The Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss the evolving role of the board in neighbourhood development and to approve the Better Care Fund plan for 2026-2027. Key discussions focused on the strategic direction of the board in light of national reforms, the development of a neighbourhood health plan, and the allocation of significant funding for health and social care initiatives.

Health and Wellbeing Board's Role in Neighbourhood Development

Samantha Bennett, Director of Public Health, presented on the evolving role of the Health and Wellbeing Board, particularly in relation to the development of a neighbourhood health plan for 2027-2028. This plan will replace the current health and wellbeing strategy and will be comprised of national minimum goals alongside locally developed aims and outcomes. The discussion highlighted the need for the board to provide oversight and leadership for these neighbourhood aims, ensuring they address local priorities and health inequalities.

Several members raised important points regarding the implementation of this new approach. Andrew George suggested a plan on a page to help the public and organisations understand how various initiatives fit together. Nick Davies emphasised the risk of slow delivery and the importance of ensuring residents feel genuinely involved in the development process, noting that national drives can sometimes be too narrowly focused on NHS priorities. Councillor Mariam Lolavar stressed the need to ensure the resident voice is central and to explore how partnership boards with residents can better feature in the board's work. Gabi Darby discussed the potential for neighbourhood-level leadership teams and community connectors to empower local decision-making, while also highlighting the need for effective feedback loops between neighbourhoods and the board. The discussion also touched upon the importance of prevention, with a call to be bolder in investing in long-term preventative measures, and the need to ensure that local priorities, such as housing and employment, are addressed alongside national health targets. Joy Beishon from Healthwatch Greenwich reiterated the importance of making the board's work accessible and relevant to local people, noting that issues like housing and employment are often more pressing concerns for residents than health-specific targets.

The board acknowledged the complexity of the landscape and the need for clear communication and engagement strategies. Next steps involve developing a roadmap for the neighbourhood plan, including resident engagement and workshops, and mapping out how to integrate feedback and ensure alignment with existing plans and emerging needs, such as the regeneration of Thamesmead.

Better Care Fund 2026-27 Plan Submission

The Board was asked to retrospectively sign off the 2026-2027 Better Care Fund plan, which had been submitted ahead of the meeting due to timing constraints. Michael Cleary Cleary, Head of Market Quality and Sustainability, presented the plan, which totals just over £53 million and funds various interventions across community health and adult social care.

The plan focuses on three national priorities: supporting people to move from hospital to home, transitioning from analogue to digital solutions, and shifting from sickness to prevention. The Board engaged in a detailed discussion about how the effectiveness and value for money of this significant investment would be measured. Andrew George raised concerns about how the £54 million would be evaluated to ensure residents received the best value. Michael Cleary Cleary acknowledged the challenge of evaluation, particularly with new metrics and tight timescales, and invited the board's input on how to improve the evaluation process and ensure resident voice is incorporated.

Suggestions were made for more interim evaluations and for focusing on specific themes, such as support for unpaid carers or sensory services, to provide more tangible insights. The importance of benchmarking against other boroughs and understanding national comparisons was also highlighted. Councillor Jackie Smith emphasised the need for qualitative data, such as case studies, to illustrate the real-world impact of the fund, alongside quantitative metrics. Joy Beishon suggested that learning could also be gained from understanding where things haven't worked as seamlessly.

The Board ultimately agreed to sign off the Better Care Fund plan. Councillor Mariam Lolavar thanked Michael Cleary Cleary and his team for their work in pulling together the submission, acknowledging the significant effort involved.

Health and Wellbeing Board Forward Work Plan

Councillor Jackie Smith proposed two key areas for the forward work plan: unpaid carers and the Disabled Facilities Grant. She highlighted the need to map support for unpaid carers across the system and to showcase existing work, while also incorporating lived experience and the voluntary sector voice. The Disabled Facilities Grant was also suggested as a topic for deeper exploration, to ensure investment is being used as effectively as possible.

Other members suggested incorporating insights from population health data and considering London-wide priorities, such as the Mayor of London's Million Hearts and Minds initiative. There was also a strong emphasis on prevention, with suggestions to explore the broader prevention system and how it supports neighbourhood-level initiatives. The Pride in Place programme in Thamesmead and the Best Start initiative were also mentioned as areas for future discussion.

The Board agreed to take these suggestions forward, with a plan to consult with various partnership boards, including those for carers and learning disabilities, as well as the voluntary sector, to gather further input on future agenda items. The aim is to develop a comprehensive overview of potential topics that will shape the board's work plan.