The Health & Wellbeing Board and ICB Sub-Committee met on Tuesday 21 July 2026 to discuss a range of critical public health and strategic initiatives for Barking and Dagenham. The meeting included discussions and presentations on the It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change strategy, the Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27, and the VCFSE Strategy. An update was also provided on the National Child Measurement Programme data.

'It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change' Strategy Discussed

The It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change strategy was presented as a new vision for Barking and Dagenham, replacing the previous Borough Manifesto. This strategy outlines ten key missions designed to improve the lives of residents by focusing on partnership working, prevention, early intervention, and tackling inequalities. The missions cover areas such as:

• Healthy and thriving children: Aiming to improve school readiness and address childhood obesity.
• Building financial resilience: Focusing on tackling child poverty and supporting households through initiatives like the Crisis Resilience Fund.
• Access to good work: Creating pathways to employment and skills development, with a focus on supporting specific cohorts like those with learning disabilities, women, and individuals with long-term health conditions.
• Prevention and management of long-term health conditions: Addressing the high rates of long-term conditions in the borough and improving healthy life expectancy.
• Independent living: Ensuring residents can maintain independence for longer through services like reablement, care technology, and integrated housing support.
• Zero tolerance to domestic abuse: Implementing a whole-system response to tackle the high rates of domestic abuse in the borough.
• Feeling safe: Enhancing community safety through increased visibility of police and enforcement teams, improved public spaces, and tackling hate crime.
• Better homes: Investing in social housing to meet Decent Homes Standard and improve energy efficiency, alongside addressing damp and mould issues.
• Clean neighbourhoods: Driving up recycling rates, reducing waste generation, and tackling fly-tipping through community engagement and enforcement.
• Culture and heritage placemaking: Developing the borough's cultural and heritage assets to enrich lives and foster community pride.

The strategy emphasizes a collaborative approach, with NHS, Metropolitan Police, and VCFSE partners co-signing the document to demonstrate collective ownership. Monitoring and delivery are intended to be managed through existing partnership boards and governance frameworks.

Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27 Discussed

The Barking and Dagenham Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan for 2026/27 was presented, outlining a total pooled budget of £37,971,555. This funding is intended to support integrated health and social care services, assist residents in remaining independent, prevent hospital admissions, and facilitate timely hospital discharges. The plan aligns with national policy objectives and local strategic priorities, focusing on enhancing community support, enabling access to services at the right time and place, and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Key areas of investment discussed include:

• Intermediate care: Increased capacity for rehabilitation and reablement services, with a focus on a therapy-led approach and a new place-based Transfer of Care Hub to improve flow and reduce delays.
• Non-elective admissions: A goal of a 1% improvement in non-elective admissions for those aged 65 and over, to be achieved through earlier community intervention, virtual wards, and integrated neighbourhood teams.
• Delayed discharges: A target of no more than 130 admissions to nursing and residential homes, reflecting a commitment to sustained improvement despite rising needs.
• Preventing avoidable long-term care home admissions: Strengthening prevention at the social care front door, expanding access to reablement, and embedding a strengths-based model.
• Value for money and productivity: Ensuring services are commissioned with clear outcome expectations, focusing on pathway redesign, optimising therapy-led reablement, and expanding the use of care technology.

The BCF funding is seen as a critical enabler for achieving these goals, supporting neighbourhood ambitions and ensuring residents receive the right support at the right time. Discussions also covered the Better Care Fund (BCF) governance, with notes that the current structure was slightly outdated and required refreshing, and that upcoming reforms for next year are designed to move the BCF more into the neighbourhood space, focusing on prevention and early intervention.

VCFSE Strategy Promotes Equitable Partnership

A presentation was given on the VCFSE Strategy – Equitable System Partnership, developed by the NEL VCFSE Collaborative. This strategy aims to embed the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector as an equal partner within the North East London health and care system. The strategy is built around seven pillars:

1. Recognition of unique strengths in prevention and health creation: Investing in core VCFSE functions and integrating community-led prevention into care pathways.
2. Genuine power sharing, equity and co-production: Involving VCFSE organisations from the inception of commissioning and service design, embedding sector representation in governance forums.
3. New tiered commissioning model: Moving towards longer-term, multi-tiered investment, including neighbourhood grants, development grants, and strategic partnerships, with simplified processes and a focus on social value.
4. Investment in capacity, infrastructure, and leadership: Supporting digital capability, leadership development, and co-location of VCFSE organisations in neighbourhood health settings.
5. Improved data integration and digital interoperability: Developing shared data systems and access to population health management data, with proportionate evaluations.
6. Shared resources and collaborative learning: Establishing learning networks, joint training, and shared digital resource hubs to reduce duplication and scale best practice.
7. Neighbourhood working and effective integration: Formalising VCFSE roles within Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and investing in community-facing roles.

The strategy highlights the significant reach and impact of the VCFSE sector, particularly its role in tackling health inequalities and providing trusted community connections. The ICB has committed to investing in core VCFSE functions and strengthening the sector's integration within local health and care pathways. Discussions also addressed concerns about the complexity of procurement processes for smaller VCFSE organisations, the need for full cost recovery, and the importance of valuing the sector's unique contributions, with a consensus that the council and NHS should work towards more proportionate and accessible commissioning frameworks.

National Child Measurement Programme Data Presented

An update was provided on the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) dataset for 2024-25. The data showed a continued decline in the percentage of Reception children classified as above a healthy weight, falling to 22.9%, which is lower than the national average for the first time on record. Year 6 children also saw a decrease in those classified above a healthy weight, falling to 42.2%. While these trends are positive, the rates remain higher than the London and England averages for Year 6 children. The report also highlighted demographic trends, including an increase in the proportion of children of Asian ethnicity measured, and noted a convergence in healthy weight rates across different ethnic groups. Discussions also touched upon the persistent gap between boys and girls in obesity rates and the challenges of data sharing with GPs.

Resident's Story Highlights Health Challenges and Community Impact

The meeting heard a personal account from Emdad Rahman, a long-term resident and community volunteer. Mr. Rahman shared his personal journey with diabetes and recent vision complications, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing personal health amidst a busy life dedicated to community service. He detailed his work with Book Bike London, which has distributed over 60,000 books, and highlighted the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable residents, revealing issues of hunger, isolation, and mental health challenges. His story underscored the vital role of community initiatives and the need for integrated health and social care support.