The West Northamptonshire Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to discuss a range of topics, including updates on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement Plan, the Better Care Fund, and the West Northamptonshire Prevention Strategy. The board was also expected to review and endorse the refreshed Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan. Finally, the Director of Public Health's annual report was scheduled to be presented.

SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment & Joint Commissioning Strategy

The board was scheduled to discuss the SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and Joint Commissioning Strategy. The JSNA examines the landscape, challenges, and service provision for children and young people aged 0–25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in West Northamptonshire. It aims to guide decision-makers in improving outcomes and reducing inequalities for this population. Key issues outlined in the JSNA include:

• Rising demand for SEND services, with a higher than national increase in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and SEN support since 2022.
• A joint Ofsted and CQC inspection in 2024 identified significant weaknesses, prompting a Priority Action Plan to reform local SEND services.
• Delays in EHCPs, improving plan quality, reducing health wait times, establishing partnership commissioning, and better integration of speech, and language and communication support.
• Wider socioeconomic factors contribute to ongoing challenges.

The JSNA recommends:

• Improving the early identification of needs through a standardised protocol and training for staff.
• Improving the timeliness of EHCP assessments.
• Reducing waiting times for key health services like speech and language therapy and CAMHS¹.
• Strengthening joint commissioning and expanding capacity to meet rising demand for SEND services.
• Improving data quality and system integration through a unified data-sharing protocol.

The Joint Commissioning Strategy outlines how the council will work in partnership to commission services that meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, incorporating their voices in the design and commissioning process.

Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan 2025/2026

The board was expected to discuss the Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan for 2025/2026, including the plan itself and the Quarter 4 return for 2024/2025. The BCF is a government initiative that requires local authorities and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to create a joint plan for using pooled budgets to support health and social care integration. The national conditions for the BCF Plan include:

• Jointly agreeing a plan
• Implementing the objectives of the BCF
• Complying with grant conditions and funding conditions, including maintaining the NHS minimum contribution to adult social care
• Complying with oversight and support processes

The new BCF objectives for 2025/2026 are:

• Reform to support the shift from sickness to prevention, including timely support for people with complex needs, use of home adaptations and technology, and support for unpaid carers.
• Reform to support people living independently and the shift from hospital to home, including preventing avoidable hospital admissions, achieving timely discharge, supporting recovery at home, and reducing the need for long-term residential care.

The headline metrics for the 2025/2026 BCF Plan are:

• Emergency admissions to hospital for people aged over 65 per 100,000 population
• Average length of discharge delay for all acute adult patients
• Long-term admissions to residential care homes and nursing homes for people aged 65 and over per 100,000 population

The report pack included a request for delegated authority for the HWBB chair to approve the Q4 end of year submission for 2024-25.

West Northamptonshire Prevention Strategy

The board was scheduled to discuss West Northamptonshire's approach to prevention, which focuses on creating conditions to enable good health and wellbeing, supporting residents to take an active role in maintaining their health, and addressing emerging problems earlier. The strategy outlines a four-tier approach to prevention:

• Taking preventative action before any issues arise
• Taking early action to prevent emerging issues escalating
• Acting quickly to prevent issues that have escalated becoming crises
• Employing countermeasures in the event of a crisis

The four priorities for prevention within West Northamptonshire are:

• Embedding health, wellbeing, and the wider determinants of health in everything the council does
• Promoting positive behaviours and healthy lifestyles
• Prevention, early diagnosis, and management of major long-term conditions
• Promoting early help, independence, self-care, and reablement

West Northamptonshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The board was expected to review and endorse the refreshed Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for West Northamptonshire. The PNA is a statutory requirement for health and wellbeing boards, assessing the need for pharmaceutical services in their area. The findings from the PNA are used to determine actions needed to improve health outcomes and address health inequalities. The PNA is also used as the basis for determining market entry to a pharmaceutical list. As of January 2025, West Northamptonshire has 63 pharmacies, two of which are distance selling premises, and three appliance contractors. The PNA concludes that there are currently no gaps in the provision of pharmaceutical services, and that the current provision will be sufficient to meet future needs.

Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan Summary

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the West Northamptonshire Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWBS) Delivery Plan. The JHWBS is underpinned by the Live Your Best Life vision and aligned with the Integrated Care Northamptonshire Strategy. The delivery plan supports delivery against ten ambitions:

1. The best start in life
2. Access to the best available education and learning
3. Opportunity to be fit, well and independent
4. Employment that keeps you and your family out of poverty
5. Good Housing in places which are clean and green
6. Safe in your homes and when out and about
7. Connected to friends and family
8. The chance of a fresh start when things go wrong
9. Access to health and social care when you need it
10. Accepted and valued for who you are

A refresh of the Delivery Plan was proposed to ensure it remains responsive, evidence-based, and aligned with evolving local needs and system-wide priorities.

Director of Public Health Annual Report

The board was scheduled to note the content of the Director of Public Health (DPH) Annual Report for 2024, which focuses on the promotion of healthy active ageing in West Northamptonshire. The report aims to enhance the quality of life for older adults, address health inequalities, and leverage community resources to support active and healthy lives. The report highlights the importance of physical and mental health, community support, and addressing social isolation and loneliness. It also emphasizes the need for a council-wide approach to targeted prevention and early intervention.