The Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on 8 December 2025 to discuss witness evidence for a scrutiny review, the Islington Safeguarding Adults Board annual report, and a performance report on public health. The committee will also be reviewing its work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Islington Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report

The committee will be presented with the Islington Safeguarding Adults Board (ISAB) Annual Report 2024-25. The report highlights the board's activities and achievements in safeguarding adults with care and support needs.

The report notes that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection and commented on the clear arrangements for governance, accountability, monitoring, quality assurance and information sharing .

The report also provides statistics on safeguarding concerns reported in Islington:

• There has been a year-on-year increase in the number of safeguarding concerns reported since 2022-2023, which mirrors the trend seen nationally.
• In 2024-2025, there were 2,524 reports, a 5% increase compared to the previous year.
• The most common types of abuse investigated were neglect and acts of omission (22%), financial or material abuse (17%), psychological abuse (17%), and self-neglect (17%).
• 70% of enquiries related to abuse that occurred in the person's own home.
• The report notes that 95% of service users who were supported with safeguarding and were able to comment, reported that their desired outcomes were either partially or fully achieved.

The report also outlines the ISAB's strategic priorities for 2025-2028, which include:

• Monitoring the Creative Solutions panel and the impact of the multiagency risk escalation mapping tool.
• Exploring trauma-informed approaches in cross-boundary working for adults at high risk in temporary accommodation.
• Taking a whole system approach to financial abuse.
• Improving processes related to the release of prisoners, particularly concerning their reintegration into the community.

The report includes a case study on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) conditions as a mechanism to make positive change in a person's life and to reduce the impact of the restrictions in place.

The report also highlights the ISAB's work with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) following the publication of their joint working protocol with Adult Social Care.

The ISAB strategy places 'PEOPLE' as its core values. The ISAB strategy can be read here.

Fiona Bateman, Independent Chair of ISAB, is stepping down from her role after four years.

Public Health Performance Report

The committee will be presented with the Quarter 1 (Q1) 2025/26 Performance Report for Public Health. The report sets out performance against targets for indicators within the Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care outcome area.

Overall, the report indicates positive performance, with targets met or exceeded across 10 of 11 indicators.

Key highlights from the report include:

• Immunisation Coverage: While immunisation coverage remains a challenge, MMR2 (two doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine before aged five) has improved and remains within 5% of its target.
• Healthy Start Scheme: Uptake of Healthy Start Vouchers met its target, with 1,790 families in Islington taking up the scheme. The NHS Healthy Start scheme supports families on low incomes to buy healthy food and milk.
• Stop Smoking Service: The number of people accessing stop smoking support puts Islington on course to achieve its annual target, with a successful quit rate of 55% in Q1, meeting its target.
• Substance Misuse: The number of people accessing treatment and support for drug or alcohol use exceeds its target, and a new metric measuring unplanned exits from drug and alcohol treatment is below its target maximum.
• Sexual Health: The number of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) prescriptions is on track to meet its annual target.
• Health Visiting: Islington achieved 95% coverage for New Birth Visits, meeting its local target and exceeding regional and national performance. Coverage of 6-8 week Health Visitor reviews has also exceeded its target, at 87%.

The report identifies challenges, including growing vaccine hesitancy, online misinformation, and fatigue around vaccine messaging. It also notes that activity levels in general practices and pharmacies for stop smoking support remain below pre-Covid levels.

The report mentions the Smokefree Generation policy and the opportunities it presents to reduce smoking behaviours and improve health outcomes in Islington. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 2009.

Work Programme 2025/26

The committee will be asked to note its work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year. The HWASC - Work Plan - 2025-26 lists the topics scheduled for discussion at future meetings, including performance updates from various healthcare providers, scrutiny reviews, and annual reports.