The Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss four topics, receiving presentations on each, and voting to approve the new strategy for Healthwatch Hackney, the local Healthwatch, as well as an outcomes framework for the borough's place-based partnerships.

Hackney Healthwatch strategy 2024-27

The Board received a presentation about the new Healthwatch Hackney strategy for 2024-27. Healthwatch are a statutory body that exists to collect and represent the views of the public on health and social care.

The new strategy identified four key priorities:

1. Children and young people
2. Mental health
3. Access to services
4. Supporting people to have their voices heard.

The strategy was developed through engagement with local people. This included a survey, focus groups and workshops. In total 112 people were consulted. The presentation noted that these numbers were low and that in the next strategy period they want to increase the diversity of those they speak to.

The Board voted to approve the new strategy.

Outcomes framework for Hackney's place-based partnerships

The Board received a presentation on a new outcomes framework for Hackney's place-based partnerships. These partnerships are formed of local people and organisations who work together to improve the health and wellbeing of people in their local area. There are six place-based partnerships in Hackney, one for each of the council wards in the borough:

• Hackney Central
• Hackney Wick
• Homerton
• King's Park
• Lea Bridge
• Springfield

The new outcomes framework sets out a series of measures that will be used to track the progress of the place-based partnerships in improving the health and wellbeing of local people. The measures cover a range of areas, including:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Social isolation
• Access to services

The Board voted to approve the new outcomes framework.

Launch of the Population Health and Health Inequalities Strategic Partnership

The Board received a presentation about the new Population Health and Health Inequalities Strategic Partnership. This new partnership has been set up to address health inequalities in the borough. The presentation noted that health inequalities are a significant problem in Hackney, with people in some parts of the borough living significantly shorter lives than those in other parts.

A baby boy born in Hackney Wick can expect to live 9 fewer years in good health, and 6.7 fewer years overall, than a baby boy born in Hackney Central.

The presentation noted that the new partnership would be taking a health in all policies approach, meaning that it would look to address health inequalities across all areas of the council's work, rather than just those traditionally seen as being about health.

City and Hackney autistic-friendly neighbourhoods pilot

The Board received an update on the progress of the City and Hackney autistic-friendly neighbourhoods pilot. This pilot is being run in partnership with the Centre for Accessible Environments. The aim of the pilot is to make it easier for autistic people to live in and enjoy the borough. The pilot has three strands:

1. Supporting businesses to become more autism-friendly
2. Creating quiet spaces in public places
3. Developing sensory maps of the borough.

The presentation noted that a community researcher has been appointed and that they are currently engaging with autistic residents to understand their experiences and needs.