To receive an update on the work of the Health & Wellbeing Board.
Minutes:
The Council’s Executive Director of Adult Social Care, Housing and Customer Services and its Director of Adult Social Care provided a verbal update on the work of the Health and Well-being Board (HWB).
Reference was made to the meeting of the HWB, held on 18 September 2025, at which the following had been considered:
The Council’s Director of Adult Social Care presented an update on behalf of the Council’s Director of Public Health, which stated that she encouraged Health Scrutiny Committee Members to read the Annual Public Health Report – Toward a Smoke Free Future, and to get in touch if they had any comments or queries. The report, which had been endorsed by the HWB, recommended that a comprehensive plan to deliver Smoke Free Telford and Wrekin ambitions be developed across HWB partners, and implemented through the Telford and Wrekin Place Integrated Partnership.
It was reported that the STW Healthy Ageing and Frailty Strategy contributed to the delivery of the existing Telford and Wrekin Ageing Well Strategy, and that the aim was to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of frailty within the NHS. It was noted that the Telford and Wrekin Ageing Well Strategy was a broader comprehensive plan, which covered the following range of themes:
· Where we Live
· Health and Well-being
· Transport
· Digital Inclusion
· Financial Security
· Carers
In respect of the GP Access Update (GP access update), it was reported that the ICB led this, which included updates on: Modern General Practice, the GP Contract and access and satisfaction Key Performance Indicators and referenced four GP practices in Telford and Wrekin, which were part of the Practice Level Support (PLS) programme. It was noted that the HWB Chair had requested that the Health Scrutiny Committee pick up GP access as an agenda item, and that this was being added to the forward plan.
It was reported that, at the last meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee, members had requested an update on HWB performance. It was noted that the HWB received performance and outcomes reports on a six-monthly basis (June 2025 report can be found at HWB Strategy Outcomes Report June 2025 v2.pdf) and that the next report would be published for consideration at the November 2025 HWB meeting.
The Chair asked whether the HWB had become a more challenging committee.
In response, officers advised that it was an inclusive board with some agenda items, which were genuine and which generated healthy discussion. It also received regular reporting on the HWB Strategy.
Specifically, it was reported that smoking amongst females had overtaken the number of males who smoked but that no specific solutions were to hand.
The Chair said that for members to understand and tackle this issue, this needed to be targeted, and areas identified, which needed to be concentrated on and where the problems existed.
RESOLVED – that the update be noted.