The Health and Wellbeing Board of Doncaster Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday 05 November 2026 to discuss a range of topics aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of residents. Key areas for discussion include neighbourhood health initiatives, strategies for improving the experience of ageing, and efforts to close the gap in women's and children's health. The board will also consider plans for creating healthier places to live, grow, and play, with specific focus on gambling harms and suicide prevention.

Neighbourhood Health

The board is scheduled to receive an update on the progress of neighbourhood health initiatives, specifically focusing on relational practice prototypes. These prototypes aim to support residents in a new way, with casework delivered predominantly through voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations at a hyper-local level, centred around GP practices. The approach prioritises individual residents and aims to shape the system around their needs, with citizens central to co-designing support. The update will cover progress across four prototype sites: Conisbrough, the City Centre, Wheatley/Intake, and Thorne.

Improving the Experience of Ageing

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to discussing opportunities for improving the experience of ageing in Doncaster. This includes plans for a State of Ageing report, which will consolidate data, health and demographic intelligence, and existing age-friendly evidence. The report aims to understand inequalities, compare neighbourhoods, and test findings with older residents. The board will also consider a prevention-focused, place-based approach to help residents remain healthy, connected, and independent for longer. An update on the establishment of an Age-Friendly Residents' Forum will also be provided, reflecting feedback from the Ageing Well Network.

Closing the Gap in Women and Child Health

Two key areas concerning women and child health are scheduled for discussion. Firstly, the board will consider ways to improve postnatal care in Doncaster. This follows a previous agreement to add improving postnatal care as a specific priority within the Close the women's and child health gap focus area. The discussion will highlight opportunities to enhance postnatal care across maternity, primary care, health visiting, and community services, with initial focus areas proposed as maternal mental health, family planning after childbirth, and infant feeding.

Secondly, the board will receive an update on child oral health in Doncaster. This presentation will highlight that approximately one in four 5-year-olds in Doncaster show evidence of tooth decay, and the rate of hospital tooth extractions due to decay in children and young people is more than three times the national average. The discussion will address clear inequalities in oral health, particularly in relation to deprivation, and will outline planned next steps to improve oral health outcomes and reduce inequalities through a whole-system approach.

Healthy Places to Live, Grow and Play

Under this theme, two critical issues will be addressed. The first is the Gambling Levy, which aims to fund research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms. Doncaster is set to receive an allocation of £78,512 for prevention activities in 2026/27, which will be used for a Health Needs Assessment, a Lived Experience Group, and awareness-raising campaigns. The board will be asked to consider their organisations' current involvement and awareness regarding gambling harms.

The second topic is the Doncaster Suicide Prevention Strategy 2026-2030. This strategy aims to prevent suicide through a whole-system, prevention-focused approach, reducing risk, responding early, and providing effective support after crisis. It has been informed by extensive engagement with residents, people with lived experience, and community organisations. The strategy outlines three strategic priorities: primary prevention (reducing population-level risk and building resilient communities), secondary prevention (early identification and intervention), and tertiary prevention (crisis response, aftercare, and postvention). The board will be asked to endorse the strategy and support its continued delivery.