The Adult Care and Public Health Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, to consider proposals for the upcoming financial year's budget for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing. The committee will also review future arrangements for the Integrated Lifestyle Service and the recommissioning of Home-Based Reablement Services. Additionally, the Director of Public Health's Annual Report for 2025 will be presented for consideration.

Adult Care and Community Wellbeing Budget Proposals for 2026/27

The committee is invited to consider the budget proposals for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing for the 2026/27 financial year. The report outlines the Council's budget proposals, taking into account demand pressures, increases in unit costs, and recent government announcements regarding adult social care funding. It details how the Council's core spending power is projected to increase due to higher planned council tax and fair funding gains. The report also addresses specific cost pressures within Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, such as the impact of the national living wage on commissioned care rates and increased demand for services. Planned savings and income generation strategies are also detailed, including those related to mental health services and technology-enabled care. The report also provides an overview of the Better Care Fund and the Public Health Grant, outlining how these funds are allocated and managed.

Integrated Lifestyle Service – Future Arrangements

This item invites the committee to consider the future arrangements for the Integrated Lifestyle Service (ILS). The report to the Executive on 3 February 2026 is attached, and the committee's views will be reported to the Executive. The ILS is currently funded through the ringfenced Public Health Grant (PHG) and contributions from the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). Recent government guidance has consolidated and ringfenced various national grants, including the PHG, with specific ringfencing for smoking cessation funding. The report outlines commissioning options for the ILS, including maintaining the service in full, redesigning it to focus on smoking cessation and falls prevention while reallocating funds to other services, or decommissioning it entirely. The preferred option, Option 2, involves commissioning a standalone smoking cessation service and a falls prevention service, with the released funds supporting the Best Start Lincolnshire: Early Years and Family Service and a new Falls Prevention service.

Home-Based Reablement Service – Recommissioning

The committee is asked to consider the recommissioning of the Home-Based Reablement Service (HBRS). The report to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health between 2–6 February 2026 is attached. The HBRS is a key service aimed at reducing or eliminating the need for future care services by intervening to prevent deterioration, maximise independence, and improve wellbeing. The report highlights the service's strong performance in enabling people to remain at home without ongoing funded support and its contribution to delaying and reducing the need for long-term care. It also notes increasing demand on the service, leading to a cost pressure. The report recommends a re-procurement of the HBRS with a refined service model that strengthens eligibility criteria and pathway management to better control demand. An additional budget allocation of £1.9 million per annum is requested to meet anticipated demand.

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025

The committee is invited to consider the Director of Public Health's Annual Report for 2025, titled The Public Health Case for Quality Employment. This report, which will also be considered by the Executive on 3 February 2026, focuses on the critical relationship between employment and health. It highlights how quality employment supports mental and physical wellbeing, while unemployment and poor job conditions can negatively impact health, widen inequalities, and strain public services. The report outlines the specific challenges and opportunities within Lincolnshire, such as coastal deprivation, rural isolation, and an ageing population, and proposes a framework for cross-sector action to improve outcomes. Key recommendations include expanding supported employment schemes, addressing wider barriers to work, providing effective health services, encouraging employers to prioritise workforce health, and raising awareness of the benefits of good work.

Adult Care and Public Health Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee will review its forward work programme, which includes current and planned items for future meetings. This report outlines items scheduled for the 28 January 2026 meeting, such as the Adult Care and Community Wellbeing Budget Proposals, Integrated Lifestyle Service Future Arrangements, Home Based Reablement Recommissioning, and the Director of Public Health Annual Report. It also details items planned for future meetings, including Residential Recommissioning, Advocacy Services, Short Breaks Recommissioning, and the future of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Investment Fund. The committee is invited to suggest any additional items for inclusion in its work programme. The report also includes extracts from the forward plan of key decisions due to be taken by the Executive and Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health that fall within the committee's remit.