The Bexley Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss a range of issues, including pharmaceutical needs, the Better Care Fund, safeguarding, and updates on strategies for obesity and ageing well. The board endorsed the Bexley Care Plus Memorandum of Understanding to improve integrated neighbourhood teams and agreed to publish the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.

Here's a more detailed look at the key discussion points:

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The board agreed to publish the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for Bexley. The PNA assesses the provision of pharmaceutical services in the area and is required by law¹. It considers whether current services meet the needs of the local population and will be used by NHS England to make decisions about local pharmaceutical services.

Key findings of the assessment included:

• There are 44 community pharmacies in Bexley, which equates to 17.9 pharmacies per 100,000 people, higher than the England average.
• Most residents (98%) can reach a pharmacy within 20 minutes by car, public transport, or walking.
• A survey of 401 residents found that most visit a pharmacy to collect prescriptions, and availability of medicines and quality of service are important factors when choosing a pharmacy.
• No gaps in provision were identified for necessary pharmaceutical services in Bexley.

The PNA was prepared with the support of Soar Beyond Ltd, and included feedback from community pharmacy contractors, residents, commissioners and planners.

Better Care Fund Quarter 1 Return

The board signed off Bexley's Better Care Fund (BCF) Return for Quarter 1 2025/26, which had been submitted to the BCF National Team in August. The BCF is a government initiative that aims to join up health and social care services to improve outcomes for patients.

The report highlighted performance trends across key indicators:

• Emergency admissions of people aged 65 and over: Admissions were close to the planned figure, suggesting the system is performing in line with the plan.
• Discharge delays: Bexley continued to perform well on discharge timeliness, with over 90% of patients discharged on their Discharge Ready Date.
• Admissions of older people (65+) to care homes: New admissions were below the planned rate, suggesting the borough is on track to meet its annual target.

The board also noted an update on BCF metrics and agreed to amend the Quarter 1 return based on the updated data now available.

Bexley Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report

The board noted the contents of the Bexley Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) Annual Report 2024-25, including plans for the partnership's current year. The Care Act 2014 sets out the statutory requirements for Safeguarding Adults Boards.

The report highlighted the BSAB's priorities for 2024-5:

1. Ensuring staff understand Making Safeguarding Personal², especially with adults who self-abuse and self-neglect.
2. Improving access to safeguarding information.
3. Improving professional curiosity for staff's safeguarding practice, including all areas regarding Mental Capacity.

The report also detailed the partnership's work to respond to adults and modern slavery/exploitation/contextual risk, and the Bexley Quality Checkers Project, a service-user engagement and feedback support group. The board heard that the BSAB had successfully created the National SAB Awards, 'We See You – We Hear You' campaign in the summer of 2021, which is now an annual event.

Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report

The board received and commented on the Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Annual Report 2024–25, including plans for the partnership's eighth year. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 sets out the statutory requirements for safeguarding partnerships.

Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D.'s priorities during 2024-25 were:

• Getting the collective response to vulnerable adolescents right, with a focus on children and young people who go missing and transitional safeguarding.
• Getting basic child safeguarding right, with a focus on information-sharing and neurodiversity.

The report also described the partnership's work to develop Bexley Quality Checkers Project, a service-user engagement and feedback support group.

Developing our Neighbourhood Health Service

The board endorsed the Bexley Care Plus Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as the foundation underpinning the arrangement between the London Borough of Bexley, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Bexley Health Neighbourhood Care CIC and Primary Care Networks.

The London Target Operating Model and the NHS 10-year plan emphasise community-based, preventative, and integrated care. The 'integrator' is a key function designed to make integration across health and care partners work in practice.

Bexley is developing Integrated Neighbourhoods to deliver better, more integrated and proactive care to residents. Bexley Care Plus will act as a single management structure, ensuring a unified approach to service delivery, resource allocation, and patient care.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy – Obesity Update

The board noted an update on the work done to tackle obesity and to support healthy weight. Action on obesity is one of the four priorities of both the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and NHS Joint Forward Plan.

Key achievements for each of the four priority areas for action were:

• Support for individuals
• Embedding healthy lifestyles
• The food environment
• Physical activity

The board also reviewed the new action plan agreed by the Healthy Weight Strategic Partnership for the 2025-26 financial year and key highlights from Dr Nicole Klynman's Annual Director of Public Health Report, which focused on obesity.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Update – Ageing Well

The board considered and commented on a report providing an update on the actions taken to deliver the Ageing Well (Frailty) priority as set out in the Bexley Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2028 and the Joint Forward Integrated Plan.

The strategy sets out four priorities:

• Dementia
• Falls Prevention
• Wellbeing

Strategic actions include:

• Working together to prevent the development and progression of frailty by promoting active ageing and reducing social isolation.
• Investing in prevention activities and improving communication to ensure residents better understand the risk factors for dementia and falls.
• Ensuring that people are supported at home to avoid admission to hospital unless clinically justified.
• Supporting people aged over 80 years to continue to live safely in their own homes, where this is the right choice for them.
• Ensuring carers feel supported in their role alongside being able to maintain their own health and wellbeing.
• Improving awareness of sources of information and support.

Other Business

The board also discussed the Adult Social Care CQC Inspection and considered its workplan for 2025/26, agreeing that, as well as an update on actions arising from the Autism Strategy, there should also be a further SEND update at the September meeting.