The Joint Health & Wellbeing Board was scheduled to meet to discuss homelessness, community equipment services, and the Better Care Fund. The meeting was scheduled to be held at Al Manaar MCHC and was open to the public. Councillor Josh Rendall, Lead Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health, and Councillor Patricia McAllister were scheduled to co-chair the meeting.

Ambition 4 Review: We Have A Good Quality Home

The Joint Health & Wellbeing Board was scheduled to discuss a report profiling work across system partners to support early intervention for homelessness and rough sleeping. The report, titled We have a good quality home (Homelessness and Rough Sleeping), notes that homelessness is a complex issue affected by social and economic factors as well as government policy. It states that statutory homelessness has increased in recent years, and that the ending of private rented sector tenancies is one of the biggest drivers of homelessness.

The report notes that most homelessness applications come from residents of Global Majority communities, and that in both Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, 9 in 10 single parent households owed a relief duty are single mothers. It also notes that households are spending longer in temporary accommodation, and that this has a negative impact on health and well-being, especially for children.

The report highlights opportunities for housing and health services to work together, and notes that the upcoming reprocurement of Westminster's support services and accommodation for people sleeping rough, and planned refresh of Kensington and Chelsea's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, presents a timely and strategic opportunity for system-wide collaboration.

The report includes data on homelessness in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, including the number of people rough sleeping, the number of residents living in hostels and supported accommodation, and the number of households living in temporary accommodation.

The report also highlights the importance of prevention and early intervention, and outlines some of the prevention and support services that are currently in place in both boroughs.

In Westminster, these include:

• The Passage House
• Edward Alsop Court
• King George's Hostel
• The Transitional Housing Approach (THA) support and move on service
• The Floating Support Service
• The Mental Health supported accommodation pathway
• Riverside Pimlico Pathway
• The Doctor Hickey Surgery
• Turning Point

In Kensington and Chelsea, these include:

• Preventing Homelessness Outreach Team
• Housing and Employment Team
• Accommodation Solutions service
• Targeted domestic violence support
• Homeless Intervention Team
• Rough Sleeper Dual Diagnosis Service

The report notes that Westminster City Council's vision is to tackle homelessness across Westminster in partnership with public, voluntary and community services through a preventative and collaborative approach to help build a Fairer Westminster. It also notes that Kensington and Chelsea's key priorities are to prevent homelessness through early intervention, provide suitable accommodation for homeless households and reduce and work towards eliminating rough sleeping.

The report also provides information on health interventions for people experiencing homelessness, including specialist health services, mental health and outreach services, and strategic collaboration.

Community Equipment Update

The Joint Health & Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive an update on community equipment services following the liquidation of NRS Healthcare. The report notes that NRS Healthcare Ltd went into official liquidation on 1 August 2025 and formally ceased trading on 15 September 2025, and that PWC was appointed as the official receiver. NRS had approximately 44 contracts across the UK to provide community equipment services, as well as other services such as Telecare and Occupational Therapy services, which included the Complex OT service for Westminster.

The report notes that the boroughs belonging to the London Community Equipment Consortium have undertaken several emergency direct awards to a variety of service providers, and that RBKC appointed BDO as insolvency advisors to support the Consortium members through the insolvency process.

The report also notes that the transfer of data remains an issue, and that the interim service arrangements across boroughs are operating only for urgent and critical cases.

The report states that the Integrated Commissioning Team has commissioned, at pace 24/7 Health Care, to deliver the temporary community equipment service for an initial 6-month period, and that the Complex OT service in Westminster is now being provided by The Occupational Therapy Practice (TOTP).

Better Care Fund - 25/26 Submission

The Joint Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive an update on the 2025/26 Better Care Fund¹ (BCF) plans. The report notes that the submission was submitted on 4 July and received national approval on 28 August 2025 from NHSE².