The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Wokingham Council met on Monday 1 June 2026 to discuss key issues affecting local health services. The meeting included an update from Healthwatch Wokingham Borough on primary care access and digital health tools, a briefing on the Connected Care programme for health record sharing, and a detailed review of the Public Health budget and its allocation.

Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Update

Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, Lead Officer for Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, presented an update on the organisation's work, highlighting that primary care access remains a significant concern for residents, with 24% experiencing difficulty securing GP appointments. Specific practices mentioned as having the highest number of feedback were Wokingham Medical Centre, Woodley Centre Surgery, and New Wokingham Road Surgery. Communication issues, including poor follow-up and unclear information, were also cited as a key theme by 18% of residents.

Healthwatch's work plan for 2026-2027 will focus on influencing system change through projects addressing the NHS App, neighbourhood health, and youth sexual health. A particular focus will be on digital inclusion, aiming to reduce digital exclusion and improve patient experience at a neighbourhood level. The organisation also plans to conduct Enter & View visits to GP practices and care homes to identify safety and access issues.

Concerns were raised about the increasing reliance on digital platforms for accessing GP services, with many residents, including younger people, struggling to navigate the NHS App. Councillor Caroline Smith noted that while she found the app easy to use, the training she received came from her GP surgery, suggesting a disparity in how well surgeries support patients with digital tools. Healthwatch plans to publish a report highlighting which surgeries are performing well in this area.

The discussion also touched upon the upcoming changes to landlines in 2027, which could further disadvantage those without digital access. Councillor Mike Smith shared his experience with his own GP practice, where it is no longer possible to book an appointment without going through a digital triage process, highlighting the issue of digital exclusion for older residents.

Connected Care Programme

Mark, a representative from the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB), provided a briefing on the Connected Care programme, an information-sharing initiative that allows health and care professionals to access patient records at the point of care. This programme supports 4.2 million residents and 14,000 professionals across Berkshire, Thames Valley, and Surrey. The key benefits highlighted include reducing duplication of tests, improving patient safety, and enhancing the patient experience by preventing the need for individuals to repeat their medical history to multiple professionals.

The programme has seen significant usage, with over 3,000 professionals from Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT) accessing shared records for over 80,000 patients in a 12-month period. The data shared includes GP, community, mental health, and social care information. Councillor Nagi Nagella raised concerns about data reliability and potential outdated or incorrect information, particularly given the multi-agency nature of the programme. Mark explained that data quality is a key focus and that the more the system is used, the more it drives improvements. The bulk of the data comes from GP records, including medications and diagnoses.

The discussion also clarified that while clinicians at NHS 111 and South Central Ambulance Service have access to the Connected Care information, call handlers do not. The programme operates on an implied consent basis for direct care purposes, meaning patients cannot opt out of their information being shared for immediate treatment. However, residents can object to their data being shared for secondary uses.

The programme's data is also being used to understand population health needs, identifying a segment of high need patients who consume a disproportionate amount of NHS resources. The council is looking at how to commission services differently to better support these individuals, noting that the proportion of spend on primary care has decreased despite its increasing importance.

Public Health Budget

Caroline Vass, Director of Public Health, presented an update on the Public Health budget for 2026-27, which totals £6.862 million. Of this, £230,000 is ring-fenced for smoking cessation and £966,873 for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. The grant is ring-fenced to ensure it is spent on prescribed functions, which include sexual health services, contraception, NHS Health Checks, health protection, public health advice to commissioners, the National Child Measurement Programme, and 0-5 services (health visiting and school nursing).

Wokingham Borough Council has the third smallest public health grant in the country and the lowest per capita allocation at £36.66 per head. This limited budget means the council can barely deliver its mandated services. The grant allocation is based on historical spending from when public health services were part of Primary Care Trusts, which has led to built-in inequalities. The current allocation does not account for relative socioeconomic differences that impact health outcomes.

The presentation included a comparison with statistically similar local authorities, revealing variations in the proportion of the grant allocated to drug and alcohol services and smoking cessation. For example, Wokingham allocates 14% to drug and alcohol services, while Bath and North East Somerset allocates 28%.

The 0-19 programme, encompassing health visiting and school nursing services, accounts for 31% of the budget, which is comparable to other local authorities. However, the council plans to conduct further benchmarking to understand the per-child cost.

The discussion highlighted that the grant is ring-fenced, meaning it cannot be used for services that are already statutory duties of the council. For instance, while money can be spent on family hubs to improve children's health outcomes, it cannot fund children's social workers.

Councillor Nagi Nagella questioned the number of service users for drug and alcohol and smoking cessation services, noting that the figures seemed low compared to the allocated budget. Caroline Vass explained that the 0-19 programme is a universal service, whereas drug and alcohol treatment is targeted. She also noted that a significant portion of the budget is spent on staff salaries (£1.5 million) and corporate overheads (£900,000), including family hubs and regulatory services.

The council commissions specialist drug and alcohol treatment services from providers such as Cranston and Change Grow Live. Concerns were raised about the long-term contracts for commissioned services if the grant funding were to be reduced in the future, with the possibility of needing to terminate contracts.

Optalis Stakeholder Report and Forward Programme

The committee briefly discussed the Optalis Stakeholder Report. Councillor Mike Smith expressed disappointment with the report's brevity and lack of data, stating he expected more detail on the services provided by Optalis, particularly given the significant budget allocated. The Chair, Beth Rowland, agreed to ask for feedback to be provided to the committee before the report goes to the executive.

The Forward Programme for the remainder of the municipal year was reviewed. Upcoming items include updates on dentistry in care homes, the all-age autism strategy, and the South Central Ambulance Service. Councillor Caroline Smith suggested adding a discussion on emergency scenario planning and the council's response to localised serious incidents, referencing the role of the public health team in Salisbury. The committee also discussed advice for parents regarding meningitis vaccinations for children heading to university.

The meeting concluded with thanks to all participants and officers for their contributions.