The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to meet on 4 September 2025 to discuss a number of reports, including the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, the Better Care Fund, and a tobacco control update. The board was also expected to discuss the wider determinants of population health and the effect of place and community on health and wellbeing.

Here's a summary of the topics that were listed for discussion.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to consider the final draft of the Bury Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025-2028 before a statutory 60-day stakeholder consultation period.

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is a legal document that every Health and Wellbeing Board must publish every three years. It details the location and accessibility of pharmacies in the area and the services they provide. The PNA is used by commissioners and pharmacy contractors to determine whether a pharmacy can help improve the health of the local population through commissioned or provided services.

The PNA found no current or future gaps in the provision of essential, advanced, or enhanced pharmaceutical services across Bury. It stated that the existing pharmacy coverage meets the population's needs during and outside normal working hours, and no improvements or additional services have been identified as necessary.

The report stated that:

Bury has 21 pharmacies per 100,000 population, which is more than the England (18) and equal to the Greater Manchester (21) averages.

The report also stated that most residents live within 1 mile of a pharmacy and can access one within 20 minutes by walking, public transport, or driving. It was noted that 92% of respondents to the public survey had not had any difficulty in accessing a pharmacy of their choice.

The PNA also identified priorities in the locality plan update for 2025 to address issues which will help drive the changes recommended in Bury's Let's do it! strategy. The priorities identified by the HWB that are related to pharmaceutical services provision are:

• Increase annual physical activity
• Management of obesity and healthy weight
• Reduce smoking prevalence
• Harm reduction from drugs and alcohol
• Health protection immunisations and vaccinations
• Increase in pharmacy first uptake
• Cardiovascular disease
• Respiratory disease (COPD and Asthma)
• Cancers
• Musculoskeletal conditions

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to accept the final Bury 2025-2028 PNA before it goes to a statutory 60 day stakeholder consultation.

Three Biggest Killers

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to discuss a toolkit to support regional and local decision makers to develop a coherent approach to reducing harm from alcohol and unhealthy food and drink, learning from tobacco.

The toolkit sets out action to respond to the alcohol and unhealthy food and drink industries, and focuses on the harms caused by these industries and the commercial strategies that drive their consumption. It offers targeted, system-level solutions that complement and strengthen existing public health efforts.

The toolkit recommends that regional and local policy makers should:

• Regulate advertising
• Shape use and environment
• Influence price and affordability
• Communicate health messages
• Provide treatment

The toolkit also sets out a step-by-step guide to developing a strategic approach, and highlights the importance of tackling inequalities, funding prevention, managing industry influence and mobilising communities.

Tobacco Control Update

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to receive a tobacco control update from Lee Buggie, Public Health Specialist, and Lizzie Howard, Tobacco Control Officer.

The update included a discussion of the national Smoke-Free 2030 government aims, and Greater Manchester's 'Making Smoking History' programme.

The Tobacco Control Alliance was scheduled to launch on 1 October 2025, to lead the refresh of Bury's Tobacco Control Plan. The alliance will address inequalities through 4 workstreams:

• Prevention
• Supporting smokers to quit
• Reducing health inequalities
• Effective enforcement

The report also provided an overview of the Local Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant (LSSSG) Implementation 2024/25 and 2025/26, and the Swap to Stop Bury Overview.

Trading standards had seized over 7,000 illegal vapes, 2,000 packets of illicit cigarettes, with a street value of over £120,000 in 2024/25.

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to:

• Endorse the creation of a Bury Tobacco Alliance to coordinate local action and co-production.
• Support targeted investment (Swap to Stop) in high-prevalence groups and community-led interventions.
• Advocate for smoke-free policies in housing, schools, workplaces, and public spaces.
• Champion innovation, including Allen Carr seminars and youth vaping education.
• Commit to regular updates on smoking prevalence and inequalities as part of board agendas.

Winter Vaccination Campaign Update

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to receive a winter vaccination campaign update from Steven Senior, Public Health Consultant.

The update included information on the influenza, Covid-19, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and pneumococcal vaccines.

It was noted that Bury was 3rd/4th in Greater Manchester for older adults influenza and Covid-19 uptake, and 2nd for RSV uptake in pregnant women. It was also noted that Bury had the worst pneumococcal vaccine uptake in Greater Manchester.

Bury SEND Priority Impact Plan Stocktake Slides for HWB

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to receive a SEND agenda update from Deborah Glassbrook, SEND Improvement Advisor.

The report provided an overview of the SEND Strategic Improvement and Assurance Board, and NHS Greater Manchester SEND Governance.

It noted strengths in the journey of developing strategic partnerships, strengthening early identification and enhanced support whilst waiting for Health services, improving EHCP quality & initial increases in capacity and capability, and strengthened transitional arrangements.

Priorities and development areas included the availability of data, reporting, defining clear, measurable outcomes, the ability to meet increasing demand and complexity of need across the system, strategic alignment, shared accountability, and the ongoing challenge of developing workforce capacity, consistency, and skills alongside delivering transformation and change.

Better Care Fund (BCF) 2025/26 Quarter 1 (Q1) Reporting Template

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to retrospectively sign off the Bury Q1 reporting template for the Better Care Fund 2025/26. The deadline for submission to the NHSE Better Care fund team was 15 August 2025.

The BCF achieves its objectives by requiring local authorities and integrated care boards (ICBs), to develop and agree plans in collaboration with other local partners.

The two objectives for the BCF in 2025 to 2026 are:

• To support the shift from sickness to prevention including timely, proactive and joined-up support for people with more complex health and care needs; use of home adaptations and technology; and support for unpaid carers.
• To support people living independently and the shift from hospital to home – including help to prevent avoidable hospital admissions; achieve more timely and effective discharge from acute, community and mental health hospital settings; support people to recover in their own homes (or other usual place of residence); and reduce the proportion of people who need long-term residential or nursing home care.

The three metrics to be reported on are:

• Emergency Admissions
• Delayed Discharge
• Residential Admissions

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to note the content of the report and agree the retrospective submission of the Q1 reporting template to BCF 2025/26.

Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Annual Report

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to receive the annual report of the Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale Child Death Overview Panel 2025, including data for 2022/23 – 2024/25.

The Bury, Rochdale, and Oldham Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) reviews all deaths of children normally resident in the three local authority areas.

The report noted that child death rates have tended to be higher than average for England in Oldham and Rochdale while rates in Bury have been similar to the England average. It also noted that children living in areas of higher deprivation continue to be more likely to die, as are children from Asian ethnic background.

The most common modifiable risk factors identified in reviews of child deaths included:

• Smoking, alcohol misuse, and substance misuse during pregnancy and in the household
• High maternal BMI
• Unsafe sleeping arrangements
• Consanguinity (parents closely related)

The report recommended that:

• Health and Wellbeing Boards should note the worsening in measures of child poverty and to work with local partners to ensure that local antipoverty plans address increases in childhood poverty.
• Health and Wellbeing Boards, with partners, should continue to work to reduce smoking, alcohol, and drug misuse in pregnancy.
• Health and Wellbeing Boards, with partners, should continue to promote safe sleeping practices.
• Health and Wellbeing Boards should work with partners and community organisations to raise awareness of the increased risk of death and illness faced by children born to parents who are close blood relatives.
• Health and Wellbeing Boards should assure themselves of plans to reduce obesity in the population, as well as that support with nutrition and appropriate exercise is available to pregnant people and to people planning to become pregnant.

Prevention Framework / National Harmful Product Toolkit

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to receive an update from Jon Hobday, Director of Public Health, on the Prevention Framework and National Harmful Product Toolkit.

The Bury Prevention Framework is intended to help partners, and the public understand what prevention is, why it is important, the different elements of prevention and the roles and responsibilities individuals and organisations can play. It also highlights the importance of prevention across the life course.

The framework identifies three types of prevention:

• Primary Prevention
• Secondary Prevention
• Tertiary Prevention

The framework also states that prevention can happen at two scales:

• Individual -level prevention
• Population-level prevention

The Health and Wellbeing Board were asked to review and endorse the Prevention framework.