The Health and Wellbeing Board meeting scheduled for 10 January 2024 was set to review progress on the council's Health and Wellbeing Strategy, discuss an update on research infrastructure funding, and consider the board's future work programme. The meeting's agenda also included a Healthwatch update and a review of the board's work programme.

Health and Wellbeing Board Action Plan Update

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the progress of the Together in Ealing Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2023-2028. This strategy, developed by the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB), aims to foster a healthier Ealing by focusing on three key themes: putting communities at the heart of everything, ensuring systems and structures leave no one behind, and connecting the building blocks of health and wellbeing. The mid-year update was intended to highlight areas of good progress, identify emerging impacts on residents and communities, and outline future focus areas. The report noted that the strategy has positive implications for sustainability, with six specific actions dedicated to improving it, alongside many others that indirectly benefit it. The strategy's implementation is guided by a timetable that includes mid-year and annual updates.

Update on Ealing Council Research Infrastructure Funding Outcome

A key item on the agenda was an update regarding Ealing Council's successful bid for £5 million from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to establish the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Ealing. This initiative aims to boost research capacity and capability within local government, fostering collaboration between academic institutions, local policy and practice, and community members. The programme, set to commence in January 2024, will involve partners such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, and the Institute of Development Studies, alongside community organisations like Golden Opportunities for Skills and Development, Ealing and Hounslow Community and Voluntary Service (EHCVS), and Southall Community Alliance. The report indicated that the HDRC Ealing's core aim is to address health equity through locally meaningful research, with a strong emphasis on equality, diversity, and inclusion embedded throughout its work. The plan for the next five years includes establishing governance structures, developing community participatory action research infrastructure, improving data accessibility, and embedding high-quality research training. The Health and Wellbeing Board is expected to receive annual updates on the HDRC Ealing's progress.

Health and Wellbeing Board Work Programme

The board was scheduled to review its work programme. This included noting the Healthwatch update, the progress on the H&WBB Action Plan, and the update on the NIHR HDRC Ealing funding outcome. Future items for discussion were also outlined, including a review of different community-led infrastructures, the Carers Strategy, and updates on Trust and Integrated Care System (ICS) strategies. The board was also to consider an overview of community fora and social infrastructure, such as community champions, town forums, and the multi-faith forum.

Healthwatch Update

Carleen Duffy was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the work of Healthwatch. Previous updates from Healthwatch have included overviews of service user survey results for GPs and hospitals, details of enter and view visits to care homes, and information on leaflets distributed regarding various services. Healthwatch has also been conducting studies on service engagement with asylum seekers.

Other Agenda Items

The meeting also included standard procedural items such as apologies for absence, urgent matters, declarations of interest, and the confirmation of minutes from the previous meeting. There were also provisions for questions from members of the public.