Effective response to COVID-19

Significant progress has been made in the fight against COVID-19, with a successful vaccination campaign and the restrictions on our day-to-day lives lifted.

However, COVID-19 has not and is not likely to go away any time soon, so it is our responsibility to ensure that patients, particularly the most vulnerable in society, have every tool they require to keep them safe.

We are working in partnership with Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum to increase communications to ensure those impacted by COVID-19 are supported to access the personalised care they may need to recover. We will also look at, specifically, how people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism have been affected by COVID-19.

What we are doing in response to Covid-19

  1. Vaccination Programme – We will be reviewing the current model for COVID-19 vaccinations and align with the annual flu vaccination programme to ‘make every contact count’. This model will be aligned with national guidance and planning; it will likely include some of the ‘business as usual’ elements such as the Evergreen Offer – ensuring that vaccines are available to those who request it – boosters and outreach predicted and unpredicted surge.
  2. Testing Programme – The ‘Living with COVID-19’ announcement on 21 February, 2022, confirmed the end of universal free access to COVID-19 testing. Surrey County Council will retain the capability and resilience to provide a responsive and agile local testing offer in the event of future variants of concern or outbreaks in high-risk settings for the general population. There will be continued free provision of testing via dedicated channels for ‘at risk’ workforce groups – notably NHS workers, Adult Social Care, including Care Home staff and schools SEND provision. In the event of future need, we will reinstate plans to support community testing, including a staffing plan.