The Integrated Meeting of Waltham Forest Health & Wellbeing and Health & Care Partnership Boards convened on Monday 22 April 2024, addressing key areas of health and social care provision within the borough. Decisions made included continued funding for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Leadership Group, approval of the joint North East London (NEL) sexual and reproductive health strategy, and endorsement of the refreshed Promoting Wellbeing workstream priorities.

Engaging with the Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS)

The Boards received an update on the work initiated 18 months prior through the NHS Accelerator programme, focusing on engaging the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to enhance health and wellbeing services. Vanessa Morris highlighted the significant role of the VCS in connecting vulnerable residents with services and reducing pressure on statutory services. The VCS Leadership Group aims to strategically engage with the sector to promote health and wellbeing and improve the effectiveness of health and social care services. Councillor Louise Mitchell sought clarification on how smaller, grass-roots groups are being supported to formalise their operations. The Boards agreed to provide continued funding and support to the VCS Leadership Group for its next phase of development, endorsing the recommendations in the report.

NEL Sexual Health Strategy

The Boards approved the joint North East London (NEL) sexual and reproductive health strategy and its priority areas. The strategy, developed collaboratively by eight NEL boroughs, aims to deliver high-quality, accessible, and equitable sexual and reproductive health services across the region, with a focus on preventing illness and promoting healthy relationships. Councillor Kizzy Gardiner raised concerns about the strategy's narrative on teenage conception, questioning its exclusive focus on girls and the lack of recognition for universal responsibility in sexual health and contraception. Daniel Phelps, Corporate Director of Children's Social Care, noted that while the strategy identified children in foster care and the youth justice system as vulnerable, the safeguarding responsibilities of provider services, such as pharmacies, were not sufficiently prominent. Councillor Richard Sweden inquired about the potential involvement of the voluntary sector in sexual health service provision. The Boards approved the priorities and actions for Waltham Forest outlined in the report, informed by the overarching NEL strategy and local needs.

Promoting Wellbeing Workstream - Update

The Boards noted the progress update on the Promoting Wellbeing workstream, endorsing the recommendation to weave partnership working throughout the priority areas. The workstream aims to drive forward a preventative approach and reduce health inequalities by coordinating efforts across various services within the local authority, NHS, and the VCS. Key priority areas discussed included strengthening partnerships with the VCS, mental health promotion, optimising primary care spaces for prevention services, maximising employment support for individuals with long-term health conditions, housing and health, and consolidating partnership working for primary and secondary prevention. Councillor Louise Mitchell asked about the reasons why patients participating in pop-up clinics had fallen out of touch with services, and Dr Janakan Crofton responded that Healthwatch were supporting a deep dive analysis to understand these reasons.

Long term conditions - deep dive

The Boards noted the report on long-term conditions in Waltham Forest, approving the proposal for the Waltham Forest Long Term Conditions Delivery Group to use the report to agree priorities and explore new areas for action. The report highlighted that nearly 97,000 people in Waltham Forest, almost a third of the population, live with long-term conditions. Key findings indicated that hypertension, diabetes, and asthma are the most common conditions, with significant inequalities experienced by Asian and Black ethnic groups. The Boards also approved the proposal to bring this work back to future meetings for progress updates and to undertake a separate analysis on long-term conditions among children and young people.

Better Care Fund - Q3 report

The Health and Wellbeing Board approved the Quarter 3 return report on the Better Care Fund (BCF) retrospectively to meet governance requirements. They also agreed to sign off on the Addendum 24/25 by SRO officers in anticipation of the required return date of 10th June. The Board noted the timings for the completion of End of Year reporting, which, along with the Addendum 24/25, will be presented at the next integrated meeting.

Transformation update

The Health and Care Partnership Board noted the latest updates, progress, and risks within the Home First, Care Closer to Home, and Centre of Excellence Integrated Care Programmes. Pat Smith, Programme Director, outlined the high-level milestones for 24/25 and refreshed performance data. The Board heard that recruitment for Home First roles, historically difficult to fill, had been successful. Alastair Finney, Redevelopment Director for Whipps Cross Hospital, suggested including more recent trends in admission data to provide a more nuanced picture of the transformation programme's impact. The Board also noted the performance framework for the Waltham Forest Integrated Care Programme.

Investment and Innovation Fund

The Health and Care Partnership Board noted the spend to date and ongoing commitments for the Investment and Innovation Fund. They approved the priorities for the fund for 24/25. Anna Saunders, Assistant Director of Integrated Commissioning, presented the report, outlining that £2.829m has been spent to date, with £1.594m committed for delivery in 24/25 and beyond, leaving £1.181m available for allocation. Proposals were put forward to address significant funding pressures, including community equipment services and other identified priorities.

Place leadership changes

The Health and Care Partnership Board noted the place leadership changes, with Linzi Roberts-Egan and Paul Calaminus set to co-chair the Board from May 2024. A vote of thanks was led by Sue Boon to Amanjit Jhund for his leadership as Chair of the Health and Care Partnership Board.