The Health and Wellbeing Board met on Wednesday 30 July 2025 to discuss the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, the Havering Healthy Weight Strategy, the Suicide Prevention Annual Report, and received a briefing on the NHS 10 Year Plan. The Board was asked to confirm the approval process for the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, and the Board agreed to keep the priorities within the Suicide Prevention Annual Report.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The Board received a presentation on the draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for Havering, which is a statutory requirement to be published every three years. The PNA, produced by North of England CSU, examined the current provision of pharmacy services and identified no gaps in essential services, either during normal working hours or outside of them. It also found no gaps in the provision of advanced, enhanced, or locally commissioned services that would prevent improvements or better access for residents. The assessment noted that Havering has a slightly lower than national average number of pharmacies per 100,000 population. The Board was asked to confirm the approval process for the final report, as the next meeting would be after the statutory publication deadline of 1 October 2025. Members were encouraged to participate in the ongoing online consultation.

Havering Healthy Weight Strategy Annual Report

Luke Squires, Public Health Strategist, presented the first annual report on the Havering Healthy Weight Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in May 2024. The strategy adopts a whole systems approach, recognising that tackling obesity requires collaboration across all sectors, including the Council, NHS, schools, communities, and businesses. The report highlighted that while childhood obesity rates in Havering have remained static, they are above London and England averages, and adult obesity rates are also significantly higher than national averages. Key achievements in the first year included the establishment of governance structures, the introduction of a 400-metre exclusion zone around schools to restrict new fast-food takeaways, and a new advertising policy limiting High Fat, Sugar, Salt (HFSS) food and drink advertisements. The Board noted the achievements, challenges, and next steps, reinforcing the shared responsibility across sectors to embed healthy weight into broader work on health inequalities and prevention.

Suicide Prevention Annual Report

Samantha Westrop, Assistant Director of Public Health, presented the 2024 Suicide Prevention Annual Report. The report highlighted a national increase in suicide rates, reaching the highest levels since 1999. Locally, Havering records an average of 18 registered deaths by suicide per year over the last decade. In 2024, 17 deaths by suspected suicide were recorded, with a higher proportion of females affected than expected. Almost half of these deaths occurred in public places. The Board agreed to keep the following priorities within the report: adopt and implement a local all-age suicide prevention strategy, continue to review suspected suicides to inform prevention efforts, gain clarity on outputs from wider system partners' reviews, and explore additional data sources. The report also detailed a site-specific investigation following two suspected suicides at the same location, leading to five recommendations for suicide prevention interventions at that site.

NHS 10 Year Plan Briefing

Luke Burton, Joint Director of Partnerships, Impact and Delivery, provided a briefing on the government's NHS 10 Year Plan. The plan aims to reinvent the health service by focusing on three major shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. It also outlines five enabling reforms: a new operating model, enhanced transparency of quality of care, workforce transformation, innovation and technology, and financial sustainability. The briefing highlighted the development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and a population health approach to supporting local people at a neighbourhood level. Members discussed the implications for Havering, including the proposed restructure of NHS North East London and its impact on local commissioning teams. The Board noted and discussed the details of the briefing and its implications for the borough.