The Buckinghamshire Council Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Director of Public Health's annual report, and updates from the Integrated Care Boards. The meeting was also scheduled to cover the Start Well programme, focusing on improving outcomes during maternity and early years, with an emphasis on prevention, early identification, and reducing health inequalities across Buckinghamshire.

Director of Public Health Annual Report

The board was scheduled to discuss the Director of Public Health's Annual Report, titled Tomorrow's World, Health and Wellbeing in Buckinghamshire in 2045 . The report was expected to focus on how the health and wellbeing of Buckinghamshire residents may change in the next 20 years, especially if preventative action is not taken.

The report was expected to highlight:

• Demographic shifts, including a projected population growth of 10.8% over the next 20 years, with the proportion of those aged 65+ increasing the most (by 33%).
• A projected stagnation of life expectancy and a worsening of healthy life expectancy in Buckinghamshire.
• The importance of promoting good health and preventing illness at all stages of life through the 'Start Well', 'Live Well' and 'Age Well' approach.
• Emerging risks to the future health of Buckinghamshire residents, such as climate change and environmental hazards.

The report included several recommendations for the board to consider, including actions to support the implementation of the new Buckinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Start Well Programme Update

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive an update on the Start Well programme, which aims to improve outcomes during maternity and early years. The report highlighted progress against the programme's objectives for quarters 1 and 2 of 2025/26.

Key areas of focus included:

• Prevention Improving child development at age two through early developmental assessment, timely completion of the 2–2½ year review, and the promotion of breastfeeding.
  • Data showed that 80% of children achieved expected levels of development across all five ASQ domains¹, slightly above the Southeast regional average.
  • Coverage at the 2–2½ year review stood at around 62% both across Buckinghamshire and in Opportunity Bucks wards[^3].
  • Breastfeeding rates remained strong, with 62% of infants receiving any breastmilk at 6–8 weeks.
  • The percentage of women smoking at the time of delivery had declined from 6% (2022/23) to 4% (2024/25).
• Proactive Care Increasing school readiness by increasing access to funded early education places, embedding early language identification, and supporting children with speech and language needs before school entry.
  • The proportion of eligible children accessing funded early-education places remained stable overall.
  • The Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM) was fully embedded across targeted and specialist populations, with universal rollout underway in three teams.
• Empowering Communities Improving perinatal mental health and reducing inequalities through early identification, specialist support, and seamless integration between maternity and mental health services.
  • In Quarter 2, 15.7% of women were screened for perinatal mental wellbeing, compared with 22.4% in Quarter 1.
  • Among those screened, 12.6% in Quarter 1 and 11.7% in Quarter 2 who screened positive accessed the specialist maternity perinatal mental health team.

The board was asked to note the progress outlined in the report, endorse the ongoing direction of travel, and continue to support integrated system delivery of the Start Well programme.

Integrated Care Board Updates

The agenda included updates from the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) and the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB).

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB)

The BOB ICB report included updates on:

• ICB Board meetings: From 1 October 2025, the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board and the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board were scheduled to meet together under a Collaboration Agreement as a Joint Committee.
• Thames Valley Commissioning Intentions 2026 - 2030: The BOB and Frimley ICB cluster was developing NHS Thames Valley to better meet the needs of communities across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.
• BOB Winter Vaccinations Campaign: BOB ICB continued to deliver strong vaccination performance in the 2025/26 Winter programme.

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB)

The BLMK ICB report included updates on:

• Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board Update
• System Transformation Priorities – Progress Report
• Winter Planning and Board Assurance
• Community and Mental Health Transformation Programme Case for Change
• Transitional Governance Arrangements for Central East

Other Business

The agenda also included:

• Confirmation of the Vice-Chairman
• Apologies for absence
• Announcements from the Chairman, Councillor Isobel Darby.
• Declarations of Interest
• Minutes of the Previous Meeting
• Public Questions
• Forward Plan