The Health & Wellbeing Board was scheduled to discuss a refreshed strategy for suicide and self-harm prevention, alongside updates on the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. The Board was also set to review plans for the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and approve submissions for the Better Care Fund.

Croydon's Suicide & Self-Harm Prevention Strategy and Action Plan Refresh 2025-2028

The Board was scheduled to review and endorse the refresh of Croydon's All-Age Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Strategy for 2025-2028. This strategy aims to reduce the suicide rate, improve support for those who self-harm, and enhance support for those bereaved by suicide. It outlines six priority areas: reducing self-harm and suicide attempts among high-risk groups, promoting self-harm and suicide safer communities, strengthening collaboration across agencies for mental health care, providing support for those bereaved by suicide, improving data collection and intelligence, and supporting sensitive media approaches to suicide. The strategy has been developed with input from a broad range of stakeholders and aligns with national objectives and emerging local needs.

Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWS) and Joint Strategic Needs Analysis (JSNA) Updates

Updates were scheduled regarding the publication, communication, and mobilisation plans for the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWS) 2024-2029. The Board was to be informed about the progress in aligning the JLHWS with the Croydon Health and Care Plan and the development of a Joint Outcomes Framework. Additionally, updates on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) were to be presented, including recent data on key indicators such as first-time entrants to the youth system, fuel poverty, low birth weight, smoking prevalence, flu vaccination coverage, late-stage HIV diagnoses, suicide rates, and dementia diagnosis rates.

Planning for the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The Board was scheduled to review a summary of the process for producing and publishing the 2025 Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). Croydon Council, in collaboration with Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth, and Sutton, will work together on a South West London PNA. Richmond and Wandsworth will lead the procurement process, with the aim of having the PNAs ready by July 2025 to allow for a 60-day consultation period. The final 2025 PNA is expected to be completed by September 2025 and presented to the Board for sign-off in October 2025. The PNA is a statutory requirement used to determine market entry for new pharmacies and to plan for the commissioning of pharmaceutical services.

Better Care Fund Plan 2024-25 Quarter 1 and 2

The Board was asked to sign off the Better Care Fund (BCF) Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 Submissions for 2024-25 to NHS England. These submissions report on progress against the BCF plans, which aim to drive health and social care integration. The Better Care Fund is delivered in Croydon through the One Croydon Alliance. The submissions detail progress on spend and activity for all planned schemes, as well as demand and capacity, and performance against Key Performance Indicators for the first half of the year. The report indicated that the plan is generally on track, with adjustments made to some scheme budgets and confidence in making up for any shortfalls in activity data.