The Wokingham Borough Health and Wellbeing Board met on Thursday 28 May 2026 to discuss the establishment of the Thames Valley ICB, the progress of the Better Care Fund, and the development of the local area SEND reform plan. Decisions were made regarding the acceptance of the Better Care Fund plan and the ongoing development of the SEND reform plan.

Thames Valley ICB Update

The board received an update on the establishment of the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB), which officially launched on 1 April. This new ICB brings together commissioning across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, replacing previous arrangements. It covers a population of 2.5 million with a budget of approximately £5.6 billion and will focus on three strategic priorities: commissioning for best value, integrated neighbourhood health, and population health management. The ICB aims to shift focus from activity to outcomes, identify risk earlier, and intervene sooner to improve health outcomes and reduce future demand on services.

Councillor Susan, a member of the board, expressed support for the neighbourhood approach and prevention but raised concerns about hidden inequalities within Wokingham's population. She stressed the importance of the ICB recognising these nuances beyond just deprivation data to ensure Wokingham's population does not lose out. Helen, representing the ICB, acknowledged the crucial role of local authorities in prevention and neighbourhood working, stating that the development of a neighbourhood health plan would provide an opportunity to collaborate. She also confirmed that conversations were ongoing regarding the Thames Valley Innovation Fund to ensure it reflects local needs in Wokingham.

Councillor Stephen also highlighted concerns about the larger footprint of the new ICB potentially exacerbating resource allocation issues and questioned the relationship between the ICB's footprint and potential future strategic authorities. Helen responded that local government reform had been taken into account and would continue to be as clarity emerges, reiterating that the neighbourhood approach would be key to localising services and addressing local population needs.

Better Care Fund Plan

The board was presented with an update on the 2026-2027 Better Care Fund (BCF) plan, which was submitted on 19 May. The BCF has been in place since 2014-2015 as a pooled budget arrangement between local authorities and ICBs to address national concerns for the older population, including reducing hospital discharge delays, the need for long-term care, maintaining independence, and preventing hospital readmissions. The total investment for the current financial year is £15 million, allocated to core services and schemes. The plan for 2026-2027 is a continuation of the previous year's plan to ensure consistency.

Charlene, Head of Integration for Social Care and Health, detailed how the £15 million is allocated across various services and teams, including community navigators, wellbeing services, a keeping in touch service, support for young adults with dementia, an out-of-hospital rapid response service, reablement and rehabilitation support, step-down care home provision, and the Joy App for digital support. The fund also supports primary care network social workers, additional social workers, an occupational therapist, and a health liaison team, all aimed at supporting timely hospital discharges and long-term care planning.

Councillor Matt expressed disappointment that the Department of Health and Social Care's updated funding formula for adult social care, which would better reflect the borough's changing demographics, was not applied to the BCF grant, potentially leaving Wokingham short of several million pounds. He also voiced anxiety about the future of the BCF and its alignment with a potential 10-year plan. Councillor Stephen echoed these concerns about the inconsistent application of the funding formula and the potential disadvantage to Wokingham. Both councillors, along with Councillor Susan, praised the work of the voluntary sector and the importance of prevention, while sharing concerns about future funding levels given the aging and growing population. Charlene agreed with these concerns and highlighted the strong partnership with the voluntary sector in Wokingham. The board voted to accept the Better Care Fund plan.

Area SEND Reform Plan Update

The board received an update on the development of the local area SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) reform plan, which aligns with national reforms and incorporates findings from the area SEND inspection in January. The key aim is to create a more inclusive system that identifies needs earlier and provides high-quality, consistent support. Jamie Conran, Acting Service Director for SEND and Inclusion, explained that the plan is being developed in partnership with various stakeholders, including families, education leaders, and health and social care colleagues.

The plan focuses on building inclusive mainstream education, providing specialist support where needed, and ensuring effective local delivery. A draft plan was submitted on 15 May, with the final version due by 19 June. The reform plan aims to create a core universal offer and experts at hand support, underpinned by effective partnerships and co-production with families. Workshops have been held to develop a shared ambition for inclusion, improve partnership working, simplify pathways, and embed needs-led inclusive practice. The concept of experts at hand involves a multidisciplinary team including educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists.

Councillor Stephen commended the achievement of submitting the draft plan within the tight government timescale, noting that a significant portion of the promised SEND deficit pay-off is conditional on this plan. He also raised concerns about the availability of trained professionals for the experts at hand roles, given the likely competition across all areas. Jamie Conran acknowledged the workforce challenge and outlined potential strategies, including growing local talent through partnerships with universities and focusing on succession planning. Emma, who introduced the update, added that the reform plan is initially for three years but is part of a ten-year transformation process, emphasising the need to test and learn, and co-produce with children, families, and schools.

Councillor Susan asked about informal feedback from the Department for Education (DfE) and how the board members could assist in addressing inconsistencies in pathways and co-production. Jamie Conran reported positive initial feedback on the experts at hand model and the overall commitment to the reform plan, but noted that further clarity is needed on data, impact predictions, and the roadmap. He stated that the partnership would work to refine these areas and that there might be future asks of the board. Regarding confidence in having experts at hand in place by September, Jamie expressed confidence in the approach but acknowledged that readiness across all partnerships is a question for the future, suggesting a phased approach starting with pilots.

The board also heard from parents and carers who have been involved in the process, with thanks extended for their time, feedback, and their role in holding the partnership to account.

Forward Programme

The next meeting of the Wokingham Borough Health and Wellbeing Board is scheduled for July. The agenda will include general updates from the ICB and Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH), as well as updates on the Neighbourhood Health Plan and the Berkshire and Wokingham Suicide Prevention initiative. Members were invited to suggest any additional items for future agendas.