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Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board - Thursday, 27th February, 2025 5.00 p.m.

February 27, 2025 View on council website
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Summary

This meeting was about the Health and Wellbeing Board considering updates on various health and wellbeing programmes in the Borough, and preparations for upcoming inspections of services for children with special educational needs. The meeting also included an update on mental health provision, and consideration of the minutes of the previous meeting.

Communities Keeping Well

The meeting was scheduled to receive a presentation about the Communities Keeping Well scheme.

The Communities Keeping Well scheme is being run by Tower Hamlets Council, with the help of funding from the North East London Integrated Care Board. It aims to improve health and reduce the likelihood of long-term health conditions in eight areas of Tower Hamlets that are thought to be at a greater risk of developing such conditions. These eight areas are:

The scheme is being run using an asset-based, co-production approach, which means that it attempts to build on the resources that already exist in each area, and that it works with people who live in each area to achieve its goals.

As part of the scheme, Tower Hamlets has reportedly engaged with 850 residents and 100 stakeholders1 in these eight areas.

The report scheduled for consideration suggests that eight community voting days have now been held in the eight areas, during which local residents have reportedly selected 65 community-led projects to receive funding and support.

The report pack included a presentation about the scheme, which included a request for attendees to consider how their organisations can help residents make these projects successful.

Mental Health Provision

The Board was also scheduled to consider an update on Mental Health provision, which included details about:

  • plans for an adult mental health needs assessment
  • an update on work being done by the Tower Hamlets Suicide Prevention Steering Group
  • the Mental Health Prevention Concordat2

Adult Mental Health Needs Assessment

The Mental Health Needs Assessment is to inform the refresh of the Adult Mental Health Strategy.

The needs assessment will try to answer the following questions:

  • What is the level of mental health need in Tower Hamlets?
  • What should be in place to meet the mental health needs of residents?
  • What is currently in place in Tower Hamlets?
  • What are the gaps in provision and what are the recommendations for improvement?

The report pack included a timeline for the needs assessment and the strategy refresh. The final needs assessment is reportedly expected by October 2025, and the new Adult Mental Health Strategy is expected to be finalised by early 2026.

Suicide Prevention Steering Group

The Suicide Prevention Steering Group has reportedly been working to deliver the strategic priorities of the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2023-2026.

The Group has recently reportedly revised its terms of reference, and agreed the following three priority areas for 2025:

  • communications and information sharing
  • support and processes in A&E
  • data deep dive

The Suicide Prevention Steering Group is reportedly planning to provide an annual report to the Health and Wellbeing Board at the end of each year.

Mental Health Prevention Concordat

The Tower Hamlets Partnership Executive Group has reportedly agreed that the partnership should sign up to the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health.

The concordat is a national framework that aims to improve mental health by encouraging collaboration between local councils, integrated care boards, the voluntary sector, education, employers and the emergency services.

An action plan has reportedly been developed that sets out actions that partners across Tower Hamlets will reportedly take to promote better mental health.

SEND Partnership Inspection Preparation

The meeting was scheduled to receive a report about preparations for the upcoming inspection of services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Our Last Inspection

The report pack included a summary of the findings from the last inspection, which was carried out in 2021 by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

The inspectors reportedly found that much of the support offered to children and young people with SEND in Tower Hamlets was of a good quality. However, they also reportedly identified several areas of concern, and issued Tower Hamlets with a Written Statement of Action.

Written Statement of Action

The report pack provided a summary of progress against the Written Statement of Action, and listed areas of ongoing work, including:

  • improving internal systems and processes
  • building on existing early help and intervention systems
  • launching the Inclusion Framework with schools
  • supporting children and families at transition points, including post-16 vocational opportunities
  • streamlining the local offer, co-production and communication channels
  • implementing the Delivering Better Value programme
  • embedding innovation, including research projects
  • securing sufficiency across local provision

What do we know about our next inspection?

The next inspection is expected to take place between May and December 2025.

The report pack includes a summary of what is expected during the inspection, including visits to health providers, and details of the post-inspection process.

How are we preparing for inspection?

Tower Hamlets has reportedly set up a fortnightly multi-agency inspection preparation group, chaired by Steve Reddy, Corporate Director of Children's Services.

The preparation group is also reportedly being attended by the SEND Strategic Lead of the North East London Integrated Care Board.

The report pack lists several other ways in which Tower Hamlets is reportedly preparing for the inspection, including:

  • self-evaluation
  • regularly updating a risk log
  • assembling data and evidence
  • undertaking multi-agency audit trails

Learning from other local areas

The report pack includes a summary of learning from inspections that have been carried out in other local authority areas, including the types of education settings visited, and the other services spoken to by the inspectors.

Ofsted ILACS Inspection Report & Youth Justice Plan Update

The Board was scheduled to consider a report providing an update on the Youth Justice Strategic Plan.

Introduction, vision and strategy

The report included an introduction and update to the Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2024-2025. It explained that the plan is based on feedback from children, practitioners and partners, and that it aims to:

ensure that our Youth Justice Partnership continually focuses on ‘unlocking potential, transforming lives’

The report provided information about the population, poverty and deprivation in Tower Hamlets and the City of London, and described the main challenges facing the Youth Justice Service.

Governance, leadership and partnership arrangements

The report explained how the Youth Justice Service is governed, and how it fits within the Council.

The service is located in the Children's Directorate, within the Supporting Families division. It is governed by the Youth Justice Executive Board, which is chaired by Steve Reddy, Corporate Director of Children's Services.

The report included a diagram showing the governance arrangements, and provided information about changes made to the management of the Service.

Update on the previous year

The report provided updates on progress made against the four priorities in the previous plan, these being:

  • Child First: Embedding a Child First approach in every aspect of the Youth Justice Partnership
  • Consistently Good Practice: Continuous raising of practice standards which achieves improved outcomes for children
  • YJS Health Offer: Coordinated access and intervention to universal and specialist health provision to meet children’s holistic health and wellbeing needs
  • Post 16 Education Offer: Increasing children’s participation in post 16 education, training and employment which support children’s aspirations, desistance and safety

Performance over the previous year

The report included information about the characteristics of the children the Youth Justice Service is working with, and data about local and national performance, including data on:

  • First Time Entrants
  • Re-offending
  • Use of custody
  • Children at risk of serious youth violence
  • Education provision
  • Children not in education, training or employment (NEET)

Plan for the forthcoming year

The report set out a plan for the forthcoming year, with sections on:

  • Consistently Good Practice
  • Our Commitment to Child First
  • Prevention
  • Diversion
  • Children from groups which are over-represented
  • Health
  • Post 16 Education, Training and Employment

Resources and services

The report provided information about resources available to the Youth Justice Service, and explained that the Service has not yet been informed by the Youth Justice Board as to the value of its Youth Justice Core Grant.

Board development

The report described changes and developments made to the Youth Justice Executive Board over the last year, and set out plans for the next 12 months, which include closer links between the Board and YJS practitioners.

Workforce Development

The report explained that a Youth Justice Service specific Workforce Development strategy is being developed. It described training that has been provided to the service over the last year, including the Child First UNITAS Award, which 89% of YJS staff have reportedly completed.

Evidence-based practice and innovation

The report described innovation and best practice in the Council and across the Youth Justice Service.

Evaluation

The report explained that the service has been evaluated by several external bodies over the last 12 months, including the Youth Justice Sector Improvement Partnership (YJSIP), Bravespace and the Youth Justice Board.

The report included a summary of the key findings from the YJSIP peer review, and a list of areas for improvement, which are reportedly to be incorporated into the YJS Delivery Plan 2024-2025.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The Board was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board, which was held on 10 December 2024.

The previous meeting received reports on:

  • Physical Activity
  • Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2023-24
  • Safeguarding Childrens Partnership Annual Report 2023
  • Improving alignment between Health & Wellbeing Board and Tower Hamlets Together
  • People First - Strategic Vision 2035

Please note that this article only summarises what was scheduled to be discussed in the reports pack provided for the meeting. It does not describe what was actually discussed or decided during the meeting.


  1. A stakeholder is a person, group or organisation that has an interest or concern in an organisation. 

  2. A concordat is a formal agreement between two or more parties.  

Attendees

Profile image for Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury
Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury  (Chair of the Health & Adults Scrutiny Sub-Committee) •  Aspire •  Poplar
Dr Neil Ashman  Chief Executive of The Royal London and Mile End hospitals
Profile image for Councillor Suluk Ahmed
Councillor Suluk Ahmed  Speaker of the Council •  Aspire •  Spitalfields & Banglatown
Profile image for Councillor Kabir Ahmed
Councillor Kabir Ahmed  (Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Inclusive Development and Housebuilding) •  Aspire •  Weavers
Profile image for Councillor Maium Talukdar
Councillor Maium Talukdar  (Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning (Statutory Deputy Mayor)) •  Aspire •  Canary Wharf
Profile image for Councillor Abdul Wahid
Councillor Abdul Wahid  Chair of Overview & Scrutiny Committee •  Aspire •  Stepney Green
Georgia Chimbani
Dr Somen Banerjee
Steve Reddy
Matthew Adrien  Service Director at Healthwatch Tower Hamlets
Dr Ian Basnett  Public Health Director, Barts Health NHS Trust
Profile image for Councillor Amy Lee
Councillor Amy Lee  Labour Party •  St Katharine's & Wapping
Vicky Scott  Chief Executive Officer THCVS
Charlotte Pomery  Chief Participation and Place Officer North East London Integrated Care Board
Kosru Uddin
Warwick Tomsett
Susan Ross
Profile image for Councillor Bellal Uddin
Councillor Bellal Uddin  Aspire •  Blackwall & Cubitt Town
Profile image for Councillor Iqbal Hossain
Councillor Iqbal Hossain  Chair of Development Committee •  Aspire •  Lansbury
Profile image for Councillor Mohammad Chowdhury
Councillor Mohammad Chowdhury  Labour Party •  Mile End
Liam Crosby
Ranjit Matharu
Jack Painter

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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