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Decision details

Outbreak Management – Temporary Resting Place

Decision Maker: Director: Communities & Public Health

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

The Director of Public Health recommends funding from the ring fenced Local Outbreak Management (Test and Trace Fund) is used
to enable the temporary resting place (TRP) at Sandy Park Depot to remain in place for a further six months (until March 2021).
This will mean that body storage capacity in the city, both in existing, substantive mortuaries and at funeral director premises, can be maintained during any local outbreak or wider general increase of COVID-19 related deaths.
Body storage capacity is an identified risk in the management of any excess death. Existing winter pressures put the system under strain. A breach of body storage capacity would present a serious challenge to the management of a local outbreak, both downstream and upstream of the mortuary stage of the death management process.The cost of dismantling and reassembling the facility would be £90,000.
Funding is from the ring fenced Outbreak Management (Test and Trace Fund) and will pay for communications, campaigns and public messaging to support outbreak prevention and outbreak control.
The Outbreak Management Fund is a ring fenced grant to be used for the specific purpose of managing the local response to Covid-19, as described in the Local Outbreak Management Plan
The Director of Public Health, with the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for advising the authority in relation to the Outbreak Management Plan and associated funding.

Decision:

To allocate funding from the ring fenced Local Outbreak Management (Test and Trace Fund) to enable the temporary resting place (TRP) at Sandy Park Depot to remain in place for a further six months (until March 2021).

Alternative options considered:

Not to retain the temporary resting place (TRP) at Sandy Park Depot – discounted as cost to reassemble equals the cost of maintaining the facility
Flax Bourton extension – will not be available during this period. This is in early planning stages.

Publication date: 17/08/2020

Date of decision: 10/08/2020