The Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Partnership met on Tuesday 29 July 2025, and the main topics of discussion were the Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership's work on social value, and an update on the 'smoking' exemplar theme within the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Strategy. The Partnership also confirmed the appointment of a Vice Chair for the period 2025-2027.

Smoking Exemplar Theme Update

Tracy Marshall, Public Health Manager at Gloucestershire County Council, and Katie Tucker, Director of Kingfisher Treasure Seekers, presented an update on the 'smoking' exemplar theme, which is part of the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Strategy.

The presentation outlined the progress of work to reduce smoking in the county, including:

• The Healthy Lifestyles Service, which provides universal and targeted support to smokers, particularly those in routine and manual labour jobs and in areas of social deprivation.
• Treating Tobacco Dependency (TTD) Teams within acute trust, maternity and mental health services.
• A Gloucester Primary Care Network (PCN) coach working with Eastern European communities.
• Public Health Enhanced Services (PHES) contracts with pharmacies and General Practices.
• A Tobacco Dependency Outreach Service, which is currently being commissioned and will target the Polish community, LGBTQ+ community, individuals with substance misuse challenges, and those living in supported accommodation.

The presentation also detailed Appreciative Enquiry research that was undertaken with individuals with long histories of mental health challenges. The research explored the lived environment of smokers, smoking as a coping mechanism, barriers to quitting, motivators to quitting, and experiences with services.

Some quotes from the interviews included:

'It's just… always there. First thing when I wake up, after I eat, when I'm stressed, when I'm sad, when I've had an argument — it's like a reflex now. It gives me something to do with my hands, gives me a few minutes to breathe. Sometimes it's the only thing that calms me down when my brain's racing or I'm feeling like I'm about to fall apart.'

'...but a lot of GPs don't know what to do with people like me. They give you a leaflet or tell you to call a number, like that's gonna fix years of trauma and pain. It's not that simple.'

'I would if I knew they wouldn't treat me like I'm scum. If they understood homelessness, trauma, mental health - all of it. I'd need them to meet me where I'm at, not just throw facts at me. And I'd need it to be easy to get to; no bus money, no phone, no fancy referrals.'

The recommendations from the research included:

• Taking a holistic approach to supporting smokers.
• Disseminating the findings and recommendations of the research.
• Exploring whether taking an appreciative enquiry approach is a useful tool to use in other parts of the system.

Social Value - The Work of the Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership

Mark Gale and Chris Brown gave a presentation on the work of the Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership as an example of creating social value. The Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership is a collaboration between the Gloucestershire County Council, the local NHS, and the charity the Stroud and District Youth and Community Trust.

Appointment of Vice Chair

The Partnership confirmed the appointment of a Vice Chair for the period 2025-2027. The agenda notes that Alistair Cunningham of Tewkesbury Borough Council was the Vice Chair.