The Telford and Wrekin Health & Wellbeing Board met to discuss a range of health and wellbeing initiatives in the borough. Key items included approving the Better Care Fund submission, supporting the draft Housing Strategy 2025-2030, and reviewing the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Healthy Ageing/Frailty Strategy 2025-2028. The board also received updates on GP access, the Community Safety Partnership, and the Telford & Wrekin Integrated Place Partnership (TWIPP).

Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Healthy Ageing/Frailty Strategy 2025-2028

The board reviewed and supported the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Healthy Ageing/Frailty Strategy 2025-2028, a three-year plan to support residents as they age, particularly those at risk of frailty. The strategy aims to enable people in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to live longer, healthier, and more independent lives.

The strategy focuses on:

• Education: Increasing public and workforce understanding of frailty and available support services.
• Prevention: Delaying the onset of frailty through lifestyle support and proactive outreach.
• Identification: Establishing methods for identifying individuals at risk of frailty.
• Management: Supporting individuals with mild to moderate frailty through coordinated care pathways and digital tools.
• Care: Enhancing support for people with severe frailty and their carers.

The strategy also addresses health inequalities, with a targeted neighbourhood approach to ensure inclusivity and appropriate organisation of services to support diverse communities. According to the Appendix B - Healthy Ageing IIA Post Engagement, the strategy aims to reduce health inequalities by targeting groups at higher risk of early frailty and poorer outcomes, including individuals living in areas of high deprivation, ethnic minority communities, and those with limited access to healthcare or digital services.

The board noted that the strategy aligns with both Health & Wellbeing Strategies and SHIPP and TWIPP priorities.

Better Care Fund Update

The board approved the Better Care Fund submission. The Better Care Fund (BCF) is a programme that aims to better integrate health and social care services. The board was informed that the new national administration had introduced clearer requirements, with a simplified set of metrics and a strengthened governance assurance framework. A particular emphasis has been placed on improving hospital discharge arrangements and making better use of collective resources.

The Better Care Fund Commissioning Lead noted that there had been a strategic shift from sickness to prevention, with a growing focus on the use of digital technology. Members were informed of the introduction of Tech Tuesdays, showcasing innovations such as epilepsy sensors and other tools designed to improve the lives of people with complex conditions. There was a renewed focus on supporting independent living, with performance metrics centred on admission avoidance, hospital discharge, and long-term care.

The board also granted delegated authority to the co-chairs to approve future submissions.

Housing Strategy Proposals Engagement

The board supported the Draft Housing Strategy 2025-2030. The Service Delivery Manager: Strategic Housing & Regeneration provided an update on the strategy, which will replace the current strategy as it nears the end of its term. The new strategy prioritises ensuring that existing homes are of the highest possible quality and providing housing that supports vulnerable residents, and recognises that housing is a wider determinant of health.

During the discussion, members noted the significance of housing as a social determinant of health and praised the wide-ranging actions across sectors. The board was advised that the proposed strategy was due to be presented to Cabinet and encouraged broad resident engagement.

GP Access Update

The board received an update on work that has been undertaken with GP surgeries to improve GP access from the Integrated Care System (ICS). According to the TW General Practice for HWB Sep25 report, access is improving on key same/next-day measures, with targeted support for practices showing negative variation. All practices are within Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which underpins extended access, particularly for patients with complex needs. The roll-out of the Modern General Practice (MGP) model is progressing, with care navigation, digital telephony, and right care, first time models in place or going live across Telford and Wrekin.

Key headline metrics from the report include:

• 58% of appointments delivered same/next day in Telford and Wrekin, compared to 53% across the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and 51% in England.
• 88% of patients seen within 14 days in Telford and Wrekin, compared to 83% across the ICB and 82% in England.
• 38% of appointments led by GPs in Telford and Wrekin, compared to 43% across the ICB and 44% in England.
• The GP Patient Survey (GPPS) showed year-on-year movement for 'overall experience was good' up from 66% to 72% in 2025.

Community Safety Partnership Annual Report

The board received the Community Safety Partnership Annual Report, which provided an overview of progress made over the past 12 months and outlined future priorities. The new strategy is focused on reducing reoffending, preventing serious violence, tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE), reducing domestic abuse (DA) and addressing youth violence and driving offences.

The Chief Inspector provided an update, noting a 40% reduction in robbery and a 19% reduction in vehicle crime. The board was informed that work around Domestic Abuse had focused on older people and individuals with learning disabilities, and that partner agencies had received evidence-based strategies, and Clare's Law applications were being promoted.

Members were asked to note that whilst there had been a 21% increase in serious youth violence incidents, the evidence suggested that interventions were having a positive impact and partnership working with the Council and other agencies remained central to this effort.

TWIPP Overview Update

The board received a presentation providing an overview of the work and impact of the Telford & Wrekin Integrated Place Partnership (TWIPP). TWIPP became a formal sub-committee of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in September 2024, and brings together a wide range of organisations with a shared focus on improving outcomes, reducing inequalities, and enhancing prevention.

TWIPP has refined its priorities to include supporting general practice, improving mental health and outcomes for children and young people and promoting healthy ageing, and has adopted a flexible, person-centred approach to neighbourhood working, with the aim of wrapping the right services around individuals at the right time, supporting early diagnosis, selfcare, and social prescribing.

The Live Well Hubs were highlighted as a key element of neighbourhood working, and the Prevention Grants Programme has recently concluded, with funding having been awarded to support initiatives such as the expansion of Live Well Hubs, Calm Cafés and care navigators for autistic individuals and those with learning disabilities.