The Trafford Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss several key issues, including the NHS reforms, updates to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), the Trafford Live Well programme, and infection prevention and control. The board noted the terms of reference for the 2025/26 municipal year and reviewed the Greater Manchester Alcohol Harms Strategy 2025-2030.

Oral Health Needs Assessment

The board received an update on the oral health needs assessment in Trafford from Jane Hynes, Public Health Programme Manager (Wider Determinants). The assessment highlighted that oral health is integral to general health, affecting eating, breathing, and speaking. Poor oral health in children can impair their ability to sleep, eat, play, learn, and develop. Tooth decay, while preventable, is the most common childhood disease and a leading cause of hospitalisation for children aged 6-10.

Key points from the assessment included:

• 25.1% of Trafford's 5-year-olds had one or more teeth affected by decay, with the average number of teeth affected being higher than the English average.
• Tooth decay was the reason for 20.3% of hospital admissions for children aged 5-9 in 2023/24.
• Tooth decay prevalence is higher in more deprived areas.
• Limited local data is available for adults, but national statistics show a link between deprivation and poor oral health.
• There are well-documented issues with access to dentists.
• The Oral Health Improvement Team conducts various evidence-based programmes, including child oral health sessions and supervised toothbrushing.

The assessment made several recommendations, including continuing and strengthening supervised toothbrushing programmes, conducting further surveys of 5-year-olds, gathering data from wider sources (e.g., adults with learning disabilities), and considering water/milk-only policies in schools.

Infection Prevention and Control Annual Report

The board considered the Trafford Community Infection Prevention and Control Team's (CIPCT) annual report for 2024-2025, presented by Anna Anobile, Matron for Infection Control, Trafford Public Health. The report highlighted the team's work in communications and surveillance, care home and GP practice audits and training, and management of outbreaks and incidents of infection.

Key points from the report included:

• The CIPCT responded to 933 communications between April 2024 and March 2025, with sustained COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) related queries in the winter months.
• The team conducted IPC audits in care homes, with environmental cleaning and equipment management identified as areas for improvement.
• A rolling programme of annual IPC audits for GP practices recommenced in April 2023.
• The report noted low uptake of pneumococcal, shingles, and RSV vaccines among care home residents and low staff vaccination rates for flu and COVID-19.
• The CIPCT managed 26 ARI outbreaks reported by care homes, mental health/learning disability settings, and supported living settings between December 2024 and March 2025.
• The report highlighted heightened awareness of measles due to a national rise in cases, with the team supporting the development of targeted communications and providing feedback to primary care.
• Trafford improved its sub-ICB ranking for broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing.
• The report presented data on healthcare-associated infections (HCAI), with Trafford showing a decrease in several key infections compared to the previous year.

Improving Immunisation Uptake

Jane Hynes, Public Health Programme Manager (Wider Determinants), presented an update on improving immunisation uptake in Trafford. While uptake of all routine immunisations in Trafford is generally similar to or better than the England average, there are internal inequalities in vaccination uptake.

Activities and priorities include:

• Reducing inequalities in immunisation uptake.
• Working collaboratively to identify and support communities where vaccine hesitancy is higher.
• Community engagement and creation of neighbourhood champions for 0-5 immunisations.
• Advocacy for more streamlined distribution of funding for improving immunisation uptake.

Achievements in 2024/25 included the recruitment of a Neighbourhood Engagement Co-Ordinator for 0-5 immunisations and support to primary care through the Improving Immunisation Uptake Team.

Trafford Sustainability and Delivery Plan 2025/26

The board received a report on the Trafford Sustainability and Delivery Plan 2025/26 from Thomas Maloney, Programme Director Health and Social Care. The plan details progress on the curation of the 2025/26 plan and its associated deliverables, highlighting agreed services, projects, programmes, and the strategic implementation plan. A prioritisation process will assess the deliverability of previously agreed priorities, given significant NHS reform and policy changes.

The plan outlines delivery ambitions across several key areas:

• Children, Young People, and Maternity
• Prevention & Protection
• Community Care
• Mental Health
• Planned Care & Long Term Conditions
• Primary Care
• Urgent Care
• Enablers

The report also detailed a prioritisation matrix used to grade each priority, giving a recommendation of Prioritise/Continue, Test/Rethink, or Deprioritise.

Trafford Live Well Implementation

The board received a report on the Trafford Live Well Implementation from the Deputy Chief Executive and Corporate Director of Strategy and Resources, and the Director of Public Health. The report provided an update on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority programme 'Live Well' and the Implementation Plans for Trafford, including proposals for the locations of Trafford's flagship Live Well Centres, a high-level spend profile for the £820,000 Implementation Fund, and the agreed Learning Theme.

The board agreed to support Trafford's Implementation Plan, including starting locations for Live Well Centres in Sale and Partington, a high-level spend profile for the 2025/2026 Implementation Fund, and a Learning Theme of Neighbourhood Engagement.

GM Alcohol Harms Strategy 2025-2030

The board reviewed the Greater Manchester Alcohol Harms Strategy 2025-2030, as well as Trafford's plans from the Trafford Alcohol, Substance Misuse & Gambling Partnership (TASMGP). The GM strategy is based on the World Health Organization's SAFER framework¹ and adapted to A SAFER GM:

• Amplify community engagement around living well and reframing relationships with alcohol
• Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability
• Advance and enforce drink driving counter measures and work with police, probation and other partners to prevent alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour
• Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions and treatment
• Enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion
• Raise prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies
• Give every child the best start in life
• Mobilise a sustainable VCFSE and community-led approach to recovery, peer support and mutual aid as part of our GM Live Well ambitions

The TASMGP will continue with four overarching priorities: Understanding Need, Early Intervention & Prevention: All, Early Intervention & Prevention: CYP & Families, Appropriate Treatment, and Recovery.

Better Care Fund Quarter 1 Return

The board considered a report from Gareth James, Deputy Place Lead and Maggie Kufeldt, Corporate Director for Adults and Wellbeing (DASS) on the Better Care Fund (BCF) Quarter 1 return. The BCF sits within the Section 75² framework partnership agreement between Trafford Council and NHS GM. The report provided the national return in Q1, which is required to be submitted by close of play on 15 August 2025.

The key metrics for 2025/26 are:

• Emergency Admissions to Hospital for people 65+ per 100,000 of population.
• Delayed Discharges: Average length of delay for all adult acute patients.
• Residential Admissions: Long-term support needs of older people (65 years +) met by admission to residential and nursing homes per 100,000 of population

The actual expenditure position at the end of Q1 is £5,787,858, which is 16% of planned income.