The Health & Wellbeing Board and ICB Sub-Committee met to discuss a range of critical health and social care initiatives. Key decisions included noting the progress of the 2025/26 Winter Plan, approving the update on the North East London ICB restructure, and reviewing the Families First Partnership Programme.

Resident's Story: The Connect Programme

Fiona Taylor presented a case study about Joshua, a 24-year-old who has benefited significantly from the Connect programme. Joshua, who has sickle cell anaemia, faced challenges with social connection due to frequent hospitalisations. Through Connect, he was introduced to Shed Life, a community group where he has built confidence, developed social skills, and is now volunteering. The programme also supported his creative interests by providing a refurbished iPad for drawing, leading to the development of Shed Inc. for comic creation. Joshua's story highlighted the programme's success in improving his health management, reducing hospital admissions, and fostering social cohesion through friendships with individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as his friendship with Mr Orange, a refuse collector. The group acknowledged the long-term nature of preventative work and the importance of intentional journeying alongside someone.

2025/26 Barking and Dagenham Winter Plan Update

Kelvin Hankins provided an update on the borough's Winter Plan, highlighting progress on several key initiatives. The plan focuses on proactive population health, optimising patient flow through acute and community sites, and strengthening alternative pathways to reduce pressure on urgent and emergency care.

Significant progress has been made in implementing universal care plans for residents in proactive care, with over 100 individuals now having such plans. Efforts are also underway to improve end-of-life care plans, with a notable increase in their implementation. The plan includes initiatives to support residents experiencing homelessness through pop-up events and has seen the successful launch of the ARI hub.

Additional initiatives funded through the Better Care Fund have been implemented, including increased community equipment provision to support hospital discharges, work on reablement pathways, and piloting a night needs assessment service. The Community Respiratory Hub has exceeded its commissioned activity targets, and a pilot for a BHR CTT crisis response car is underway.

Discussions also touched upon the need to integrate community-based assets and social connection into winter planning, moving towards a business as usual approach for these initiatives throughout the year. Concerns were raised about the potential decommissioning of the community spirometry service, which is crucial for identifying respiratory issues in a borough with a high smoking prevalence. The relocation of children's asthma services to St George's Hospital was also highlighted as a concern due to travel difficulties for families. The committee agreed to formally write to BHRUT to discuss their plans for mitigating these risks and to explore bringing services back into the borough.

North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) Restructure Update

Charlotte Pomery presented an update on the significant restructure of the North East London ICB, driven by a national mandate to reduce running costs by 50% and evolve into a leaner, more agile organisation focused on strategic commissioning. This involves a reduction in the ICB's workforce from 855 to 573 full-time equivalents. The restructure will see the organisation organised into four departments: Strategy, Strategic Commissioning, Clinical and Quality Commissioning, and Finance and Resources.

Neighbourhood development will be integrated within the Strategic Commissioning department, with dedicated place delivery teams to support local partnerships. Concerns were raised about the potential loss of critical expertise and organisational memory during this transition, and the safeguards in place to prevent this. The ICB acknowledged these risks and is developing a transition programme focused on mapping roles, prioritising essential functions, and ensuring active handovers. The consultation period for staff ends on 21 January 2026, with outcomes expected in February.

Neighbourhood Working Update

Fiona Russell and Sharon Morrow provided an update on the progress of Barking and Dagenham's Neighbourhood Working programme, which is part of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). The partnership has made rapid progress in mobilising the local programme, signing a compact with the DHSC and developing a high-level delivery plan.

Work is underway to establish integrated neighbourhood teams through Test and Learn workshops, with a focus on resident insight and data analysis to identify cohorts and refine priorities. A 360° survey of collaborative behaviours revealed strengths in individual integrity and community engagement, but highlighted areas for improvement in defining clear governance, roles, and fostering two-way communication across the partnership. The Senior Responsible Officer for the NNHIP, Dr Minal Bakal, is scheduled to visit the borough in February. The governance structure is being reviewed, with the Executive Group taking on programme oversight.

Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP)

Angela D'Urso provided an overview of the Families First Partnership Programme, a significant transformation of children's social care services aimed at preventing escalation of need and reducing the number of children entering the care system. The programme is funded by a ring-fenced Prevention Grant until at least 2028/29.

The FFPP is built on four pillars of change: establishing Multi-Agency Family Help teams, creating a single assessment and plan, forming Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, and integrating Family Group Decision Making. The programme emphasises local flexibility, learning from pathfinder authorities, and co-designing services with staff, partners, children, and families. A Think Family approach is recommended to be applied to concurrent neighbourhood service delivery developments. Key areas for health leaders to consider include how safeguarding partners can work together to prevent escalation of issues, identify neglect early, and ensure a common understanding of thresholds and support pathways.

Adults Social Care CQC Inspection Outcome

Joanne Starkie presented the overwhelmingly positive outcome of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of adult social care services in Barking and Dagenham, which resulted in an outstanding rating. The inspection highlighted strengths in prevention, care technology, partnership working, safe systems, governance, leadership, and organisational culture.

Areas identified for improvement include enhancing information and advice for unpaid carers, embedding co-production more consistently, and addressing delays in Occupational Therapy assessments. These areas will be addressed through the 2025-2030 Adult Social Care and Support Plan. The report noted that Barking and Dagenham's achievement is particularly significant given its level of deprivation compared to other London boroughs that also received outstanding ratings.

Progress Towards Delivering 'Smokefree 2030' in Barking and Dagenham

Dr Mike Brannan and Carol Matenga presented an update on the progress towards the 'Smokefree 2030' ambition. Barking and Dagenham has a higher smoking prevalence than London and England, making the target of less than 5% prevalence by 2030 particularly challenging.

Despite this, the borough exceeded its 2024/25 target for residents setting a quit date, with an almost threefold increase in support provided. This success is attributed to a comprehensive approach including a communications campaign, an award-winning enforcement team tackling illicit tobacco and vapes, and enhanced stop smoking services. However, the report highlighted that the nationally set trajectories for future years are increasingly challenging, and current funding levels are unlikely to support the necessary scaling up of services. The need for innovation and contributions from all partners was emphasised.

JSNA Deep Dive: Carers' Health Needs in Barking and Dagenham

Jo Broadbent presented the findings of a deep dive into the health needs of informal carers in Barking and Dagenham. The report indicates that while many carers in the borough report positive experiences, a substantial number face emotional, social, and financial challenges. Key areas for improvement include general health and wellbeing, finances and employment, recognition of the carer role, strategic alignment, enhancing awareness of support, and addressing the needs of young carers, LGBTQ+ carers, and those with challenging behaviour.

The report highlights that carers in Barking and Dagenham are more likely to be providing over 20 hours of care per week and are more likely to live in deprived households. While satisfaction with social services is generally positive, there are concerns about under-identification of carers, particularly hidden carers, and inconsistent access to support services. Recommendations include integrating carer support into the Neighbourhood Health model, improving access to financial advice, enhancing awareness of available support, and adopting a whole-family approach to care planning. The report also noted the under-representation of certain demographic groups in NHS data related to carers.

The committee agreed to publish the Carers' Health Needs Assessment 2025.