastic packaging
  • Partner with organisations such as 'Recircle', to develop strategies to recycle rubber, a product that accounts for almost 10% of micro plastic waste found in the sea
• Commit to action at local levels, e.g. introduce a community single-use plastics policy and action plan:
  • Partner with local waste authorities, charities, community groups, schools, businesses and residents to create action plans and campaigns to reduce the use of single use plastic in the community, e.g. 'Good to know' posters in schools that provide fun facts on the benefits of re-cycling to increase awareness in young people
  • Collaborate with local water management authorities to install COVID-safe water fountains across the community, enabling free refills of water

As schools begin to re-open, it is important to consider the wide range of needs and emotions of young people and staff whose lives and education have been disrupted by the pandemic. Pupils and staff may be anxious or hesitant about returning to school and may require additional support. Consider:

• Encourage schools to identify learning of what went well and what could be improved based on their experience of previous lockdowns - and use this learning to improve planning
• Identify the current capacity of services and forecast potential demand for social services to which schools may refer children and families. Create additional capacity where forecasted demand exceeds current capacity
• Work closely with schools to monitor school attendance and identify children who have not returned or are showing signs of distress:
  • Encourage school staff to reach out to families to understand the challenges that they are facing in returning to school
  • Enhance partnerships between schools and social services, to ensure any child who needs additional support is identified and appropriate support is offered
  • Ensure schools refer families who are identified as struggling or in need of additional support to specialist services
• Assess the impacts of further disruption and change for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their carers/specialist teachers/support staff in mainstream schools:
  • Staff illness or self-isolation may mean that schools do not have adequate levels of staff with vital specialist training - schools should inform local authorities to discuss alternative arrangements for vulnerable children in this event
  • Encourage schools to complete risk assessments and begin to plan for how one-to-one specialist teaching will take place safely and potential disruptions identified and actions taken to mitigate their occurrence
• Allocate funding to provide additional mental health support in schools for pupils and staff who may have experienced trauma, separations from or loss of loved ones or whose family may be struggling financially, e.g. due to job loss
• Encourage schools to prioritise children's wellbeing especially in the first few weeks, avoid rushing to reinstate routines or adding pressure on teachers and students to catch up
• Request a temporary suspension of school inspections to give staff time to implement and adjust to new procedures that may be required, such as health and safety protection measures

People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed or not in education or training, which makes them more vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic, including increased risk of poverty. Recovery strategies to address the economic impacts of the pandemic should be disability-inclusive. Consider:

• Review/amend social protection systems to better protect people with disabilities during COVID-19:
  • Raise poverty thresholds to take disability-related additional costs into account
  • Revise the definition of disability in assessment procedures, to ensure they are functioning-based rather than impairment-based
  • Train volunteer community members to support the rapid identification of people with disabilities for social protection or other assistance: these community volunteers are sometimes called 'key informants' (KIs), are knowledgeable about the topic, the local area and the people who live there
• Ensure application procedures for social protection programmes and support services are accessible in the light of COVID-19 social distancing regimes:
  • Include disabled people's organisations when reviewing the accessibility of application processes and when disseminating information about support programmes
  • Adapt application and enrolment procedures to support the inclusion of people with disabilities
  • Provide disability training to programme staff and volunteers, e.g. disability awareness
  • Ensure programme information and application materials are available in a variety of accessible formats, e.g. Braille/videos/simplified text
  • Establish COVID-safe community-based registration services to bring services closer to people, and offer person/home-based assessment procedures for those with mobility limitations
• Ensure methods to deliver social protection services and welfare payments are accessible:
  • Allow welfare payments to be paid electronically or enable people with mobility difficulties to nominate a trusted individual to collect their
  • Ensure service points are physically accessible and within the person's local community
• Ensure employment schemes are adequate and accessible for people with disabilities during COVID-19:
  • Set up employment schemes to actively employ persons with disabilities, integrating such schemes into broader employment recovery schemes, e.g. green recovery
  • Make infrastructure accessible, e.g. buildings and workplaces
  • Introduce unemployment insurance to cover the informal sector, as people with disabilities, in particular women with disabilities, are more likely to be employed in the informal sector where there is an absence of job security, unemployment insurance and paid sick leave

Billy Tusker Haworth, Lecturer in International Disaster Management at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, highlights the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other queer identities during the pandemic and demonstrates the need for more nuanced and inclusive crisis response and recovery strategies. This briefing presents short term recovery strategies and longer term transformational activities to improve the care and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ people during crises.

Read this briefing in full by following the source link below to TMB Issue 31 (p.2-5).

Concurrent emergencies such as disruption to water supply or contamination of water resources can have serious impacts on healthcare facilities and the health of individuals, which may be amplified during a pandemic. Water outages or contaminated water can disrupt clinical procedures, e.g. maintaining a sterile environment in hospitals. Protecting water supply is also crucial during a pandemic, as poor hygiene is a catalyst for the rapid spread of infectious disease. Consider:

• Early scenario planning to consider different types of water shortages alongside the pandemic, and assess potential impacts on health facilities and public health
• The need to establish new systems to provide immediate support to communities in the event of water supply disruption or contamination during COVID-19:
  • Evaluate emergency response measures (e.g. mass water distribution) to determine if they are COVID-safe, and make necessary amendments if required
  • Plan for the need to construct and install handwashing stations in affected communities, to prevent rapid spread of the virus
• The potential for water stagnation to occur in buildings that have been unoccupied over the last year, which may lead to contamination
  • Identify buildings that have been unoccupied and plan for maintenance contractors to test and repair water systems before allowing the building to re-open

Many people, particularly those shielding, may be anxious about having annual servicing and repairs done to their homes, property or possessions e.g. cars, bicycles. Thus, they may delay routine maintenance and servicing of gas and electric appliances, vehicles, etc. or be encouraged to personally attempt maintenance or repair that they are not skilled to safely complete. This may put them, and others, at risk. Consider:

• Communicating the importance of annual servicing, repairs and maintenance in keeping people safe, including:
  • Encourage residents to check the expiry of, and keep up to date with, servicing, maintenance and repairs to avoid the risks of faulty boilers, for example
  • Signpost residents to safe working conditions that customers may expect of local organisations when they work in people’s homes
  • Encourage local organisations to detail the COVID-safe work practices that they have in place
• When restrictions ease, there may be a rush for maintenance and repair services, (e.g. roadworthiness/vehicle testing and servicing), which may cause a backlog or delay in service delivery:
  • Remind residents and encourage them to check when they are required to renew their MOT – the UK introduced a 6 month extension for vehicle roadworthiness (MOT) certificates in the first lockdown as garages were forced to close, so this will have disrupted normal scheduling
• Those who may be struggling financially due to the pandemic may be concerned about the affordability of maintenance and servicing:
  • Remind residents that keeping up to date with annual services can prevent future maintenance that may cost more to repair/replace
  • Signpost residents to financial advisory services (see TMB 30)

Although home-based working has become the norm for a large percentage of the population, many workers have had to be physically present in their usual workplace. Many who have had to travel to workplaces during the pandemic have changed their mode of transport due to potential infection risks, delays and inconvenience due to cancelled or reduced public transport - i.e. they have changed their commute from public transport to private cars or bicycles. This has reduced their travel time, especially as traffic volumes are below pre-pandemic levels. Consider:

• That traffic congestion and the demand for parking space could increase dramatically as restrictions ease and more people opt for private transport, which may lead to increases in:
  • Infrastructure maintenance costs on roads and motorways
  • Negative environmental impacts, e.g. pollution
  • Road traffic accidents and increased risk to cyclists and pedestrians, plus loss of public space, which may reduce the number of people who choose to cycle or walk
  • Costs and challenges for freight and delivery services
• A travel awareness communication campaign, prior to an ease of restrictions:
  • Raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable travel for improving air quality and reducing pollution
  • Promote the health and well-being benefits of 'active transport' such as cycling
  • Communicate the stringent safety measures in place on public transport to increase confidence and encourage people to travel by bus/train
• Draw on learning from previous crises to predict likely behaviours and inform policies that are fit for purpose, e.g. following the 2008 economic crisis, increased traffic increased congestion (Madrid, Spain)
• Expand and improve cycling and walking space and infrastructure around workplaces
• In cities, reduce speed limits to allow pedestrians and cyclists to be more confident and allow for social distancing
• Promote and expand schemes such as 'Cycle2Work' by removing spending caps and allowing people to by bikes through the scheme that are appropriate and relevant for them (see TMB Issue 7):
  • Introduce a reimbursement scheme to reward cycling commuters, e.g. Netherlands offer 0.19 cent (euro) per kilometre cycled to work, or interest-free loans to purchase bikes
  • Trial an e-bike hire scheme in cities, e.g. Leicester (UK)
• Review congestions charge policies and assess if they are appropriate for post-COVID activity
• Introduce new policies, e.g. workplace parking levy, a charge on employers who provide workplace parking (Nottingham City Council, UK)

A number of countries have been praised for their management and containment of COVID-19, and are delaying vaccination delivery as they to continue examine data on different vaccines (e.g. Australia/New Zealand) and build public trust (e.g. Japan)[1]. Other countries continue to grapple with the virus and are yet to begin a full roll out of vaccination programmes, primarily due to supply issues[2]. In the UK, various factors have enabled more covid-19 vaccine first doses per 100 people than any other nation of comparable population size[3]. These factors are addressed in the four key areas of a national vaccination plan[4];

• Early investment in supply and coordinating activities, e.g. the establishment of a UK Government Vaccine Taskforce with the remit of ensuring the UK population would have access to a safe and effective vaccine
• A clear initial aim for the vaccination programme (see TMB 28): “the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems”[4]
• A focus on Place: creating a network of vaccination sites to ensure safe and easy access for the whole of the population, e.g. active hospital hub sites and local vaccination centres
• A focus on People: the identification of priority groups and rapid recruitment and training of vaccinators (including a range of non-clinical support staff to increase capacity)

Local government have played a critical role in leading communities through the pandemic. They have harnessed strong community links and established partnerships with emergency services and the voluntary, community and faith sectors which have proven invaluable. For example, local governments have supported the planning of local health protection and emergency response, including supporting vaccine delivery[5],[6]. Below, we offer lessons from UK case studies that demonstrate the actions of local government in supporting vaccine delivery.

Manage logistics[7]:

• Take responsibility for logistical challenges to relieve the pressure on healthcare staff so that they can focus on administering vaccines
• Provide logistical support services to vaccination clinics and centres by mobilizing volunteers and council staff as stewards to all vaccination sites
• Set up marquees at new clinic sites, install heating, resolve parking problems, and organise additional bin collection services to deal with waste

Address vaccine hesitancy:

• Train community champions[8] or create an army of vaccine advocates[9] to address vaccine concerns and build trust, working with volunteers, and community and faith leaders. Create videos with key COVID-19 safety and vaccine messages in different languages to dispel myths
• Hold online discussions with councillors, healthcare planners and local general practitioners, to create a two way conversation with the local community; to hear, listen and respond to their important concerns and questions[10]
• Establish a programme to follow-up with those who have refused the vaccine. For example, The Health Sandwell team[10] are addressing vaccine take-up in their area by using their trained negotiation skills which they normally use to support people to stop smoking
• ‘Making every contact count approach’[11], where workers in non-healthcare settings are trained to provide guidance and interventions to the community on various health matters such as healthy weight and nutrition to promoting good mental health. For example, Gateshead council works with more than 40 organisations from across the public, private and voluntary sectors to address vaccine hesitancy in the community

Support accessibility:

• Recruit local vaccinators, e.g. retired health workers[12]
• Recruit or mobilise local community volunteers to provide transport for people who have mobility issues[13]
• Set up vaccination clinics in local community venues used by different groups, e.g. mosques

The key learning gained from the vaccine roll out in the UK reflects:

• The community leadership role of local government
• The importance of strategic partnerships within the community
• Harnessing these partnerships to enable the co-production of systems and actions between official bodies, community voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals, that have direct benefit for the community as a whole

References:

[1]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/08/why-the-delay-the-nations-waiting-to-see-how-covid-vaccinations-unfold

[2] https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40212677.html

[3] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/uk-covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita?tab=chart&stackMode=absolute&time=2025-08-03&region=World

[4]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951928/uk-covid-19-vaccines-delivery-plan-final.pdf

[5] https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/covid-19-vaccination-case-studies

[6] https://www.opml.co.uk/blog/five-lessons-for-local-governments-during-covid-19

[7] https://www.local.gov.uk/sheffield-city-council-dealing-logistics-so-nhs-can-focus-jabs

[8]https://www.local.gov.uk/birmingham-city-council-training-community-champions-address-vaccine-concerns

[9] https://www.local.gov.uk/sandwell-council-creating-army-vaccine-advocates

[10] https://www.local.gov.uk/sandwell-council-creating-army-vaccine-advocates

[11] https://www.local.gov.uk/gateshead-council-using-making-every-contact-count-approach

[12] https://www.local.gov.uk/cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-working-whole-community

[13] https://www.local.gov.uk/kirklees-council-weve-set-free-transport-service-get-frail-residents-vaccination-clinics

View this case study in its original format (including references) by following the source link below.

Data from the EU shows that 18 year olds who are in care are more likely to be not in employment, education or training, and experience higher levels of social exclusion or homelessness. COVID-19 has exacerbated their financial insecurity, poor mental health, and limited support networks as they transition to independent living. In addition to assessing the capacity of social work provision (TMB Issue 6), consider:

• Formally designate people who are leaving care as belonging to a vulnerable group
• Extend social protection programmes to make support services, such as financial support for food and accommodation, immediately available to those who leave care
• Ensure social services maintain regular personalised contact with those who leave care to advise them of what support is available during COVID-19
• Increase the capacity and flexibility of online communication with those who leave care, including availability of support forums
• Increase the capacity of mental health services, including outreach services and crisis support teams, by drawing on trained volunteers and enhance training in psychological first aid and safeguarding
• Partner with private care agencies, non-governmental organisations, corporate partners and care professionals to establish support and training/employment programmes
  • Establish a mentor programme to strengthen the support network of care leavers during their transition from care to independent living (e.g. ProgramaMentor, Galicia, Spain)
  • Provide employment advice to those who leave care, such as guidance on CV writing via an online workshop
  • Host virtual career or industry insights days to support those who leave care in making decisions on their next steps regarding education and employment
  • Establish targeted education and employment support for those who leave care, such as practical skills training on computing, email writing, giving presentations, and interviews; plus volunteering opportunities, work experience and apprenticeships for when lockdowns and restrictions end

The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women's experience of work. Women are more likely to work in low-paying and informal jobs, and also constitute a significant proportion of healthcare professionals and essential workers at the frontlines. Women working in these areas, e.g. cleaners, carers, catering staff and early learning and childcare workers, and frontline workers, have had to cope with the immense pressures of providing essential services during the pandemic while also caring for children and relatives. Employers should recognise and address the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on women's experience of work, including groups of women who have been badly affected by job disruption, such as BAME women, single parents and young women. Changes to workplaces are also a direct consequence of the pandemic, meaning that some women may be at higher risk of violence or abuse. Employers play a vital role in helping women who experience abuse to access support, and should recognise that sexual harassment doesn't just occur face-to-face, but also through online platforms. Close the Gap offer guidance on an intersectional approach to workforce planning, to support local government to develop gender-sensitive employment practices. They advise to consider:

• Participate in an employer accreditation programme, e.g. Equally Safe at Work
• Collect new intersectional, gender-disaggregated data on the impact of COVID-19 on employees, e.g. access to childcare, well-being, the experience of employees at work during COVID-19:
  • Conduct a gendered analysis to identify varying experiences of women and men during COVID-19
  • Use this data and analysis to inform any return to work plans/policies and to promote staff well-being
• Conduct an equality impact assessment prior to the implementation of new workplace policies
• Engage with women working in lower paid roles to ensure their experiences are used to inform plans for recovery
• Offer support to women who are working at home, including:
  • Conduct risk assessments to determine support needs for working from home
  • Assess working arrangements and their sustainability
  • Offer flexible working to staff with caring responsibilities
  • Regularly check in with employees to see how they are managing
• Available support for female employees who are more likely to be affected by COVID-19, including those who are disabled, pregnant, returning from maternity leave, BAME
• Raise awareness of Violence against Women (VAW) policies in view of the rise in domestic violence during lockdowns:
  • Communicate zero tolerance of VAW
  • Signpost to local specialist services, e.g. Women's Aid
  • Raise awareness of reporting processes for VAW

As COVID-19 vaccine delivery programmes gain pace, attention has turned to vaccine hesitancy and the associated challenges to achieving optimal vaccination goals[1]. Public hesitancy has developed as people are anxious and uncertain about the safety and regulation of the vaccine[2]. Vaccination hesitancy has been found to relate to the public perception of risk, connected to two factors:

• The risk of morbidity or mortality
• Elements of an event that cause fear, worry, mistrust or upset to the public[3]

Recent studies have identified three predominant groups that are at higher risk of COVID-19 vaccine refusal, requiring targeted strategies and communications to address their concerns and hesitancy:

• Women aged 30-39[4]
• Low-income groups[5]
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and BAME communities[6]

Potential causes of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy:

• The speed at which the available COVID-19 vaccines were produced and approved may lead to scepticism or mistrust relating to their benefit, effectiveness and long-term side effects[7]
• Pregnant women were not included in the majority of COVID-19 clinical trials, so there was little data available to evaluate vaccine safety relating to fertility, pregnancy and young children[8]
• Misinformation through social media and the challenges caused by the anti-vaccination movement in developing and communicating scientific expertise and building public trust in the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines[9]

Strategies to address vaccine hesitancy

Although the WHO advise that there is no specific reason for risks that would outweigh the benefits for pregnant women in some vaccines[10], the inclusion of pregnant women in COVID-19 therapeutic trials is crucial to ensure the identification of efficacious and safe treatment[11]. The Behavioural Science and Public Health Network[12] and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control[13] offer the following recommendations to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy:

• Increase trust and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine by:
• Clearly communicating its rigorous development and testing process
• Provide details of the COVID-19 development and testing process, highlighting the way in which the same rigour has been applied for previous vaccines
• Train health care workers to respond to hesitant patients, e.g. their common concerns, addressing those concerns
• Design community-level interventions to target high risk vaccine refusal groups by supporting the development of community networks:
• Leverage and support existing channels that have influence on decision making, such as; community and faith leaders of ethnic minority and low-income communities; teachers and youth/sport club leaders who interact with the parents of young children; online communities and networks[14], e.g. Mumsnet
• Establish community educational and promotional activities to inform on the safety and benefits of vaccination (via talks, videos, presentations and discussions)
• Launch advocacy campaigns supported by community members to promote vaccine safety and counter anti-vaccination messages, to mitigate the prevalence of misinformation in BAME communities[15]
• Establish an on-line decision aid for parents
• Use information from trusted health agencies to produce online information and vaccine information pamphlets for pregnant women and new mothers:
• Detail different vaccines in full, relative to their available safety data, to ensure women can make a factually informed decision
• Raise awareness of online information and disseminate pamphlets

References:

[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(20)30016-8/fulltext

[2] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Catalogue-interventions-vaccine-hesitancy.pdf

[3] https://oxfordmedicine.com/page/measles%20and%20the%20hesitancy%20to%20vaccinate/measles-and-the-hesitancy-to-vaccinate

[4] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/covid-19-vaccine-advertising-campaign-to-target-specific-fears-20210109-p56svi.html

[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666776220300120?via%3Dihub

[6] file:///C:/Users/r66633rj/Downloads/COVIDvaccinePaper4.pdf

[7] https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-uk#

[8] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30484-8/fulltext

[9] https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/pushing-back-tackling-the-anti-vax-movement

[10] https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-moderna-covid-19-mrna-1273-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know

[11] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30484-8/fulltext

[12] https://www.bsphn.org.uk/_data/site/54/pg/675/COVID-19-Vaccination-Reducing-Vaccine-Hesitancy.pdf

[13] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Catalogue-interventions-vaccine-hesitancy.pdf

[14] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32642-8/fulltext

[15] https://socialcare.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/27/overcoming-vaccine-hesitancy-in-our-diverse-communities/

We call to establish community resilience as a new local and national resilience capability. This is a major opportunity for us to renew our local resilience by continuing the community action built during the pandemic.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 30 (p.2-6).

COVID-19 is thought to spread through shared surface contact which has led to additional cleaning of public transport, public spaces, and other infrastructure. Pedestrian crossings have been targeted for improvement to avoid people having to press buttons and prevent groups of pedestrians forming as they wait to cross. For example, crossings have been reprogrammed to prioritise pedestrians or have been upgraded to touch-less systems to offer a more hygienic alternative to the standard push button. These measures prevent people from potentially contaminating their hands and encourage safe pedestrian behaviour by ensuring that those cautious of waiting near others and touching push buttons don't cross dangerously. Consider:

• Reprogramme traffic lights to prioritise pedestrians instead of road vehicles:
  • Change the traffic light default swap preference from vehicles to pedestrians - to reduce the time spent by groups of pedestrians at crossings
  • Minimise the impact of new measures on increased traffic congestion by using traffic detection technology
• Install touchless technology to replace buttons:
  • Assess pedestrian crossings to determine the number of touchless push buttons required
  • Scope costs from potential suppliers, and assess affordability
  • Partner with other interested authorities to conduct a trial, choosing locations where regular site inspection and user behaviour observation can be carried out
  • Using results from the trial, identify and allocate funding to road and transport authorities to install touch-less buttons
  • Identify the utilisation of pedestrian crossings and develop an installation priority list
  • Include a feedback sound in touchless technology to ensure ease of use for people with vision impairment and other disabilities
  • Raise public awareness by fixing infographic signage to pedestrian crossing poles that provide functionality and instructions

COVID-19 has strained food producers and distributors (e.g. disrupted food supply chains, problematized crop harvesting, impacted logistics and distribution), and this has impacted the amount of food waste created in the supply chain. COVID-19 has also changed household food waste creation by affecting household income, shopping habits and consumption patterns. The implications are broad. For example, the real cost of food has increased for some vulnerable households, who must purchase from supermarkets that will deliver rather than shop at their usual 'cheaper' shops. Food waste has become an important concern for organisations and households, and some countries are taking strong action. Consider:

• Charge businesses and families that waste food (such as in South Korea, where the proportion of recycling food increased from 2% to 95% in 2009)
• Strengthen partnerships between food producers and distributors and local food initiatives
• Develop local agriculture and growing food in and around cities, e.g. Singapore identified unused spaces in its cities to create urban farms to address supply chain issues cause by COVID-19
• Partner with local volunteer initiatives that tackle food poverty and food waste:
  • Ensure voluntary food distribution groups have the necessary equipment to store nutritious food and distribute that to the community
  • Set up community fridges, e.g. local parishes or town halls to support local groups
  • To ensure food that is not fit for consumption is recycled appropriately
  • Support groups in the collection, transportation and redistribution of food
• Educate households on:
  • How to store food safely after purchasing
  • Safe ways to store and re-use leftovers
  • How to correctly recycle food waste
  • Recipes on for using leftover ingredients
  • How to safely donate excess food
  • How to interpret food labels correctly

Graham Bell of AJC Bell Consulting outlines some over-arching principles of organisational resilience which can help organisations to reflect on the pandemic and learn from it to recovery and renew. This briefing offers guidance on beginning the journey to post-pandemic recovery and renewal.

Read this briefing in full by following the source link below to TMB Issue 29 (p.2-7).

There is not yet sufficient global supply of COVID-19 vaccines - echoing the challenges faced at the beginning of the pandemic when there was insufficient PPE. Variation across regions/countries in the availability of vaccine brings the risk of accentuating long-term health inequalities and could entrench wealth inequalities, as some regions/countries are yet to begin their vaccination programme. This could lead to challenging questions for officials and elected leaders on the prioritisation of who receives the vaccine. For example, "Is it right to vaccinate a low-risk person in Country A (that has vaccine) rather than a high risk, front line health worker in Country B (that does not have sufficient vaccine)?" Consider how vaccine distribution plans and priority groups may polarise public opinion on the value of life and risk, including:

• The UN note that a 'me first' approach could prolong the pandemic as well as cause further economic and human suffering
• Changes to vaccination supply plans or redirecting vaccine stock to other regions/countries to manage targets may heighten public discomfort and disturbance
• Creating tier systems for access to vaccines can lead to fracture lines emerging in society, prompting civil disturbances or protests which may also increase transmission and lead to local outbreaks
• Individuals not agreeing with their classification may reject authority and breach guidelines
• Negative publicity for officials in managing change and social order may impact coming elections

Important parts of recovery are mourning the loss of loved ones, and remembering those who have tragically lost their lives through the pandemic. Consider opportunities to memorialise, including:

• Develop a website dedicated to those who have died during the pandemic, allowing families to create obituaries, find a network of support, and help those who may feel alone in their grief
• Hold online memorial services to enable people to come together and remember loved ones
• Build and dedicate a memorial to those who have died, e.g. St Paul's Cathedral will build an inner portico at the North Transept and dedicate it as a physical memorial to those who have died due to COVID-19
• Invite those of all faiths and none to join in remembering loved ones to offer a safe and inclusive space of refuge, solace and hope

To ensure appropriate memorialisation, consider:

• coproduction of memorialisation options with communities
• collaboration with partners that specialise in supporting those who have been affected by bereavement
• whether the memorial is to those who have died, those who have been otherwise affected by the crisis, and/or those who have helped in the response to the crisis

During national lockdowns and tiered restrictions, visitation to public spaces such as parks has increased dramatically. This increased concentration of people in particular areas poses risk of virus transmission from those who are not abiding by COVID rules. Despite their best efforts, Police have limited capacity to respond to breaches of COVID-19 regulations. As a result there are many breaches going unchallenged and reports of a culture of breaches taking hold. Volunteers, namely COVID Marshals or Ambassadors, can create more capacity to engage, explain and encourage compliance and, when combined with a public app to report breaches, can target deployment to breach hot spots. Consider:

• Identify the types of breaches it may be appropriate to deploy COVID Marshals to so they can engage, explain and encourage compliance
• Identify, select, and train people who may be suitable as COVID Marshals (follow ISO22319)
• Identify safe working practices for the COVID Marshals e.g. deployment in pairs
• Using reports from the public to identify public spaces where breaches are likely to occur
• Develop a system to deploy, monitor, support, and debrief COVID Marshals

As the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine gains pace, there has been reporting of a rise in criminal activity targeting people who await information about their vaccine. Examples of how fraudsters are exploiting the vaccine launch includes: scam text messages that request personal information such as bank details; fraudsters turning up at peoples' houses posing as National Health Service employees and offering vaccination for immediate payment. Fraud undermines public confidence in official programmes and contribute to a negative narrative around the vaccine programme. Consider public messaging to:

• Use a range of communication channels to build public awareness of fraudsters' tactics to encourage vigilance regarding vaccination communications
• Ensure communications about fraud awareness are available in different languages and different media e.g. to support migrants or support people with disabilities such as via informational videos: https://signhealth.org.uk/resources/coronavirus/
• Publish a list official government and health websites/social media channels that are authorised to provide official information on the vaccine
• Include in fraud communications information on the ways in which people will be invited for an official vaccine, and ways that they will not be invited
• Identify partnering organisations that can distribute messages about vaccine fraud e.g. organisations that run befriending schemes, check-in and chat services, vaccination partners
• Disseminate consistent information to these partnering organisations to advise them of how to provide information about fraud without concerning people about the safety of the vaccine itself

COVID-19 has created new uncertainties that challenge the provision of critical support services to vulnerable families and children. Food programmes need to ensure that vulnerable children receive nutritious food, both inside and outside of school. They also need to facilitate access to other support services, and be delivered in ways that maintain the dignity and respect of recipients, their families and communities. Consider the need to:

• Integrate access to sufficient, nutritious food as part of an overarching plan to combat COVID-19, promote healthy societies, and mitigate long-term health issues
• Establish an assurance programme with service level agreements to increase confidence in emergency food provision, create feedback systems, and enable rapid amendment to services
• Provide guidance to parents so they know what services they are entitled to access
• Ensure parents are aware of "wrap-around" services e.g. anti-poverty schemes
• Analyse the impacts of food programmes on children's diets
• Consult parents and community groups about how to build dignity and choice into emergency and ongoing food provision, and develop opportunities for active involvement planning and delivery
• Develop community-based nutrition awareness and home-based cooking training programmes to support parents in providing balanced meals on a low budget
• Strengthen working partnerships with local government agencies, civic groups, voluntary sector, and social arms of corporations to improve implementation of food programmes
• Remove financial barriers to receiving food support and minimize stigma about 'handouts' e.g. by using a 'pay-as-you-feel' system

Research shows that young people experience more long-lasting labour market impacts due to economic crises than adults, including being the first to lose jobs, working fewer hours, taking more time to secure quality income, and wage scarring where earning losses recover slowly. The International Labour Organisation reported that 17% of young people employed before the pandemic had stopped working entirely, and 42% reported reduced incomes. Additionally, it is widely reported that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source workers with the right skills in sectors where job opportunities exist. Consider developing youth employment initiatives, aimed at promoting domestic employment, skills development, capacity building and enabling equal access opportunities for vulnerable youth:

• Assess your own organisation’s operations and capacity to understand where youth employment opportunities may be protected or enhanced:
  • Recognise the contribution of people who joined your organisation as young people in entry-level roles and try to ensure that restructures do not remove roles that provide a talent pipeline into your organisation.
  • Monitor for age in any furlough and redundancy plans to ensure young people in your existing workforce are not disproportionately affected
• Map labour market information of unemployed young people such as knowledge, skills and abilities, with potential sectors of employment, including consideration for the supply and demand aspects of the labour market
  • Establish a working plan with employment services centres to support registration, profiling, referral, temporary work placements and on-the-job training
• Collaborate with local government and private and public organisations to establish sectors in which temporary employment opportunities for young people could be created e.g. public works and infrastructure maintenance (Nepal)
• Align vocational education and training aimed at up-skilling young people with employment initiatives such as apprenticeships and work experience programmes
• Provide youth-targeted wage subsidy programmes to help young people enter, re-enter or remain in the labour market by reducing costs of recruitment, retention and training
• Continue to provide careers advice in schools, colleges and universities to help young people navigate their employment options during COVID. Ensure careers advisors understand the current labour market and options open to young people so that they can provide timely advice

Across the world there are ambitious targets to vaccinate staff and residents in care homes. However, this will take time and, meanwhile, the pressure on care homes may build as staff become sick and residents need additional support. At critical points, volunteers may be expected to provide additional capacity inside care homes, but this requires preparation and planning e.g. training volunteers in core skills and knowledge to work in such settings. Consider the need to:

• Work with care home professionals to identify appropriate tasks that volunteers may be able to perform with adequate training and supervision
• Design appropriate volunteer training programmes that are proportionate to the risk, including e-learning packages on, for example:
  • Infection prevention and PPE
  • Medication awareness
  • Vaccine administration
  • Assisting care home residents e.g. moving and handling, legislation, risk awareness, first aid
  • Communication with residents
  • Confidentiality, dignity, and respecting individuals
  • Equality and diversity, and person-centred care
  • Health, safety, food hygiene, risk assessments
  • Safe equipment moving and handling
• Train sufficient volunteers so they can be safely deployed inside care homes to relieve staff shortages
• Ensure appropriate supervision is provided to volunteers inside care homes, and appropriate debriefing is offered on completion of shifts
• Vaccinate trained volunteers before they are deployed to care homes
• Capture learning from volunteers for continual improvement
• Consider the Cabinet Office guidance on involving spontaneous volunteers
• Encourage and support suitable volunteers who wish to transition into the paid workforce in the medium term

Developing a succinct plan that details the organisation's overall strategy for recovery and renewal can help ensure the organisation is working towards the same goal and with the same vision. The plan can be developed with partners and disseminated to relevant parties through local networks. An example of this is the Core Cities UK 10 Point Plan to Leave Lockdown - 10 policy initiatives developed for government to work with cities in exiting lockdown. In brief, the plan considers:

• Clear and transparent criteria for entering and exiting lockdown
• Rapid, localised Test and Trace and vaccination
• Adequate business support packages
• Extended furlough and self-employment support
• Sustainable financing of local government
• Winter support packages for vulnerable people
• Safe and secure places to live e.g. ban on landlord evictions and return of the 'Everyone In' campaign to end rough sleeping
• Commitment to dialogue with key stakeholders across locally agreed geographies
• Focused support for education and learning institutions e.g. rapid Test and Trace for all students and staff, reviewing exam timetables
• Increased local enforcement powers to tackle non-compliance

The pace at which some organisations and individuals have been moving during the COVID-19 pandemic has been relentless with many in prolonged ‘crisis mode’[1]. The pace, combined with mounting tensions and ever-present uncertainties have taken their toll on individuals and systems, leading to systems being overwhelmed, burnout and fatigue. For some systems, organisation and individuals, the recent holiday period has led to a pause in the relentless pace of COVID-19. This case study raises questions about whether continuing to work in a crisis response mode throughout 2021 is the best option, whether it is feasible, and which operations can be paused to create capacity in overwhelmed systems in order to create a potentially more sustainable pace and nurture resilience in people.

Gradually, people have begun to familiarise themselves with the notion of a ‘new normal’ in which our behaviours and expectations of the world we live in are adapted and changed[2]. This new normal came quickly and unexpectedly, and had to cement itself into organisations and individuals during an emergency and, as a result, the pace was rapid. But, as time moves on the new normal has to transition into a new business as usual. This is not a return to normalcy pre-pandemic, but rather a strategy of consistency that adopts COVID-19 learning to substantively address identified shortcomings with a view to facilitating systems, organisations and people to function in a sustainable way, despite the ongoing difficulties and disturbances. This requires:

• The identification of processes to pause or reduce
• The reorganisation of priorities and tasks
• The redeployment of resources[3]

Developing a sustainable pace that will take systems, organisations and individuals through the whole of 2021 might be achieved through analysing lessons learnt and undertaking impact assessments – TMB 17 and TMB 18.

These assessments can help systems, organisations and people to:

• Take stock of their current environment, operations and behaviours to consider whether their pace and activities are fit for purpose and sustainable for 2021
• Take the time to draw on expertise from a whole range of other systems, organisations and people to evaluate their situation
• Take the time to make necessary systematic and sustainable changes to the pace of operations to ensure inclusivity and resilience
• Build relationships and resources beyond an organisation or individual to develop partnerships which may help to reduce pressures and develop a more sustainable pace of operating

In turn, this helps to build approaches for 2021 and the future that can protect systems, organisations, and people, built their resilience and align components of the system (that may unnecessarily be running at a different pace) to increase overall efficiency and resilience.

References:

[1] https://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2020/03/26/In-a-COVID-19-world-pace-yourself-to-stay-resilient-and-avoid-burnout

[2] https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-has-led-to-an-explosion-of-new-words-and-phrases-and-that-helps-us-cope-136909

[3] https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/media/ambs/content-assets/documents/news/the-manchester-briefing-on-covid-19-b16-wb-20th-july-2020.pdf

In Greater Manchester UK, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Ageing Hub, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and partners launched the ‘Keeping Well this Winter campaign’ to support older residents in the region. The resources are designed to:

• Encourage conversations about keeping well during winter using a short film produced by older people, a talking tips guide and booklet to provide clear, practical resources containing key messages for staff and volunteers who have any contact with older residents, their friends or families

Resources are also being distributed directly to older residents through printed copies to avoid digital exclusion.

In addition, to support the promotion and dissemination of this information, a communications toolkit has also been designed for partners and includes:

• Leadership messages
• Briefings and networks/forums
• Internal and external electronic/printed newsletters
• Websites and social media accounts

The tips in these resources may be adapted to apply throughout the year and with other vulnerable people.

Period poverty has increased sharply in the UK since the COVID-19 pandemic. Period poverty is defined as the struggle to pay for basic sanitary products on a monthly basis. Reports from one charity state they have supplied almost six times as many menstrual products compared with before the pandemic started. Around one in five people have experienced period poverty in the UK which has a significant impact on hygiene, health and wellbeing. Period poverty has risen as result of self-isolation, loss of income, and loss of access to services which may have provided free sanitary products. Scotland has become the first country in the world to provide free and universal access to period products, and places a legal duty on local authorities to make period products available for all those who need them. Consider how to:

• Encourage schools, colleges and universities to provide sanitary products for free
• Encourage businesses and places of work to provide sanitary products
• Establish programmes where sanitary products are distributed to low-income households
• Partner with pharmacies to offer free sanitary products to those eligible for free prescriptions
• Raise awareness of trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people's rights to access sanitary products and ensure provision to them

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, people around the world have been utilising black markets to purchase negative COVID-19 test results to enable them to travel. False negative COVID test certificates have been sold for around $300 USD. Systems which email test results can be easily bypassed by downloading and doctoring documents e.g. changing the date of the test, name and test result. Consider how to manage and mitigate proliferation of false negative test results:

• In Hawaii, only results from approved testing partners will be accepted, and they must be transmitted digitally, rather than using emails
• Utilising apps that centralize health and lab data and test/vaccination results e.g. CommonPass, trialled by United Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways

During the pandemic public toilets have been closed with a view to reducing possible sites of COVID-19 transmission. This has resulted in reported increases in open defecation and urination, which could create another public health crisis. Also, the closure of public toilets can negatively impact people's wellbeing and mental health as some people may not feel comfortable using outdoor spaces for fresh air and exercise without knowing there is a public toilet available. Consider guidelines on:

• The safe opening of public toilets in 'BS 45005 Safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic - General guidelines for organizations'
• Revisions of BS 6465 Sanitary installations: Part 1 Code of practice for the design of sanitary facilities and scales of provision of sanitary and associated appliances, and Part 4 Code of practice for the provision of public toilets

We describe the background, perspective, research design and approach, our work and deliverables and our team. To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 27 (p.2-5).

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has published a 'how to' guide that outlines how to organise a citizen’s assembly, to discuss and understand the impacts of COVID-19. A Citizens’ Assembly is a representative group of citizens who are selected at random from the population to learn about, deliberate upon, and make recommendations in relation to a particular issue or set of issues. The RSA has also launched a 'Future change framework' which can work conjointly with a citizen’s assembly to support community conversations about the impact of COVID-19, recovery and renewal, transition to a post-COVID world, and support communities to heal. The framework includes ways to consider:

• How people have responded to Covid-19 and how that can drive positive change
• What communities and individuals have stopped doing, paused, put in place temporarily, and innovative strategies which could be continued
• How to evaluate the next steps and actions for the future for organisations, local communities, teams, or networks

Time is a main barrier to learning lessons and implementing actions from those lessons. However, learning lessons while an event is still unfolding provides contemporaneous thinking to help guide actions. Organisations or all sorts can identify and learn their own lessons, feeding into industry/association calls for learning. Consider:

• Appointing someone to identify lessons during events
• Maintaining an up-to-date log of lessons to capture learning and support institutional memory
• Using the log of lessons dynamically and reflectively to asses performance and guide debriefs
• Coordinating the lessons learned across an area or industry to pool learning for greater effect, to bring the system together to share context specific learning through:
  • Holding workshops and industry seminars
  • Liaising with academic institutions, networks/associations, and business centres
  • Promoting information widely through various medias e.g. online and in print
• Guidance on collating lessons to assess performance and processes for debriefing can be found in TMBs 18 and 22

Recent research in the UK suggests that people are planning to drive more in future than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, despite the fact many people accept human responsibility for the climate crisis. The preference to travel by car is likely the result of people feeling unsafe on public transport as a result of COVID, reduced public transport services, and a lack of trust in services. To encourage tangible action on climate change for recovery and renewal from COVID-19, localised climate policies for transport can consider:

• Limit and reduce measures to increase road capacity as research suggests new road capacity encourages more traffic and increased emissions
• Introducing low emission zones and/or congestion charging areas - the funds from these can be used to subsidise public transport
• Invest in rapid transition to electric vehicles for public services e.g. public transport, waste removal, and for vehicles that are required to be used by council staff (a 'grey fleet' of vehicles used by staff but not owned by the council)
• Build reduce car use into local plans to consider quality walking and cycling routes, and the provision of transport and delivery hubs to enable the use of cargo bikes and similar for deliveries
• Require that all taxis are electric vehicles through licensing regulations

Building on TMB 24 (People) and 25 (Place), this briefing focuses on Renewal through Processes, concerning changes to ways of working, rules, procedures and access to services. To explore this we discuss some of the overarching conditions that influence why renewal through Process may be needed, we consider how Reshaping and Reorganising can assist in assessing performance of Processes for renewal and we present our thinking on a structure way to operationalise Reshaping and Reorganising Processes in the context of COVID-19.

Follow the source link below to read this briefing in full (p.2-5).

In October 2020, we were awarded funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to continue our work on The Manchester Briefing through a new project titled “Recovery, Renewal, Resilience: Informing, supporting and developing guidance for local resilience”. The project starts on 1st January 2021 so we will only briefly introduce it here – and the next issue of TMB (on 8th January 2021) will describe the project in more detail.

Research Objective: This project works closely with resilience partners to develop a generalizable, theoretically underpinned framework for how short-term recovery and long-term renewal to COVID-19 can enhance resilience. The framework will:

• Take a whole system approach to recovery and renewal (from community to national)
• Explore how to manage the changes in people, places and processes that is needed
• Address short-term, transactional recovery as well as longer-term, transformational renewal
• Complement existing guidance and resilience standards and lead to an international standard on recovery and renewal

Approach: The framework will be informed by (and inform) the committees that coordinate recovery in a local area by working closely with the resilience partners and engaging with local and national organisations on how they plan recovery and renewal on a system-wide basis. Our local government partners have different structures and geographies so we can create a framework that is widely applicable to local variations. At present we are pleased to have the collaboration with four local resilience partnerships and intend complementing this by partnering with three overseas cities.

Activities

• Collect and analyse national/international lessons on recovery and renewal
• Interview experts across the world on emergency planning, risk, and resilience
• Contribute to three local committees that coordinate their city’s recovery and renewal projects
• Facilitate webinars and training on recovery and renewal for resilience
• Develop and test a framework for recovery and renewal, refine it in different contexts (national and international), learn about its application, and use feedback to improve it
• Develop and test a methodology to assess the impact of the framework

Main deliverables

• Expert briefings on how to implement recovery and renewal for local resilience
• A searchable database of lessons for recovery and renewal for local resilience
• A theoretically underpinned, practice-tested framework to support thinking about recovery and renewal for local resilience
• A self-evaluation methodology to reflect on recovery practices
• The Manchester Briefing, case studies, and training products
• International and national standards having a global impact

We know that, across the world, organisations are at different stages of thinking about recovery so we aim to provide results that are helpful to those that may not yet have formally begun (nor have the structures to begin) their recovery process, as well as involve those that are more advanced in their thinking and activity.

We are grateful to the following organisations for their interest in the project: Essex LRF, Thames Valley LRF, Merseyside FRS, Global Resilient Cities Network, Civil Contingencies Secretariat (Recovery and Human Aspects Team), Emergency Planning Society, Local Government Association, SOLACE, International Standards Organization, British Standards Institute.

The project is co-funded by Economic and Social Research Council (under grant reference number: ES/V015346/1), and The University of Manchester, UK.

The novelty of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that information about the disease has continually been changing. During the pandemic explicit or implied certainty has led to inaccurate predictions e.g. in death and infection rates. While so little is known about COVID-19 (meaning uncertainty is unavoidable), communicating preliminary or emergent data as certain facts had impacts on behaviours and lives. Consider how acknowledging uncertainty about COVID-19 may:

• Improve the atmosphere around scientific debate and build public trust through conveying that evidence and practice could/should change with more information and research
• Improve people's trust in government authority as the information they provide is transparent, and in respecting uncertainty are able to acknowledge credible yet conflicting evidence

Increase regular evaluation of pandemic management plans - emergency planner's understanding of influenza viruses has increased dramatically in recent decades, yet, there is very little certainty about the determinants of, and possibilities for, pandemic emergence ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862331/). This is illustrated by contradiction that: COVID-19 was largely unexpected, but that there are a large number of influenza pandemic management plans in circulation.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way organisations operate, and has COVID-19 has become more integrated into organisations, new forms of 'business as usual' have emerged:

1. Business as usual pre-COVID-19: processes in place before the pandemic that were considered the usual way of operating during minor disturbances e.g. annual infrastructure maintenance
2. Business as usual during response to COVID-19: processes that had to adapt swiftly under extreme uncertainty and completely changed normal pre-COVID operations e.g. building of additional hospitals to increase health service's capacity
3. Business as usual during recovery from COVID-19: processes that have ramped down but consider COVID-19 requirements e.g. standing down of Strategic Co-ordination Groups, and a return to organisations relying more on internal capacity/information, rather than multi-organisational approaches

An organisation's approach to 'business as usual' can impact response and recovery. Interconnectivity and connected governance is required to ensure that people's health and wellbeing are considered; that organisations have capacity; and that response and recovery are integrated. Consider:

• Pre-COVID operations (such as maintenance) may need to continue, but should not be undertaken without consultation with other partners who may be affected by such actions e.g. building/service closures due to maintenance. Undertaking pre-COVID operation's should therefore consider knock-on effects on the functionality of operations/organisations
• Risk assessing actions and disseminating this information to relevant stakeholders
• Key partners and related sectors should be included in decisions about 'business as usual' operations, to ensure they are appropriate, scalable and maintain interconnectivity

As remote working becomes increasingly more common during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of countries have begun to offer Remote Working Visas where people can work as 'digital nomads' i.e. live in one country but work remotely in another. For countries offering Remote Work Visas, this has contributed to boosting economies at a time when other industries (such as tourism) are suffering. For companies employing digital nomads it offers the opportunity to pay competitive salaries to those who may be able to reduce their living costs by not working in the same country as their employer. Similar programmes may be considered at a local level, whereby employees can decide to live and work remotely in one city, and be paid by a company in another. Consider the benefits for companies, including:

• Offering flexible working to help reduce resignations from staff who are reconsidering their work life in the aftermath of COVID-19 and explore job opportunities overseas
• The reduced cost of staff e.g. the London Weighting allowance means employers pay anything between 1-20% more to employees living and working In London compared to other UK regions

Consider the benefits for local economies, including:

• Building local economies by attracting new residents e.g. one study found that 60% of people has seen people reconsider their living situation, with many setting their sights on an escape to the coast
• Rebuilding economies that were reliant on other industries e.g. tourism as people consider relocating to areas such as the coast - an area hard-hit by a diminishing tourist industry due to COVID-19

Formal learning from COVID-19 is beginning to take place at national and international levels, to capture rapid dissemination of information and lessons. Similar approaches at local government levels are identifying emerging trends in response and identifying gaps and opportunities for the future e.g. The Ney report on Local COVID-19 outbreaks: Lessons learnt and good practice from Leicestershire’s experiences of responding to a local surge in COVID-19 cases. Consider:

• Learning can capture information in cities or regions
• Learning can be undertaken by individual local governments or a consortium through mechanisms such as peer review (see ISO 22392)
• Lessons may be disseminated within a single locale or more widely. The may be between cities or regions or internationally with organisations such as the Global Resilient Cities Network

We provide a few examples of formalised international learning and the key issues addressed to provide consideration for similar pieces of work at local level.

• The UN has developed The Compendium of Digital Government Initiatives in response to the COVID-19 to capture emerging trends in digital responses of UN Member States against the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide a preliminary analysis of their main features
• The Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) collects and organises up-to-date information on the responses of health systems and also captures wider public health initiatives
• New Zealand’s Independent Review of COVID 19 Clusters in Aged Residential Care Facilities which provides lessons on care facilities for the elderly and recommendations for improvements
• Korea’s COVID-19: Testing Time for Resilience which includes information on holding elections during COVID-19
• Consideration of how to learn lessons through debrief, assessing performance and peer review

COVID-19 has impacted every level of an organisation. Engaging with people within your organisation and those closely associated with it, to show appreciation of people's work and resilience helps to boost morale. Consider how to show your appreciation through:

• Public appreciation posts in the form of newsletters, blogs or videos to thank staff and stakeholders, such as this tribute to The University of Manchester community
• Tangible rewards- these don't need to be financial (e.g. a bonus) but may be in the form of extra time holidays, and could be recognised as mental health days to give employees a much-needed break while they juggle responsibilities

TMB 24 outlined our thinking on what the renewal of People might entail and this briefing argues that Places play an integral role in Renewal. Renewal may focus on healthier communities and equitable access to critical goods, services and amenities. This requires place-based economic planning to revitalise commercial development and employment opportunities.

Read this briefing in full by following the source link below to TMB 25 (p.2-8).

Green spaces have become fundamental to people's physical and mental wellbeing through COVID-19, especially during periods of lockdown. Increased use of these spaces requires some adaptations to green space management to ensure the recovery of both people and the environment. Consider:

• Campaigns to make the public aware that many green spaces and parks in the UK are run by local volunteers - and that the limited funding and capacity means that essential services such as waste collection are limited and the public can help by taking their litter home with them to not cause litter issues
• Campaigns to boost volunteer numbers to help the maintenance of green spaces
• Increased signage in local green spaces to remind people that they can help protect their local ecosystems in times where green spaces are seeing increased human traffic by:
  • Sticking to paths to avoid disturbing woods and meadows
  • Not disturbing deadwood as this is vital to local ecosystems
  • Not removing anything from the green space
  • Taking litter home

Mobile home residents face a number of health and environmental challenges that have been exacerbated during the pandemic. Residents face compounding health issues as mobile homes are difficult to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Heating and ventilation costs can also create financial burdens which can have negative health impacts - especially as many people living in mobile homes have lower incomes and face job insecurity. This demographic also face increased risk due to site locations and occupancy agreements. In the UK, many mobile home sites are at risk of flooding and storm damage due to their proximity to water. To combat this, residents are normally asked to leave for 6 weeks of the year- during storm season. During COVID-19 this creates a number of issues as movement of people during these 6 weeks is a huge infection risk. The UK government has therefore requested that sites remain open for those using mobile homes as their primary residence. Consider:

• Emergency planning for extreme weather events/ COVID-19, including COVID-safe evacuation plans
• Increased community liaison and communication to share evacuation plans clearly to residents so they are able to prepare and act quickly and safely
• Identify local COVID-secure emergency accommodation in case evacuation of residents is needed
• Increase community liaison during periods of extreme heat to ensure residents are able to stay safe, especially during periods of lockdown, shielding or quarantine
• Provide clear information to residents in multiple languages and have multi-lingual community health visitors to ensure health and wellbeing information is translated