The Bexley Health and Wellbeing Board meeting scheduled for 8 September 2026 was set to cover a range of significant public health and social care topics. Key discussions were planned around the Better Care Fund, the Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. annual report, and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) prioritisation. Updates were also scheduled on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy concerning Ageing Well and Obesity, alongside neighbourhood health programmes and adult safeguarding developments.

Better Care Fund Update

The Board was scheduled to receive an update on the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2026-27. This followed the approval of Bexley's BCF Assurance Return by the Board on 16 June 2026 and its subsequent national assurance process. The report was expected to confirm that Bexley's BCF Plan 2026-27 had been classified as 'Approved' by NHS England, allowing for the expenditure of the NHS minimum contribution and confirming compliance with national requirements. Minor amendments to the Assurance Return were made following feedback from regional assurance partners, providing additional clarification on population need, frailty, urgent and emergency care demand, Discharge Ready Date (DRD) trajectories, the Health Inequalities Programme, and Bexley's Care Homes Task Force. These amendments were not expected to alter the strategic direction of the plan or the value of the pooled fund. The report was also to outline the revised BCF monitoring and reporting arrangements for 2026-27, which place greater emphasis on local oversight through Health and Wellbeing Boards and local governance arrangements.

Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report 2025-26

The Board was scheduled to consider the Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report for 2025-26. This report details the activities of the safeguarding partnership for children and young people, in accordance with the requirements of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. The report covers the period from April 2025 to March 2026 and includes a commentary from the partnership's independent scrutineer, Jenny Pearce. It outlines Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D.'s priorities for 2025-26, which included Getting basic child safeguarding right with a focus on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and Getting our collective response to vulnerable adolescents right with a focus on Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) and children and young people who go missing. The report also details the review and strengthening of partnership arrangements, including the addition of new formal subgroups. Future priorities for the partnership's ninth year (2026–27) were also to be discussed, focusing on Elective Home Education, working with under-1s, care experienced children, and EEDI.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Prioritisation Report

A report was scheduled to address the need for a structured, transparent, and partnership-based approach to prioritising the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) work programme on an annual basis. Public Health, in partnership with key stakeholders from Bexley Council, the NHS, and the voluntary sector, had developed such an approach. This included a prioritisation process and the establishment of a multi-stakeholder JSNA Steering Group. The group's role was to use the findings of the prioritisation process to agree an annual workplan. This approach had been trialled, with the Steering Group holding its first meeting on 22 July 2026 and agreeing a workplan for 2026-2027. The proposed work programme comprised two comprehensive Health Needs Assessments, alongside targeted profiles and further analytical work. The Board was asked to note the outcome of the 2026/27 prioritisation exercise and endorse the proposed approach to developing a formal annual JSNA prioritisation process.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Update - Ageing Well

This report was intended to provide an update on the activities undertaken over the past year to support the delivery of the 'Ageing Well' priority within the Bexley Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023–2028. The strategy focuses on enabling people to live well in later life through action across health, care, the voluntary and community sector, and wider council services. Specific attention was to be given to three headline areas: dementia, falls prevention, and wellbeing. The report was expected to highlight progress in developing Bexley as an Age Friendly Community, the work of the Elder Voices Partnership Board, investment in preventative community activity, and preparations for the annual Ageing Well event. This work aims to prevent or delay frailty, reduce social isolation, support mental and physical wellbeing, improve access to information, and enable older residents to remain independent for longer.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy: An Overview and Progress Report - Obesity

This report was scheduled to outline the current picture of obesity in Bexley and track progress on this Health and Wellbeing Strategy priority since the previous update in September 2025. It was intended to highlight challenges, gaps, opportunities, detail future plans, and make recommendations for further action. The report was expected to note the scale of obesity in Bexley, progress made to date, opportunities, and comment on next steps. Obesity is identified as a key issue in Bexley, contributing to health inequalities, with approximately one in five reception-aged children being overweight or obese, rising to over one in three by Year 6. The report was to detail the work completed over the previous 12 months by the Healthy Weight Strategic Partnership (HWSP), focusing on four priority areas: Support for individuals, embedding healthy lifestyles, food, and physical activity.

Significant National Developments in Adult Safeguarding

Andy Rabey, Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board, and Anita Eader, BSAB Practice Review and Learning Manager, were scheduled to provide the Board with information on recent developments affecting Adult Safeguarding.

Health and Wellbeing Board Neighbourhood Health - Programme Update

This report was to update the Board on its strengthened role under the national Neighbourhood Health Framework, the Better Care Fund support programme commencing on 15 September 2026, and the work of the Bexley Wellbeing Partnership in progressing neighbourhood delivery. The report was expected to confirm the Board's role as strategic sponsor, system convenor, and assurance body for neighbourhood health. It was also to endorse participation in the Better Care Fund Communities of Practice programme and note progress by the Bexley Wellbeing Partnership and Bexley Care Plus in moving from planning to delivery across Bexley's three neighbourhoods. The report was to support the clarification of governance, accountability, decision-making, and escalation routes and request regular assurance on outcomes, inequalities, resident experience, finance, risks, and benefits realisation.

Bexley Wellbeing Partnership - Quarterly Summary

This quarterly update was intended to demonstrate the breadth of partnership activity aimed at improving residents' health, wellbeing, and independence, reducing inequalities, and providing more coordinated support in local communities. The work was to be aligned with the national neighbourhood health agenda and the three shifts set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England: from hospital to community, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital. The report was expected to highlight the expansion of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, Live Well, Live Better hubs, WorkWell, care homes, and Wellbeing Friday, which bring coordinated health, care, employment, and wellbeing support closer to where people live. These initiatives also aim to strengthen prevention through earlier identification of need, proactive care planning, support for healthier lifestyles, action on the wider determinants of health, and timely intervention before needs escalate.

Public Questions

The Board had allocated time for members of the public, who are registered electors for the London Borough of Bexley, to ask questions relevant to the Board's work.

Items for Information and Any Other Business

The Board was scheduled to consider the latest version of its workplan for 2026/27. It was noted that there might be significant changes to the role of Health and Wellbeing Boards during the year, meaning the workplan could be subject to change. The Board was invited to consider the workplan and make amendments or additions as required.