The Haringey Council Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on 26 June 2025 was scheduled to cover a range of topics, including the Adult Social Care Carers Strategy, the Haringey Alcohol Strategy, and the Better Care Fund. The board was also expected to receive a verbal update on the North Central London NHS Integrated Care Board Change Programme and Neighbourhood Working.

Haringey Alcohol Strategy and Action Plan

The board was scheduled to discuss the Haringey Alcohol Strategy 2025-2029 and its accompanying action plan. The strategy sets out to address alcohol related harm in the borough through a cohesive public health approach to alcohol prevention, harm reduction, and treatment.

Some key points from the briefing slides include:

• 23 alcohol specific deaths in 2023
• £143.3 million: overall cost of alcohol harm in Haringey per year
• 1,107 licensed premises that can sell alcohol

The strategy takes a whole system and life course approach to tackling alcohol related harm, divided into sections based on critical stages in a person's life: Start Well, Live Well, and Age Well, whilst investing in healthy environments by focusing on Healthy Place.

The strategy also recognises that alcohol harm disproportionally affects those in the most deprived areas and often contributes to compounding multiple vulnerabilities, and aims to provide focused investment, targeted at the places with the greatest need.

The action plan includes proposed objectives for 2025 to 2029, following a life course approach with three main aims: prevention, reduction, and alcohol treatment and support.

Haringey Adult Social Care Carers Strategy

The board was scheduled to discuss the development of the Haringey Adult Social Care Carers Strategy.

According to the 2021 Census, approximately 16,891 residents in Haringey—about 7.2% of the population aged five and over—reported providing unpaid care. The Adult Social Care Quality Commission (CQC) Report (February 2025) highlighted that many Carers were dissatisfied with the level of support they received.

The strategy development timeline included:

• Consultations with East, West and Central Localities in September and October 2023
• Codesigning the Carers Strategy Survey with the Carers Co-production Group
• In-person events, such as walk-in sessions in libraries, attending Carers Rights Day, and meeting with community groups

The Carers Strategy Survey, which was open from 1 to 29 November 2024, received 274 surveys. Most Carers reported very poor, poor or fair wellbeing (68%), and often didn't feel they had enough support to maintain their wellbeing. Carers said they needed to improve in both communication and provision of information.

The Carers Strategy 2025 vision is:

All Carers, of all ages, are recognised, respected, and supported.

The key priorities of the strategy are:

• Improving access to timely, clear, and accessible information and support.
• Strengthening Carers' rights, wellbeing, and resilience.
• Creating inclusive, culturally responsive services that reflect the diversity of Haringey's communities.

The action plan themes include: getting the basics right, information and communication, health and wellbeing, respite and breaks, financial resilience and employment, and training.

The next steps for the Carers Strategy include working towards approval at Cabinet in Autumn 2025. A Carers Strategy Working Group will be convened following the publication of this Strategy, and will develop a detailed Action Plan and oversee the implementation of the Carers Strategy.

Haringey Better Care Fund

The board was scheduled to discuss the Haringey Better Care Fund (BCF) 24/25 end of year sign off and 25/26 planning submission update.

As a condition of the BCF, the Health and Wellbeing Board is required to confirm that the Plan meets national BCF requirements and to provide oversight for its successful delivery.

The board was asked to acknowledge the progress made and validate the 2024/25 end-of-year submission, and approve the submission of the 2025/26 Plan.

The BCF for 2024/2025 focused on four key metrics: Avoidable Admissions, Discharge to Normal Place of Residence, Falls, and Residential Admissions. Only Residential Admissions met its target. The full 2024/25 allocation of £42,249,798 was fully spent as planned.

The BCF 2025/26 policy objectives focus on two overarching goals: supporting the shift from sickness to prevention and supporting people living independently and the shift from hospital to home. The total BCF allocation for Haringey in 2025/26 is £42,991,774, an increase of £741,976 from 2024/25.

The focus for 2025/26 will be on three key metrics: Emergency Admissions (65+), Discharge Delays, and Residential Admissions (65+).