The Health and Wellbeing Board of the Council of the Isles of Scilly was scheduled to convene on Thursday, 4 December 2025, to address public health matters affecting the islands. Key topics slated for discussion included child poverty, pharmaceutical needs, mental health, and the Better Care Fund.

Director of Public Health Annual Report: Child Poverty

The report pack for the meeting included the Director of Public Health Annual Report focusing on child poverty in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The report, Growing up in poverty, was produced in partnership with the Directors of Children's Services for Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

The report included several key sections:

• An examination of what causes child poverty.
• An analysis of why child poverty is a problem.
• An overview of child poverty data.
• Accounts of the experiences of babies, children and young people living in poverty.

The report included direct quotes from practitioners across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, highlighting key themes such as:

• Food insecurity and hunger
• Housing instability and quality
• Social isolation
• Parental stress
• Digital exclusion
• Safeguarding and exploitation
• Transport

The report also included a call to action, in the form of an open letter reflecting the voices of babies, children, and young people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, describing what it's like to grow up in poverty, how it affects their lives, and the changes they want to see.

The report made several recommendations, including that the board members endorse the report's contents and support its recommendations on child poverty.

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

The report pack contained the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (CIOS PNA) 2025-2028. The CIOS PNA is a statutory assessment of community pharmacy service needs published every three years, as required by the National Health Service Act 2006.

The report noted that the Isles of Scilly face unique challenges regarding access to pharmacy services, and that the Isles of Scilly GP practice is non-dispensing out of hours.

The PNA recommended support for pharmacy services on the Isles of Scilly through use of the LPS contract approach, which is intended for smaller pharmacies.

The report also made several recommendations, including that the Isles of Scilly Health and Wellbeing Board recognise the findings of the CIOS PNA 2025-2028, and support the recommendations set out in the CIOS PNA 2025-2028 to enable publication of the report before the statutory deadline.

A collaborative approach to mental health and wellbeing promotion and prevention of 'deaths of despair'

The report pack included a report on a collaborative approach to mental health and wellbeing promotion and prevention of 'deaths of despair'.

The report aimed to highlight the need and continued case for public mental health and suicide prevention across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, provide an update on progress made in public mental health and suicide prevention, an overview of some effective interventions, and an assessment of the gaps and associated challenges with reducing the local rates of suicide.

The report noted that island communities face mental health-related challenges such as access to mental healthcare, geographic isolation, stigma and socioeconomic factors, and recommended particular consideration to mental health and suicide prevention training for all residents of the Isles of Scilly, alongside membership of the Orange Button Community Scheme.

The report made several recommendations, including that the board members recognise the progress made and ongoing challenges in the delivery of the suicide prevention strategy, support the recommendations set out in the report to ensure suicide prevention is embedded in the system, provide input and feedback on the next strategy when it is presented in draft form at a future meeting, and commit to accessing mental health and suicide prevention training.

Better Care Fund 2025-26 Q2

The report pack included a report on the Better Care Fund¹ 2025-26 Q2.