The Newham Health and Wellbeing Board met on Wednesday 14 October 2026 to review the progress of the 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham strategy and to discuss the development of its successor. The Board considered the annual report on the current strategy, noting both significant achievements and areas requiring continued focus, and committed to maintaining efforts in its final year. Discussions also centred on the principles, priorities, and outcomes for the new health and wellbeing strategy, with extensive input from residents and stakeholders.

Annual Report on 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham

The Board reviewed the annual report for 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham strategy, which covers the period 2025/26. Claire Greszczuk, Director of Public Health for Newham, presented the report, highlighting significant progress made across the strategy's three themes: people, places, and partnerships. Key achievements included an increase in breastfeeding rates, a continued fall in smoking prevalence, and a reduction in Newham's suicide rate, which is now the lowest in England. The report also noted improvements in children's physical activity levels and healthy weight indicators.

However, the report also identified areas requiring sustained focus, such as immunisation rates, cancer screening, and tackling high rates of Tuberculosis (TB) and late HIV diagnoses. These areas were noted as needing particular attention in the strategy's final year and for informing the development of the new strategy.

The Board was asked to approve the annual report and commit to maintaining efforts in the strategy's final year, prioritising actions in areas where Newham performs less well than the London average or where outcomes are declining. The recommendations were agreed.

Developing Newham's Next Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The Board then moved on to discuss the development of Newham's next health and wellbeing strategy, which will cover the period 2027-2032. This process has involved extensive engagement with residents and the voluntary, community, and faith sectors.

Claire Greszczuk outlined the proposed principles for the new strategy, which include statutory partner ownership, strategic alignment, a clearer outcomes focus, prioritising impact and equity, and robust evaluation. The timeline and process for developing the strategy were also presented, with a planned launch in April 2027.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to hearing from a wide range of residents and representatives from community organisations. These contributions highlighted the importance of:

• Community-led initiatives: Many speakers emphasised the value of activities that bring people together, are delivered in trusted community settings, and are co-produced with residents. Examples included Nutrition Kitchen's cooking classes and the Blossom Group's Togetherness Villages.
• Addressing local inequalities: A strong theme was the need to focus on specific communities and their unique needs, ensuring services are accessible, relevant, and trusted. This included addressing language barriers, digital exclusion, and the specific challenges faced by carers and those with no recourse to public funds.
• Holistic health: Several speakers stressed the importance of considering broader determinants of health beyond physical and mental wellbeing, such as life skills, social skills, and feeling safe in the community. Councillor Sophia Naqvi, Councillor for Plaster North and Chair for Overview and Scrutiny, highlighted concerns about crime and safety as significant issues affecting residents' health.
• Partnership and resourcing: Representatives from the voluntary, community, and faith sectors (VCFS) emphasised the need for better resourcing and infrastructure to enable effective partnership working and to ensure their voices are heard in strategy development and delivery.
• Data and measurement: There was a call for more granular data, particularly disaggregated by ethnicity and location, to better understand and address inequalities. Diane Barham from Healthwatch Newham suggested a focus on measuring community health outcomes, not just individual ones.

The Board discussed potential strategic priorities, with options presented including a life-course approach (start well, live well, age well), enablers (prevent ill health, create conditions for good health, strengthen communities), and focused areas (e.g., healthy diet in children and young people, preventing long-term conditions). A longlist of potential outcomes was also presented, derived from data analysis and resident insights.

Newham NHS Neighbourhoods: Inequalities and Priorities - South West Locality

Adeola Agbebiyi, Assistant Director of Public Health Lead for Newham Health Equity Programme, presented an overview of the Newham NHS neighbourhoods initiative, focusing on the South West locality. This initiative aims to shift focus from acute hospital treatment to a more preventative model centred on neighbourhoods.

The presentation highlighted the diverse and deprived nature of the Plaistow and Custom House & Canning Town areas within the South West locality. Key challenges identified included high levels of deprivation, lower English language proficiency, and an aging population. The data also showed significant ethnic diversity, necessitating granular data recording for effective engagement.

The discussion focused on the prevalence of long-term conditions, particularly hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), in the South West locality. Dr. Mohamed Alim and Dr. Li Wuhao, Clinical Directors for Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in the area, presented on their work to address these issues through community outreach, flexible clinic models, and partnerships with VCFS organisations. They highlighted the success of initiatives like the British Heart Foundation-funded project using digital technology to manage hypertension and the ongoing work to improve breast cancer screening uptake in Bangladeshi and Afro-Caribbean women.

Challenges related to data sharing between organisations and the need for culturally appropriate communication were also discussed. The importance of acting early and focusing on prevention was a recurring theme.

Healthwatch Newham Update: Cardiovascular Disease Awareness and Prevention Focus Group

Dianne Barham from Healthwatch Newham presented findings from a focus group on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) awareness and prevention. Key findings indicated that while there was some general awareness of CVD risk factors, detailed knowledge was often lacking. Awareness of formal CVD prevention services was low, with participants highlighting information gaps, language barriers, long waiting times, and digital exclusion as significant barriers to accessing care. Community-based events offering health checks and lifestyle advice were praised as effective examples of good practice. Recommendations included increasing community outreach, improving communication of referral pathways, addressing digital exclusion, and strengthening partnerships with community groups.

Health and Wellbeing Board - Renewed Terms of Reference and Membership

The Board considered proposed changes to its Terms of Reference and membership. Key proposed changes included:

• Designating the Cabinet Lead for Health as the Chair, a shift from the Mayor.
• Adding opposition representation.
• Revising job titles for council Corporate Directors and NHS leads.
• Strengthening primary care representation with pharmacy inclusion.
• Removing school representation from the membership.

The Board noted that the membership and terms of reference would continue to be a work in progress to ensure the Board effectively reflects the evolving landscape of health and care in Newham. The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 13 January 2027.

The meeting concluded with thanks to all participants and a reminder to those watching online that the livestream would remain available.