Agenda item

To consider an update on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the implications of the London Health Devolution Memorandum of Understanding.

4.1       Harley Collins (Health and Wellbeing Manager) presented the report that summarised the findings and insights from national research into Health and Wellbeing Boards. Harley Collins informed Members that there had been considerable research done nationally on the effectiveness of Health and Wellbeing Boards. Initial research undertaken by the King’s Fund in October 2013 had shown that most Boards had been successful in fulfilling core statutory duties. Further research undertaken by London Councils in March 2015 had identified that although some Boards had since made good progress, most were still very much a work in progress.

4.2       However, Harley Collins advised that this situation changed following the devolution of health in London, Manchester and Leeds and NHS England’s publication of “Delivering the Forward View: NHS Shared Planning Guidance 2016/17 – 2020/21 signalling a major shift in policy for the NHS.” Since then, Boards had become much more effective in taking a full systems leadership role. No particular model had been identified in ensuring the Board’s effectiveness and there were a number of different models where Boards were working successfully. Boards demonstrated their effectiveness where they added value. Other characteristics of effective Boards included strong chairs and vice chairs, providing strong collaboration between key partner organisations, ensuring effective systems leadership and shared purposes.

4.3       Harley Collins suggested that factors for the Board to consider in the future included the Government’s expectation that health and social care be fully integrated by 2020, the ongoing implementation of the NHS North West London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and the London Health and Care Devolution Memorandum of Understanding. Harley Collins then sought the Board’s approval to hold a workshop in March 2018 to develop its priorities, focus and work plan for 2018/19.

4.4       During discussions, a Member remarked that he chaired a Health and Wellbeing Task Group and the Board had undertaken a lot of good work and he welcomed the report. He emphasised that a broad, holistic approach should be taken on health and to join it up more with other activities that can have beneficial effects on health and wellbeing, such as the arts, sports and recreation. There also needed to be a shift in focus from looking at function to prevention and consideration as to the role social prescribing can play and also joining up health and wellbeing with housing. The Member referred to a primary school in Westminster that had gained a Government award for its work on mental health. He suggested that the Board could receive a report from the Health and Wellbeing Task Group at the next meeting.

4.5       A Member commented that regeneration had invested considerably in helping to improve health and wellbeing. Another Member suggested that there was scope for work in Children’s Services to work more closely with the public health agenda and the link between health and social care. It was remarked that having common shared outcomes would allow a number of different organisations and services to feed into this to make these achievable.

4.6       The Chairman stated that the North West London STP delivery areas dovetailed the objectives of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. On behalf of the Board, he supported the recommendation in the report to hold a workshop in March 2018 to develop the Board’s priorities, focus and work plan for 2018/19.