The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee convened to discuss several key healthcare strategies and plans impacting Leicestershire. The agenda included updates on the NHS, winter planning, mental health services, and a review of the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy Review

The committee was scheduled to review recommended changes to the Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWS) 2022-2032. The JLHWS outlines the vision, priorities, and actions agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board to improve the health, care, and wellbeing of local communities and reduce health inequalities.

The strategy includes four strategic priorities:

• Best Start for Life
• Staying Healthy, Safe and Well
• Living and Supported Well
• Dying Well

These priorities take a life course approach, with three cross-cutting priorities: health inequalities, Covid-19 recovery and improving mental health.

The review, which commenced in February 2025, sought to ensure the strategy remains relevant and effective. A steering group with representatives from Leicestershire County Council, the Integrated Care Board, and the voluntary sector led the review.

The review identified several key themes:

• Commitments contained a mix of actions, success measures, or high-level visions.
• Some commitments were outdated.
• Duplication existed across several commitments.
• Some commitments overlapped with broader cross-cutting priorities.
• Data highlighted emerging needs.
• Some commitments were too broad.

The subgroups proposed several changes, detailed in the appendices:

• Appendix 1 - Best Start for Life
• Appendix 1 - Staying Healthy Safe and Well
• Appendix 1 - Living and Supported Well
• Appendix 1 - Dying Well
• Appendix 1 - Mental Health

It was proposed that the cross-cutting priority of health inequalities should be strengthened through the inclusion of an overarching strategic commitment. It was also proposed that the COVID-19 recovery priority should be replaced with a broader commitment to health protection.

Winter Plan 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the plans to manage health system pressures across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland over the winter of 2025/26. Winter planning is an annual responsibility of health and social care organisations, to manage safe delivery of care with the anticipated increase in demand because of weather conditions and seasonal illnesses.

The Winter Plan for 25/26 was developed collaboratively and influenced by NHS England guidance and learning from previous winters. The plan sets out the planned response to manage the urgent care and patient flow pressures. Partnership working across the health and care system is the only way services can respond to increases in demand and ensure the population can access safe services and have good outcomes with a positive experience. The plan builds on improvements and developments in urgent care, in line with the National Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, for physical and mental health care. Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs): avoidance of patient harm by adopting an approach that focuses on clinical risk.

The plan includes:

• Key performance indicators
• Lessons learnt
• How the plan was developed
• Urgent and Emergency Care
• Primary Care
• Community Care
• Mental Health
• Immunisation and vaccination
• Communication and Engagement
• Governance

The plan aims to improve flu and RSV vaccine uptake, with targeted work in communities with low uptake. It also aims to improve access to urgent dental care, with an additional 13,968 appointments in the community.

Mental Health and Early Intervention

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the provision of mental health and early intervention services. Local early intervention mental health services include talking therapies provided by Vita Health Group. NHS Talking Therapies support people with common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression. They provide a safe space to talk, learn coping strategies and build wellbeing through one-to-one, group, online or phone sessions.

The Mental Health Central Access Point (MHCAP) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) receives GP and other referrals into Mental Health Services provided by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT). The MHCAP aims to improve access to mental health services, provide mental health support and advice, and reduce attendance at A&E and reliance on other emergency services. The MHCAP is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year service for urgent mental health support, accessible by calling NHS111 #2. It offers a free and confidential phone line, open to all ages, that assesses needs, signposts to other services, and refers to appropriate help, including crisis teams and community mental health services. The MHCAP is provided by LPT and Turning Point (a national third sector organisation), working in partnership to improve accessibility of resources, service delivery and user experience.

The voluntary sector is a key partner in local mental health provision. The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) and partners have worked closely with the VCSE sector to establish new ways of working, directly involving people in decisions about designing and providing services. This led to the creation of the VCSE Alliance, a network of VCSE partners that currently has 240 member organisations. The Alliance has a Better Mental Health for All (BMH4 ALL) subgroup, with about 100 partners ensuring their involvement at all levels. This works with partners to plan and improve services, for example looking at how to improve talking therapies.

NHS Transformation Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the national reform of the NHS operating model across England which will involve the integration of the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, and a changed role for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

Proposed changes to Integrated Care Board (ICB) functions and geography are being discussed as part of a wider NHS reform programme, to reduce management costs and focus more money on the front line. All ICBs in England are being asked to significantly reduce running costs and shift to a more strategic role with different responsibilities for them and other parts of the health and care system.

This involves some ICBs working more closely with other ICBs in a 'cluster.' 'Clustering' means that, although individual ICBs will continue to exist, they will work as one – with a single Board, leadership team and staffing structure. NHS England and government ministers approved a new 'cluster' for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB and Northamptonshire ICB. This would be one of 26 clusters across England.

NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England

The committee was scheduled to be informed of the contents of the recently published NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England. The Plan set out how the government would reinvent the NHS through 3 radical shifts:

• hospital to community;
• analogue to digital;
• sickness to prevention.

The plan builds on Change NHS and follows on from Lord Darzi's independent investigation into the NHS (Sep 2024).

The plan includes the establishment of a Neighbourhood Health Service with new Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) in every community. These will act as local one-stop hubs, co-locating GPs, community services, diagnostics, and mental health support, open 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to improve access and ease hospital pressure. The plan also aims to harness the digital revolution to ensure rapid access for those in generally good health and free up physical access for those with the most complex needs. The NHS App will be the front door : shifting power to patient via AI-powered advice, appointment booking, self-referral, manage medicines and LTCs, care plans. Doctor in your pocket.

The plan also includes a focus on prevention, with measures to reduce tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and obesity. It also includes measures to improve mental health support in schools and colleges.