12 Suffolk and North East Essex ICS | ‘Our Journey Together’ 2.4 The ICS through the pandemic – 2020-2021 2020-2021 were of course dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, its impacts and local and national responses. In Suffolk and North East Essex before lockdown began, local leaders came together urgently and held a summit to discuss how they might work together. As the pandemic progressed, local groups and communities came together to support each other. Local Resilience Forums played a key role in the pandemic response, but these were organised on a county basis which at times presented some challenges to align to an ICS response on a different footprint. The ICS digital teams mobilised quickly to support new ways of working including the distribution of iPads to care homes across the system. The ICS Central Team worked with the Bishop of Ipswich and St. Edmundsbury to offer pastoral support to frontline health and care staff across the whole system. The move to online working via Microsoft Teams and Zoom presented some new opportunities that enabled cross system and cross sector groups to meet together more regularly and more easily. Using this new technology, the ICS Central Team created a range of ways for different voices to be heard. A new VCSE forum was established that enabled the sector to be informed and to share their experiences and concerns. The ICS Board also moved to holding shorter meetings but online. The ICS Board approved its Anchor Charterxii to support anchor institutions to develop plans to invest resources in local communities. The first in what became a series of ICS ‘Thinking Differently Together’ events was held online to hear lived experience and expertise and find solutions to challenges for the system. In September 2020, the ICS completed its very first System Learning Project which focused on ‘Reflections on System Learning from COVID-19’xiii. The report received some national attention and informed the ICS response on health inequalities at later stages of the pandemic. A key moment during the pandemic was the cross-sector campaign ‘What are we missing?’xiv which began with a meeting called by local community leaders to discuss the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on diverse communities. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout commenced in earnest, and in early 2021 the ICS launched a website sharing vaccine information and guidance inclusively, and co-produced vaccination sessions for marginalised and underserved communities. By the end of February 2021 Suffolk and North East Essex was leading the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations with Tendring in North East Essex having the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in the country. As the country recovered after the pandemic, the ICS held a series of System Learning events on ‘How do we heal?’xv and a 100 Day Health Equity Challenge together with equity awareness training. Local MP Matt Hancock was Secretary of State for Health throughout the pandemic period and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited local NHS services. Sadly, Tendring in North East Essex experienced one of the highest COVID-19 death rates of any district in the country most likely due to its population demographics which include a significantly older population, higher levels of underlying health conditions and significant socioeconomic and health inequalities in some areas. Picture – BBC news feature from Feb 2021 showing Tendring with comparatively high levels of COVID19 vaccinations
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