The Board agreed to adopt the Surrey Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025 delivery plan, agreed to the light touch refresh of the Surrey Heartlands Joint Forward Plan (JFP), and agreed in principle to a set of measures to streamline the operations and governance of the Board, the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), and the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Diabetes

The Board heard a presentation on the work that Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System (ICS) is doing on diabetes. This included the recent refresh of the Surrey Heartlands Diabetes Network, and some of the topics and pilots that are being considered. The aim of the network is to improve the lives of people of all ages, living with or at risk of developing diabetes . The Board heard that the network has recently become an 'all age network', meaning that it now covers both adults and children, and has recently expanded to include representatives from Diabetes UK, Active Surrey, and local mental health services. There was a discussion about whether there were sufficient resources in place to support the various pilots being run by the Network. The Chair of the Board, Councillor Bernie Muir, made the point that prevention should be one of the Board's main priorities, and that the Board should consider how best to support and fund these pilot schemes to ensure their sustainability. The Board heard that the network is working with Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a pilot to improve diabetes support for people from South Asian communities, and with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to co-design improved digital support for people from those communities. There was a discussion about how the network would involve people with lived experience of diabetes in the running of the network.

Mental Health

The Board received a presentation on the Round 2 awards made by the Surrey All Age Mental Health Investment Fund. £3.6 million was awarded to 13 projects across Surrey, with an average award value of £257,000. The Board heard that the applications covered a broad age range and geographical spread, but that only 1 of the 24 schemes that were funded focused on support for older people in care homes. The Board heard that there is £5.3 million left to allocate from the fund, and there was a discussion about how the remainder of the funding would be allocated. The Board heard an update from the Priority 2 Co-sponsor, Professor Helen Rostill, on other activities taking place in Surrey to support mental health. These included the launch of the First Steps to Support Phoneline, a new service that provides support to people in Guildford experiencing mental health difficulties. The Board also heard about the Workforce Wellbeing Standards programme, a programme that is being rolled out by Surrey County Council to support businesses to improve the wellbeing of their workforce. The Board discussed how the Mental Health Investment Fund money should be used going forward, and whether there should be a focus on supporting existing projects, like the First Steps to Support Phoneline, rather than funding new initiatives.

Food Banks

The Board heard a presentation from Nikki Roberts, CEO of Surrey Coalition for Disabled People, about access to food banks in Surrey. The Board heard that 97% of coalition members who were surveyed said that they had been negatively affected by the cost of living, and that 43% of those surveyed were no longer able to meet the costs of their impairments. The Board heard that 72% of coalition members who were surveyed about food banks were not aware of the food support that was available to them. The Board heard about the work that is being done by Surrey County Council and the Surrey Coalition for Disabled People to improve awareness of food support, such as the development of an online map that shows the location of food banks and other sources of food support in the county. Councillor Dr Charlotte Canniff, Vice-Chair of the Board, highlighted that she, as a GP in Spelthorne, did not know where her local food club or community fridge was. The Board agreed that Surrey County Council should work with the Surrey Chief Executives’ Group to consider how best to improve the communication of information about sources of food support in the county.

Surrey Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025

The Board agreed to adopt the Surrey PNA 2025 delivery plan. The Board heard that the current PNA had been published in 2022, and had concluded that there were no gaps in provision for pharmaceutical services in the county. Since the publication of that assessment, there have been 16 pharmacy closures in Surrey. The Board heard that, in view of the significant reduction in the number of pharmacies in Surrey, it was now proportionate to reopen the full PNA to assess the impact of those closures. The Board heard that the PNA would take a year to complete, and would include surveys of patients and community pharmacies, as well as analysis of quantitative data relating to pharmacy use in the county. The Chair of the Board, Councillor Bernie Muir, made the point that pharmacy services are often under-utilised in the UK, and suggested that the Board should consider what could be learned from European countries, where there is a culture of people using pharmacies as their first point of contact with health services. There was a discussion about whether the PNA should incorporate wider considerations, such as the strategic plan for pharmacy provision in Surrey, and the impact of online pharmacies on high street pharmacy services. Councillor Dr Canniff suggested that Surrey County Council should work with the Surrey Heartlands ICS to develop a strategic plan that considers all aspects of pharmacy services in the county.

Surrey Heartlands Joint Forward Plan

The Board agreed to the proposed light touch refresh to the Surrey Heartlands JFP. The JFP is a five-year plan that sets out how Surrey Heartlands ICS will deliver its Integrated Care Strategy. The first JFP was published in June 2023, and national guidance requires that it be refreshed annually. The Board heard that the refresh would strengthen three areas of the plan: prevention, provider collaboratives, and sustainability and productivity. The Board also heard that a new public-facing summary of the JFP would be published alongside the full version of the plan on 28 March 2024.

Health and Wellbeing Board and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Partnership/Integrated Care Board Governance Review

The Board agreed in principle to a set of measures to streamline the operation and governance of the Board, the SHICP and the SHICB. The Board heard that the three bodies often consider similar topics in their meetings, and that there is significant overlap in their memberships. It was proposed that, to reduce duplication of effort and increase the efficiency of the three bodies, the HWB and SHICP should hold their future meetings jointly. It was also proposed that the membership of both bodies should be reviewed to ensure that the correct organisations are represented. There was a discussion about whether the proposed streamlining would adequately represent the views of non-health organisations, such as the VCSE Alliance. The Chair of the Board, Councillor Bernie Muir, gave assurances that all organisations who should be represented would be represented. The Board heard that the intention was to implement the changes from May 2024.