The Health and Wellbeing Board met informally to discuss key strategic priorities, including the development of neighbourhood health services, updates on the Age Well strategy, and the annual reports of the Safeguarding Adults Board and Healthwatch Wandsworth. Due to a lack of a quorum, no formal decisions were made.

Neighbourhood Health in Wandsworth

The Board received an update on the development of neighbourhood health services, a key initiative aimed at improving how local health and care services work together around residents and communities. The approach focuses on providing earlier help, reducing gaps between services, and better supporting residents to remain independent. Early priorities include frailty and ageing well, prevention, mental health and wellbeing, children and young people, and maximising independence. Governance for this initiative is in place through the Wandsworth Provider Alliance, with the Health and Wellbeing Board providing strategic oversight. The Board was asked to support the further development of neighbourhood priorities, particularly focusing on frailty, and to receive regular updates on progress.

Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Age Well Update

An update was provided on the progress of the Age Well priorities within the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy, focusing on falls prevention, dementia, and social isolation. Positive progress was reported across all three areas, with strengthened partnership working and improved reach of preventative services.

For falls prevention, efforts have focused on improving care home access to urgent community response services and embedding preventative approaches. There has been a 12.3% reduction in emergency admissions for falls compared to the baseline. The Board was asked to consider how preventative falls services can be incorporated into emerging neighbourhood health and wellbeing arrangements.

Regarding dementia, Wandsworth's dementia diagnosis rate remains strong at 77.56%, exceeding national ambitions. The refreshed Living with Dementia, Getting Help in Wandsworth guide has been published, and support services for people with dementia and their carers continue to be delivered through various partnerships.

In relation to social isolation, progress has been encouraging, with evidence of increased reach and improved wellbeing. The proportion of adult social care users reporting as much social contact as they would like has increased to 48.9%, above the England average. The report also highlighted specific support for young carers and young adult carers. The Board was asked to promote the Wandsworth Adult and Young Unpaid Carers' Charter to encourage wider adoption and support.

Wandsworth Adult and Young Carers' Charter - One Year Report 2025/26

This report detailed the progress made in supporting unpaid carers and young carers in Wandsworth. Highlights included improved support for young carers through new initiatives and increased awareness of carers' needs among professionals. However, challenges remain in consistently evidencing collective impact and engaging organisations in the new pledge-based approach. The Board was asked to note the progress, support efforts to improve participation, and encourage wider adoption of the pledge approach. A move to a biennial reporting cycle was also proposed to allow for a more proportionate and sustainable approach to monitoring progress.

Annual Report of the Safeguarding Adults Board

The Annual Report of the Safeguarding Adults Board provided assurance that safeguarding arrangements in Wandsworth remain effective, supported by strong multi-agency partnership working. The report highlighted that safeguarding interventions are making a positive difference to residents' lives, with 99.7% of recorded safeguarding outcomes being fully or partially achieved and risk reduced or removed in the vast majority of enquiries. The report also noted the strong alignment between safeguarding work and the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy, particularly in areas of prevention, reducing inequalities, and strengthening community resilience. The Board was asked to note the report and agree to use neighbourhood health planning and place-based partnership arrangements for intelligence sharing and joint prevention priorities.

Healthwatch Annual Report 2025-26

Healthwatch Wandsworth presented its annual report, detailing its work as an independent champion for local voices in health and social care. The report highlighted significant achievements, including nearly 1300 people sharing their experiences, the publication of seven reports on key issues, and improvements made to services as a result of their feedback. However, the report also noted the impending abolition of Healthwatch through the Health Bill, creating uncertainty about future arrangements for independent patient voice. The Board was asked to note the annual report and business plan, and to consider how to promote and monitor actions arising from Healthwatch recommendations, plan for future patient and service user engagement, and support an independent public voice in health and social care.

Work Programme

The Board received an indicative schedule of future meetings and seminars, outlining planned reports and themes. This is a live document and will be updated as required. The Board was asked to note the work programme and to suggest any topics for future seminars.

The meeting was noted as informal due to a lack of quorum, and therefore no formal decisions were made.