The most significant item on the agenda for this meeting of the Health & Wellbeing Board was the discussion of the implementation of the board's strategy for improving the health and wellbeing of residents in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. The meeting also included scheduled discussion of a new scheme to provide better joined-up health and social care in the community, and a report on preparations for a new assessment of the pharmaceutical needs of residents.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Implementation Plan

The board were scheduled to discuss the implementation of its Health and Wellbeing Strategy Implementation Plan. The strategy has 10 ambitions, all of which were scheduled to be discussed:

1. That children and young people are healthy, safe and happy and can achieve their full potential
2. That everyone can improve their wellbeing and prevent ill-health
3. That people are supported to look after their mental wellbeing
4. That everyone has a good quality home
5. That people feel safe and part of their communities
6. That the boroughs are healthy environments
7. That people have access to accessible, quality services that meet their needs
8. That people are treated fairly and are able to shape decisions that affect them
9. That everyone is financially stable and has access to enriching opportunities and good jobs
10. That people are supported and empowered to live as independently as possible.

The report pack included a suggestion that the board should focus on specific outcomes from each of these ambitions. For example, under ambition 10, the report suggested that the board should focus on supporting older people to maintain their independence and quality of life.

Develop a programme of activities to support older people with known health challenges, such as initiatives to tackle social isolation, and introducing an oral health screening programme within selected care homes.

Place Based Partnership- Integrated Neighbourhood Teams

The board was scheduled to receive a report on the development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs). INTs are a new approach to providing better joined up health and social care to residents, with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention. The report pack says that INTs will build on existing successful local initiatives, such as Family Hubs.¹

The report pack describes how three INTs are to be set up in different parts of the two boroughs, and suggests that one of these should focus on improving outcomes for residents aged over 65 with mental health needs, one on improving access to health support for 11-19 year olds, and one on providing better support for people with long term conditions.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The board was scheduled to be updated on progress with a new Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). The PNA is a legal requirement for all Health and Wellbeing Boards.

PNAs are a statement of the need for pharmaceutical services of the population in a defined geographical area. They identify what pharmaceutical services are currently available in the area and where services are likely to be needed in the future, taking into account changes to the health or demographics of the population.

The PNA is used by NHS England to decide which pharmacies to commission services from, and what services they should provide. The report pack says that a new PNA will be published by October 2025.