The Health and Wellbeing Board of Merton Council met on Tuesday 23 June 2026 to discuss progress on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Better Care Fund, and joined-up services. Key decisions included the endorsement of the Year 2 action plan for the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and noting the progress and future plans for the Better Care Fund.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Year 2 Action Plan

The Board endorsed the proposed Year 2 action plan for the Merton Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025-2030. This plan builds on the first year's activities, continuing, enhancing, or stopping actions as appropriate, and introducing new ones to address evolving priorities. The strategy is structured around five key themes: Start Strong, Focus on Prevention, Strong Communities, Healthy Places, and Joined-up Services.

Under the Start Strong priority, actions will continue to implement the Children and Young People (CYP) Plan, focusing on system-wide support for being healthy and staying safe. The integrated strategy for child poverty will be finalised and delivered, tackling root causes and supporting families. The Family Hubs approach will be sustained and developed within the context of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams. A model for healthy weight in education settings will be developed, incorporating a whole-day approach to food and activity. Emotional and Mental Health pathways for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) will be reviewed and communicated, with a focus on equity and understanding by professionals, the Voluntary and Community Sector Enterprises (VCSEs), and families. Future considerations for this priority include developing actions in response to the review of SEND pathways, exploring the impact of social media on online harms, focusing on adolescent health, and supporting those Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

The Focus on Prevention priority will see a system response to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) prevention, linking to the pan-London Million Hearts and Minds Programme. The Eat Well, Be Active (EWBA) strategy and action plan will be implemented, incorporating recommendations to tackle physical inactivity. Vaccination awareness will be raised across Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs), targeting vulnerable groups and those facing health inequalities. The Making Every Contact Count initiative will be embedded to support universal and targeted prevention, addressing public health risk factors like smoking and clinical risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. Gambling-related harms in Merton will be understood and responded to, with a focus on raising awareness of services and preventing escalating needs. The implementation of the new sexual and reproductive health strategy and action plan for Merton was also noted. Future considerations include developing focused work on oral health for children and young people, improving access to cancer screening programmes, increasing heart health awareness, and enhancing prevention strategies.

For Strong Communities, the Board will maximise opportunities to collaborate with Merton Connected to develop a new vision and strategy for 2027. Mechanisms will be reviewed to ensure the insights of underrepresented groups, people with lived experience, and Merton residents inform system-wide activity. Support will be provided to the VCS to contribute to evaluation and develop a robust Merton evidence base through an outcomes and impacts framework and a system for collecting metrics. The Civic Pride Grant review programme will be delivered, ensuring alignment with Merton's strategic priorities and targeted interventions to reduce health inequalities. Communities will be supported to develop skills, strengthen social connections, and take positive climate action. Community safety work programmes will be strengthened to help residents feel safe and secure, with effective knowledge sharing and referral pathways to positively impact health and wellbeing. Future considerations include exploring innovative approaches to support residents experiencing poor health outcomes and the role of community safety in neighbourhood health planning.

The Healthy Places priority will focus on implementing the Walking, Wheeling and Cycling strategy, ensuring partner organisations maximise health benefits through active travel. Health and wellbeing, including mental health, will be embedded in planning processes, including the Merton Local Plan and other built and natural environment policies. Local recruitment and career opportunities will be enhanced through Employ Merton, with a focus on priority groups. Council and NHS plans to reduce carbon emissions and strengthen resilience to climate-related health risks will be implemented. Housing quality will be improved, with a focus on damp, mould, indoor air quality, and overcrowding, through better use of referral pathways and empowering residents. The impact of poverty will be reduced through the implementation of Cost-of-Living related strategies. Future considerations include building understanding of the commercial determinants of health and co-producing a Food Strategy for Merton.

The Joined-up Services priority will be reviewed in more detail in October 2026, with light-touch updates provided at this meeting.

Better Care Fund 2026/2027 Plan

The Board noted the Better Care Fund (BCF) plan for 2026/2027. The BCF is a key enabler for Merton's transition to an integrated, prevention-focused model of neighbourhood health and social care, aligning with the strategic ambition that Neighbourhoods are the system, and the system are neighbourhoods. The plan supports proactive, preventative care to reduce hospital demand by investing in frailty programmes, urgent community response (UCR) services, and virtual wards. It also aims to strengthen rapid response and intermediate care capacity, expand community-based alternatives, and embed a Home First approach to support safe and timely hospital discharges.

The BCF funding is pooled to support neighbourhood health and care services, intermediate care services, and adult social care services that promote integration and independence. Expenditure is spread across these three categories, with intermediate care receiving the largest proportion. The plan outlines ambitions for key metrics, including reducing emergency admissions for people aged 65+, reducing the average length of discharge delay, and reducing long-term admissions to residential and nursing care homes. Merton's performance in these areas was noted as being generally positive compared to regional and national averages. The plan also details how expenditure is allocated and how value for money and productivity will be ensured through benchmarking and reviews. Joint governance for managing BCF funding is in place through the Merton Provider Alliance, ensuring ongoing oversight and agile planning.

Joined-up Services Progress Report

The Board received a verbal update on the progress of joined-up services. Work with partners has been undertaken to design what an integrated neighbourhood team would look like in Merton. Key next steps include further design work and mobilising test and change sites. Nine actions will be brought back to the Board in June, with further work planned on how young inspectors can be utilised in the health sector. A review of mental health governance is underway, and the borough has commissioned brokering placements on behalf of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). Several pilot programmes will be presented to the Board in June, along with an update on estates.

Other Discussions

The Board also discussed the Health and Wellbeing Board development, noting that imminent changes to guidance are likely to see the Board become a decision-making body for signing off neighbourhood health plans. The draft work programme for the panel was also presented, with a discussion on the potential use of task and finish groups for in-depth scrutiny of specific items. The Board noted that a short written paper on child poverty would be provided for the next meeting, and that the LADO panel report would be presented with key themes and patterns rather than a full report. The school case planning report was confirmed as needing to be presented to the Board.

The meeting concluded with thanks to all involved and a confirmation that action points from previous meetings would be followed up.