The Rutland Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss a range of health-related topics, including pharmaceutical needs, updates from the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland (LLR) Integrated Care System, and winter health planning. The board was also scheduled to review its forward plan and annual work plan.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025

The board was scheduled to receive Report No. 91/2025 from Mike Sandys, Director of Public Health for Leicestershire & Rutland, and Amy Chamberlain, Senior Public Health Analyst, concerning the final draft of the Rutland Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025¹. The report sought approval to publish the final draft of the PNA.

The PNA is a statutory document that Rutland County Council is required to produce every three years, in line with guidance published by the Department of Health and Social Care. It identifies current and future needs for pharmaceutical services in the area, and informs the planning and commissioning of pharmacy services.

The report pack included the draft Appendix 1 - Rutland PNA 2025, which stated that:

Overall, the PNA shows that the community-based pharmacies are meeting the current needs of the Rutland population for essential and advanced services.

The PNA made a number of recommendations, including:

• Monitoring the impact of the closure of Pickford's Pharmacy in Oakham
• Integrating independent prescribing where appropriate
• Reviewing timely access to medicines
• Considering the access needs for those with disabilities
• Ensuring the promotion of healthy lifestyles services
• Encouraging pharmacies to offer locally commissioned services
• Monitoring housing development plans
• Addressing inequalities in digital literacy
• Improving the availability of key pharmaceutical datasets
• Considering the opportunity to include and develop the role of pharmacies in commissioning strategies
• Managing the impact of online and digital advances
• Considering a periodic review of recommendations and progress on these to present to the Health and Wellbeing Board

The report pack also included Appendix 2 - Appendices for Rutland PNA 2025, and Appendix 3 - NHS Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board Statutory Consultation.

Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland (LLR) Integrated Care System: Update

Pete Burnett, Chief Officer – Strategy and Planning, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board, was scheduled to provide an update on the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Integrated Care System (ICS). The report pack included Report No. 90-2025 - LLR ICS Update, which noted that the government announced in March 2025 significant reforms to the NHS, including the abolition of NHS England over a two-year period and a requirement for ICBs to reduce expenditure by around 50 per cent. The report stated that the running costs of the ICB in LLR needs to reduce by 33%.

The report pack also included a presentation on NHS Transformation, which stated that LLR and Northamptonshire ICBs will work as one cluster with a single board governance, unified leadership team and shared staffing structure.

Better Care Fund

Frances Hinton, Health and Integration Lead, Rutland County Council, was scheduled to present the BCF Quarter 1 Report. The report pack included the Rutland HWB BCF 2025-26 Q1 Reporting Template, which stated that the BCF plan includes the following metrics:

1. Emergency admissions to hospital for people aged 65+ per 100,000 population.
2. Average number of days from Discharge Ready Date to discharge (all adult acute patients).
3. Admissions to long term residential and nursing care for people aged 65+ per 100,000 population.

The report pack also included 4 Metrics - Notes, which provided additional information on the metrics.

Winter Health Plan

The board was scheduled to receive the winter health plan for 2025. The report pack included LLR Winter Plan 2025.26 Executive Summary FINAL v2.0 04 Aug 2025, which stated that the LLR Integrated Care System anticipates significant pressures on urgent and emergency care services during the 2025/26 winter period. The plan outlines a coordinated response to mitigate these risks and maintain safe, effective care across the footprint. The plan's focus areas include:

• Flow In: Strengthening NHS 111, community pharmacy access, and direct booking into Urgent Treatment Centres.
• Flow Through: Expanding bed capacity via a reduction in length of stay, strengthening criteria to admit, and creation of additional community hospital capacity (Preston Lodge).
• Flow Out: Enhancing discharge planning and strengthening criteria-led discharge across seven days.
• Mental Health Support: Promoting awareness of local services and expanding crisis response capacity.
• Vaccination Campaigns: Targeted outreach for flu, COVID-19, and childhood immunisations.
• Internal and External Communications: Strengthened and targeted messaging for health and care colleagues and patients.

Other Items

• Kevin Quinn, Interim Strategic Director of Children and Families, Rutland County Council, was scheduled to provide a verbal briefing on the Best Start Programme.
• Sammi Le-Corre, Health and Care Collaboration Project Manager, Rutland County Council, was scheduled to provide a verbal update on Neighbourhood Health.
• Adrian Allen, Assistant Director – Delivery, Public Health and Mitch Harper, Strategic Lead – Rutland, Public Health, were scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: Updates & Timeline.
• Frances Hinton, Health and Integration Lead, Rutland County Council, was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
• The board was scheduled to review the Forward Plan and identify any relevant items for inclusion in the Rutland Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Work Plan. The Forward Plan is available on the website.