The Health & Wellbeing Board is scheduled to consider a range of important reports, including the Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Adult Board's annual report and a deep dive into end-of-life care within the borough. The meeting will also discuss new arrangements for Committees in Common and review progress on the National Neighbourhoods Health Implementation Programme.

The Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB) Annual Report 2025-26

The Board is scheduled to review the Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB) Annual Report for 2025-26. This report details the SAB's work over the past year, outlining key achievements, partner activities, and priorities for safeguarding adults across Barking and Dagenham. The Care Act 2014 mandates that Safeguarding Adult Boards publish an annual report to detail their work. The report highlights the SAB's commitment to embedding good safeguarding practices that put people at the centre of its duties, working in partnership to prevent abuse and neglect, and ensuring swift and responsible responses when abuse or neglect occurs. It also details financial contributions from statutory partners, including the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board, and the Metropolitan Police Service. The Board is invited to note the report and provide comments to shape the SAB's future work and strategic plan.

End of Life Deep Dive

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to a deep dive into end-of-life care in Barking and Dagenham. The report highlights that the number of annual deaths in the borough is projected to rise by 29% between 2026 and 2046, from 1,244 to 1,606, due to an ageing population. It also notes the increasing ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity within the older age groups. A key finding is that local residents are significantly more likely to die in hospital (51%) and less likely to die at home (26%) or in care homes (14%) compared to national and London averages, despite national surveys indicating most people prefer to die at home. The report also points to challenges in the timely identification and referral of individuals at the end of life, with 13% of referrals to Saint Francis Hospice received within one day of death in 2025/26. Previous research has identified ten key barriers to palliative care engagement in Barking and Dagenham, many linked to fragmented and inequitable provision. The report recommends actions for various stakeholders, including the North East London ICB, Neighbourhood Directors, specialist palliative care providers, general practitioners, and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, to address these issues and shift end-of-life care from hospitals to the community.

NNHIP Summary of Achievement Report

The Board is scheduled to receive an update on the National Neighbourhoods Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP), specifically a summary of achievements from Wave One. Barking and Dagenham is a wave one implementation site, and this report outlines the progress made in developing neighbourhood working approaches at both neighbourhood and place levels. It details planned next steps and future ambitions for this programme, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of residents by fostering integrated neighbourhood teams and community-led solutions. The report highlights achievements such as testing neighbourhood-based and relational approaches, using ethnographic conversations to shape solutions, and strengthening links between Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs), neighbourhood networks, and Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) partners. Challenges and areas for improvement are also noted, including the need for clearer objectives, greater resident and VCFSE partnership in priority setting, and better alignment of programme expectations with available resources.

Supported Housing Review

The Health & Wellbeing Board is scheduled to consider the findings of an independent strategic review of supported and specialist housing for older people and working-age adults with care and support needs. The review examined current and future needs, benchmarked local provision, and identified opportunities to optimise existing housing and care resources. The findings suggest a strong supply of extra-care and sheltered housing in the borough, but the review indicates that the primary opportunity lies in optimising eligibility, operating models, allocation decisions, and move-on options, rather than simply increasing capacity. The review identified six connected opportunities, including optimising extra care, modernising supported living, improving move-on options, expanding prevention services, growing Shared Lives schemes, and shaping future supply based on evidence. The guiding principle is to prioritise the optimisation of existing provision and pathways before commissioning new supply. The report also models an indicative annual potential of approximately £1.88 million from defined cohorts using extra care or supported living instead of residential care. The Board is asked to note and comment on the findings, support the proposed prevention-focused transformation programme, and endorse continued engagement with health partners.

New 'Committees in Common' Arrangements

The Board is scheduled to discuss new Committees in Common arrangements. These arrangements were initially established in June 2023 with the Barking & Dagenham Integrated Care Board (ICB) Sub-Committee, following the Health and Care Act 2022. However, due to NHS North East London's restructuring and a mandated reduction in core strategic commissioning costs, the ICB Sub-Committee was disbanded on 31 March 2026. In light of the success of the previous arrangements, discussions have taken place to maintain local place-based partnership working. The proposed new arrangement would involve the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting alongside the Barking and Dagenham Place Partnership, which has been selected as an implementation site for the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). The Board is recommended to endorse these new arrangements, authorise the formalisation of these arrangements, and note that amendments will be made to the Council Constitution to reflect these changes.