The Health and Wellbeing Board of Hertfordshire County Council was scheduled to meet on 17 July 2025, at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City. The agenda included discussion of a constitution change, stakeholder engagement feedback, integrated delivery plans, and the health risks of damp and mould.

Health Risks of Damp and Mould

The board was scheduled to discuss a report from the Director of Public Health, Sarah Perman, on the health risks of damp and mould in homes, with a focus on children and young people. The report was expected to cover the progress of the Hertfordshire Healthy Homes work programme since its launch in April 2024, and cross-sector collaboration to address health-related risks of poor-quality housing and fuel poverty.

The report notes that poor housing quality costs the NHS an estimated £1.4 billion per year, and society £18.5 billion per year. It also notes that in Hertfordshire, there are an estimated 17,855 homes with damp, including at least 1,033 households with children under 14.

The report highlights several achievements of the Healthy Homes programme, including:

• The appointment of a Health Improvement Coordinator.
• The development of a fuel poverty map.
• The creation of resources such as a Damp & Mould Hertfordshire and West Essex flyer, a Damp & Mould Risk Scale, and an e-booklet for professionals.
• The establishment of a damp and mould referral pathway.
• The launch of a Healthy Homes webpage.
• The delivery of seven free Healthy Homes for Healthier Lives training sessions to 226 professionals.

The report also outlines the programme's priorities and proposed actions for 2025/2026, including:

• Extending the training offer to time-constrained professionals through a lite bite online training session.
• Improving referral pathways across Hertfordshire.
• Developing a Healthy Places Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).
• Supporting the delivery of the Local Area Retrofit Accelerator (LARA) Strategy.

The report also mentions Awaab's Law, which will be implemented in phases starting in October 2025, and sets requirements for social landlords in relation to dangerous damp and mould hazards and emergency repairs.

Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Health and Care Partnership

The board was scheduled to consider a report regarding the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Health and Care Partnership (MHLDN HCP). The report from Chris Badger, Executive Director of Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council, and Karen Taylor, Chief Executive of Hertfordshire University Partnership NHS Trust, was expected to highlight the role of the MHLDN HCP in delivering improved outcomes for people in Hertfordshire.

The report notes that the MHLDN HCP:

• Convenes partner organisations from across the health and social care system, including the Hertfordshire VCFSE sector.
• Provides oversight of countywide activity.
• Has made tangible improvements to the lives of people with mental illness, people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people.
• Builds on a long history of health and social care partners in Hertfordshire working together, formalised in the Section 75 agreement¹ between the NHS and HCC.
• Brings together previously separate activity and partnership boards across Hertfordshire, including the Crisis Care Partnership Board, the Learning Disabilities and Autism Strategic Partnership Board and the Children and Young People's Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Board.
• Has established a Finance & Commissioning group and a Quality, Transformation & Performance group to develop a clearer picture of activity across partner organisations and inform multi-agency activity.
• Works closely with the two Hertfordshire 'place-based' partnerships (South & West Hertfordshire HCP and East & North Hertfordshire HCP).

The report also highlights several delivery achievements of the MHLDN HCP, including:

• Mobilisation and delivery of the Hertfordshire Dementia Strategy.
• Improvements for people experiencing mental health crisis, including the new Mental Health Urgent Care Centre at the Lister Hospital and Mental Health Response Vehicles.
• Improving health outcomes for people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people, including exceeding the national target for annual health checks.
• Maintaining strong performance for Children and Young People's Mental Health Services, including expanding Mental Health Support Teams in Schools.
• Developing new models and provision to support neurodivergent young people and their families.
• Delivering a programme of activity focused on supporting people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use.

The MHLDN HCP's Integrated Delivery Plan focuses on 10 key areas:

• Delivering better care for people experiencing mental health crisis.
• Improving the availability of local beds to provide better, more effective care for inpatients and finding alternatives to admission.
• Delivering integrated services and support for people with learning disabilities, neurodivergent people and their families and carers.
• Delivering improvements in the emotional and mental wellbeing of children and young people and support for parent/carers.
• Delivering a neighbourhood health model to increase access to mental support.
• Delivering the Hertfordshire Suicide Prevention Strategy.
• Developing better support and services for people with complex needs, in particular people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.
• Delivering more joined-up support for older people's mental health including more integrated action around Dementia, memory support and support for carers.
• Addressing the life expectancy gap for people with severe mental illness, people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people by tackling the wider determinants of health and wellbeing.
• Leading improvements in the mental wellbeing of people in Hertfordshire by championing public health, workplace and educational activity throughout the county.

The report recommends that the MHLDN HCP report to the Health and Wellbeing Board as one of its governance sub-committees, assuming the reporting responsibilities currently fulfilled by the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Programme Board.

Care Closer to Home

The board was scheduled to discuss a report from Sharn Elton, Place Director for East and North Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, on the Hertfordshire and West Essex Care Closer to Home (CCH) Strategic Model of Care. The model aims to refocus the system towards preventative and proactive primary and community-based care, reduce demand on acute hospitals, and provide better experiences and outcomes for the population.

The CCH Strategic Model of Care was approved by the HWE Integrated Care Board (ICB) Strategy Committee in February 2025.

The model aims to:

• Refocus the system towards preventative and proactive primary and community-based care across the domains of leadership, culture and delivery.
• Reduce demand on acute hospitals by shifting away from reactive hospital-based care.
• Free up all partners to provide the care that they are best equipped to deliver.
• Deliver greater integration across health and care pathways and manage the current and future demands in the most appropriate care setting.
• Provide better experiences and outcomes for the population and help tackle inequalities.
• Provide a framework for transforming adult services in the community with the initial focus on the frail population.
• Provide a consistent core model to inform revised specifications for adult community services contracts.

HCPs are leading the implementation of the CCH strategic model, with delivery plans set out in their Integrated Delivery Plans. The revision of service specifications and Key Performance Indicators for adult community services is being undertaken at ICB level and is due to be completed by October 2025.

Expected changes following implementation of the model include:

• Delivering evidence-based interventions to reduce risk of acute hospital admission.
• Maximising opportunities of working with the voluntary sector.
• Strengthening integrated working between primary, community and acute services.
• Introducing remote monitoring at scale for patients with long-term conditions.
• Scaling up proactive care through Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs).
• Delivering rapid response to patients at risk of deterioration.
• Delivering more urgent care in the community through Urgent Community Response and Hospital at Home services.
• Improving care coordination and referral pathways.
• Acute trusts taking an increasingly active role in facilitating and strengthening neighbourhood and place-based integrated teams.
• Digital transformation to provide robust business intelligence.
• Patient flagging to ensure the most appropriate response.
• Prioritising the development of a single shared care record.

The report also identifies several delivery challenges and associated risks, including strategic alignment, organisational development, alignment of financial flows, workforce constraints, fragmented information systems, and estate limitations.

Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnerships – Integrated Delivery Plans 2025/26 – 2027/28

The board was scheduled to receive information about the South West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire integrated delivery plans. The report from Ruth Forbes, Director of Development, East & North Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership, and Ros Nerio, Development Director, South and West Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership, was expected to ensure that the Board is kept informed about the development of the integrated delivery plans and the key programmes of work and priorities of the Health and Care Partnerships (HCPs).

The report notes that Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (H&WEICB) has adopted a new approach to the annual planning process for 2025/26 with Health and Care Partnerships(HCPs) producing a three-year Integrated Delivery Plan (IDP) 2025/26 – 2027/28.

The IDPs incorporate the NHS operational planning requirements for 2025/26 and the HCPs contributions to delivering the H&WEICB's Medium-Term Plan for their respective population.

Health and Wellbeing Board Constitution Change

The board was scheduled to discuss a report from Chris Badger, Executive Director of Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council, proposing the nomination of the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Constabulary as a non-statutory, discretionary member of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The report argues that including the Chief Constable would strengthen the Board's strategic leadership and collaborative capacity, as the police play a vital role in prevention and early intervention, particularly in relation to vulnerable populations.

The report recommends that the Health and Wellbeing Board make a formal recommendation to County Council to appoint the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Constabulary as a non-statutory, discretionary member of the Board commencing from its meeting on 16 January 2026.

The report notes that the Constabulary is a key partner in addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, including young people involved in the youth justice system, adults experiencing homelessness or mental ill health, and victims of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.

The report also states that including the Chief Constable on the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) would support a more joined-up strategic response to complex social challenges, enhance safeguarding, and ensure that policing perspectives are embedded in the Board's preventative agenda.

Health and Wellbeing Board Stakeholder Engagement Feedback

The board was scheduled to discuss a report from Chris Oker, Programme Manager at Hertfordshire County Council, presenting feedback from the stakeholder engagement follow-up session held on 18 June 2025. The session built on the initial stakeholder workshop in March and focused on how stakeholder feedback is shaping the delivery of short-term actions that directly support the Board's strategic priority on prevention.

The report outlines how ongoing stakeholder engagement will be embedded in the implementation of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022–2026 and includes proposals and recommendations for the Board's consideration.

The report notes that there was strong consensus among stakeholders on the value of establishing a Health and Wellbeing Community of Practice (CoP), a network that would meet quarterly to foster shared learning, innovation, and collaboration across the system.

Participants also highlighted the need for the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) to lead and coordinate a small number of priority campaigns, ideally four to six per year, to ensure consistent, focused, and impactful messaging.

Stakeholders also stressed the importance of remaining responsive to what communities need or want to hear, and of strengthening local networks and engaging neighbourhood networks, VCFSE organisations, and Parish Councils as key partners in reaching local communities.

Stakeholders, particularly those from the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, expressed a desire for more meaningful involvement in Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) meetings, and emphasised the importance of addressing digital exclusion, income-related barriers, and mental health as part of the short-term actions.

Health and Wellbeing Board Sub Boards – Progress Highlight Reports April to June 2025

The board was scheduled to review and provide feedback on the highlight reports from April to June 2025, outlining the activities and progress of the five Health and Wellbeing Board sub-boards. The five sub-boards are:

• HWE Mental Health Learning Disabilities and Autism Programme Board
• Drug and Alcohol Joint Strategic Board
• Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls Board
• Better Care Fund Board
• Hertfordshire Children and Young People's Commissioning Board

The Hertfordshire Children and Young People's Commissioning Board is currently reviewing its terms of reference to reduce duplication and enhance integration across health, wellbeing and care in Hertfordshire.