The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to meet to discuss several key issues, including the Better Care Fund, the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, and the development of a health and wellbeing strategy. The board was also expected to review and consult on the Age Friendly Communities programme.

Here's a breakdown of the topics that were scheduled to be discussed:

Developing a Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The board was scheduled to consider a report on developing a refreshed health and wellbeing strategy. The report noted that Health and Wellbeing Boards are statutory committees of councils, and are becoming more important in the context of a changing local health and care system. The report recommended the formation of a task and finish group to co-design a process that can be used to develop and deliver a refreshed strategy for approval by the board. The report also noted that on 9 September 2025, Dorset place organisations were successful in applying to be part of Wave 1 of the national Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme.

Age Friendly Communities

The board was scheduled to discuss Dorset Council's ambition to become an Age Friendly County. The report invited the Health and Wellbeing Board to support a system-wide approach to ageing well, outlining opportunities for collaboration across health, care, the Voluntary & Community Sector Enterprise¹, and community partners to embed age-friendly principles.

The report stated that Dorset has one of the oldest demographics of any county in the UK, with 30% of residents aged over 65. It set out a commitment to embedding age-friendly principles across services, infrastructure, and community partnerships throughout the Dorset Council area.

The report sought support from the Health & Wellbeing Board to:

• Endorse Dorset's application for Age Friendly accreditation by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Support the integration of Age-Friendly principles into health, care & community wide planning.
• Promote collaborative delivery through place-based partnerships and VCSE engagement.

The eight domains defined by the World Health Organisation were listed as:

• Outdoor spaces and buildings.
• Transportation.
• Housing.
• Social participation.
• Respect and social inclusion.
• Civic participation and employment.
• Communication and information.
• Community support and health services.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The board was scheduled to consider a report regarding the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). The Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board and the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Health and Wellbeing Board are both required to publish a PNA every three years. A new PNA has been developed as a single document covering both areas and is scheduled for publication in October 2025.

The report stated that currently there are a total of 132 community pharmacies within the Dorset area (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council) and 3 distance selling pharmacies, all of which provide essential services, and some of which provide advanced and enhanced services.

The report sought approval from the Health and Wellbeing Board to proceed with publication of the new PNA.

Better Care Fund: Quarter 1 Template 2025/26

The board was scheduled to discuss Dorset's Better Care Fund (BCF) Quarter 1 2025/26 return. The report stated that in Quarter 1, Dorset is on track to meet all three BCF metrics, with good performance in Residential Admissions continuing. Expenditure is consistent with the planned budget, with no changes reported.

The report recommended that the board endorse the Better Care Fund (BCF) Reporting Template for 2025/26 Quarter 1.

FutureCare Programme Update

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the progress of the FutureCare Programme. No further details were available in the agenda.

Thriving Communities

The board was scheduled to receive a report on the Thriving Communities Programme. No further details were available in the agenda.