The Kingston Partnership Board met on Wednesday 25 February 2026 to discuss river safety, poverty needs, the development of a joint strategic needs assessment, and the integrated frailty programme. Key decisions included the approval of a plan to update the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the establishment of a steering group to oversee this process.

River Safety Forum Update

Tessa Cole, Director of Strategy and Transformation at Kingston Council, provided an update on the work of the River Safety Forum. Established in 2006, the forum aims to improve riverside and river safety measures across the borough, expanding its remit beyond the River Thames to include all rivers and open water bodies. The forum comprises various statutory and voluntary organisations, including Kingston Council services, the London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, the Environment Agency, Kingston First, RNLI, Kingston University, the Samaritans, the Kingston Maritime Volunteer Service, the Albany Outdoor Sports Centre, and Turks Launch.

The forum meets quarterly, increasing to monthly during warmer weather, and reviews incidents, risks, and develops training exercises. Data sources for monitoring river safety include CCTV and voluntary sector providers. A recent audit by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents identified no high-risk areas but noted some medium-risk spots, for which the forum is developing a work plan. Successful initiatives highlighted include the implementation of throw line boards as an alternative to lifebuoys, and bespoke lifelines installed around Kingston Bridge. Signage has also been installed near Kingston Road Bridge to offer mental health support, and a pilot London Search and Rescue Project involved patrols of Kingston Bridge and Riverside areas during evenings and weekends to assist distressed individuals and deter water entry.

Glenn Nicolaitis, Borough Commander for the London Fire Brigade, emphasised that river safety is a key priority within the borough's risk management plan. He noted the challenges of response times for the fireboat stationed at Lambeth and highlighted ongoing work to bridge this gap, including the local swift rescue team and the London Search and Rescue team now based in Kingston. The Brigade is also seeking partnership support for a pilot scheme involving smaller boats along the River Thames.

Councillor Diane White raised questions about the engagement with young people and the availability of throw line training. Tessa Cole committed to providing details on accessing throw line training and confirmed that targeted river safety training for 14 and 15-year-olds had been successful in previous years. Ian Garlington, Directorate of South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust, inquired about data collection regarding calls to crisis lines by vulnerable individuals. Councillor Rowena Bass sought clarification on the definition of an incident and the reasons for an increase in reported incidences. Tessa Cole explained that incidents encompass a broad range of events on or near the river, including accidental or deliberate water entry, boat incidents, and near misses. Ian Garlington also asked about proposals for a designated swimming spot on the river, which will be discussed by the River Safety Forum. John Azah inquired about the cleanliness of the River Kingston, and it was noted that water quality is being assessed as part of the designated swimming area application.

Poverty Needs Assessment

Tessa Cole and Kate Leyland presented the findings of an in-depth poverty needs assessment conducted in partnership with the voluntary and community sector. The assessment was initiated in response to the cost of living crisis to better coordinate support for residents.

The assessment revealed that while Kingston is less deprived than 88% of local authorities in England, it no longer has areas in the most deprived 20% nationally. However, five areas are now in the most deprived 40%, an increase of one since 2019. The report cautioned that national Indices of Multiple Deprivation are relative measures and that methodological changes in data collection since 2019 require careful interpretation.

Locally, the assessment found that 26% of residents are in poverty (defined as relative low income after housing costs), which is consistent with the London average but above the national average. Kingston has the second-lowest child poverty rate in London, though over one in five children experience relative low income after housing costs. The cost of living crisis has disproportionately impacted lower-income households, with a nearly 30% increase in spending on goods and services over the last five years. Data from the Trussell Trust shows a 162% increase in food parcels distributed in the borough since 2019, and the Citizen's Advice Bureau has seen a 40% increase in client numbers since COVID-19.

Welfare benefit claims have risen, with around 12% of the working-age population claiming Universal Credit. Single adults and single parents are particularly affected by rising costs. The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants has increased by 105%, aligning with the London average. While Kingston performs well in headline employment figures, an estimated 18% of jobs held by Kingston residents pay below the London Living Wage, and the borough ranks third worst in London for pay inequality.

Kate Leyland presented a geographical breakdown of the data, highlighting concentrations of Citizens Advice clients in Norbiton and Surbiton Hill, with housing, benefits, and tax credits as top presenting issues. Households in fuel poverty were also mapped, with housing type influencing the distribution. Food voucher recipients were most numerous in Norbiton, Surbiton Hill, and Kingston Town wards, with single individuals and single parents being the most common recipients. Around 5,200 Kingston residents are in work but claiming Universal Credit, with higher numbers in Kingston town centre, Surbiton Hill, Norbiton, and Tolworth.

The assessment also highlighted significant debt levels, with an average debt of £24,000 reported by individuals seeking support from StepChange. Single adults and single parents are the highest proportion of individuals in debt to the council. Housing costs were identified as a key driver of income pressure.

The existing support offer includes council services and extensive support from the voluntary and community sector, encompassing universal information, advice, direct financial support, a household support fund, a financial inclusion team, housing and social care support, and Connected Kingston. The needs assessment will inform future targeting, commissioning, and service design.

Ian Garlington noted that poverty is a significant issue for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), with 68.9% of people with SMI in Kingston being out of work. Joe Moffat highlighted that Kingston Town Centre appeared in higher deprivation segments across several data lenses, and Tessa Cole explained this could be due to factors like access to services. Rachel Stokes from Kingston Carers Network offered to share data and insights from their tribunal representation service, noting a 100% success rate which indicates the difficulty residents face in claiming benefits. Glenn Nicolaitis inquired about the definition of debt in the research, and Tessa Cole clarified that it includes various sources, including council tax and broader debts analysed through voluntary sector data. Sonia J.D. Chkain mentioned that the VCSE forum would discuss food poverty and highlighted refugees and asylum seekers as other groups disproportionately affected. Councillor White described the work as profound and crucial, stressing the need for action beyond data gathering and questioning the role of the crisis resilience fund. Sarah Arlen, Chief Executive of Kingston Council, emphasised the importance of prevention and supporting residents to become self-sufficient. Katie Scammell, Director of Public Health, noted that deprivation is a significant risk factor for poor health outcomes and that the needs assessment provides new data to address this. John Azah raised concerns about the lack of specific reference to mental health and asked about data on Black and minority ethnic communities. It was acknowledged that local ethnicity data is limited and needs strengthening. Robin Hutchinson requested further detail on how Citizens Advice clients seek advice and suggested piloting activities in specific areas, also inquiring about university engagement.

Developing our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

Katie Leyland, Corporate Head of Insight, Strategy and Performance at Kingston Council, presented a proposal to update the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The JSNA is a statutory responsibility of the Health and Wellbeing Board and informs future service planning. The previous JSNA was completed in 2023, and a new one is required to inform the next Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The proposal seeks approval for the establishment of a time-limited task and finish group, supported by Public Health, to oversee the development of the new JSNA by March 2027. The group will agree on the format and content of the assessment, and its findings will be presented to the Kingston Partnership Board for sign-off. The report outlines the statutory duties of Health and Wellbeing Boards regarding JSNAs and the importance of considering a wide range of quantitative and qualitative evidence, including data from statutory and non-statutory partners. Mental health is to receive equal priority to physical health.

Grant Henderson from Your Healthcare requested inclusion in the steering group. Anya Djeric Kane suggested increasing representation from the VCSE sector, noting the commitment required. Councillor Diane White raised the point of including elected members on the steering group. These suggestions were noted for further discussion. The recommendations to note the need for an updated JSNA, approve the establishment of a steering group, and approve the outlined process were agreed unanimously.

Kingston & Richmond Integrated Frailty Programme

Katie Scammell, Director of Public Health, and Sue Lear, Director of Integration, Primary and Community Care for Kingston, Richmond, Southwest and ICB, provided an update on the Kingston & Richmond Integrated Frailty Programme. Frailty is a priority at national, regional, and local levels. In Kingston, 23% of the population aged over 65 are coded as frail, a figure expected to grow significantly over the next decade.

The programme is a partnership effort involving numerous organisations. Achievements to date include work at Kingston Hospital to prevent deconditioning in patients, improvements at the front door of the emergency department for frail patients, and efforts to enhance the quality of care in care homes. A key development has been the digitisation of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), a standardised assessment for individuals identified as frail.

The programme aims to create an integrated, patient-centred frailty model that supports a comprehensive pathway across Kingston and Richmond. The focus is on preventing increased reliance on hospital care by supporting frail individuals in the community, facilitating timely returns home, and improving health outcomes for those over 65. The programme seeks to align resources, reduce duplication, minimise unplanned admissions, and maximise the use of system assets. The long-term goal is to help those not currently frail to remain active and independent for as long as possible.

The programme has been evolving since 2023, with gap analyses, a system partner workshop, and the establishment of a Frailty Programme Board. Kingston and Richmond were also successful in joining the national Frailty Collaborative, allowing them to learn from other sites. The programme is structured around five zones: prevention, holistic falls and frailty services, support for carers, frailty and end-of-life care, and workforce education and training. Dependent work streams focus on the emergency department front door and discharge processes. A critical path aims to pilot the new integrated model by the end of March 2026, followed by evaluation, refinement, and embedding of gold standards for community frailty services.

Sue Lear elaborated on the strategic alignment of the programme with the 10-year NHS plan, neighbourhood health models, and the joint health and wellbeing strategy, emphasising the shift towards prevention and community-based care. This includes work on the Better Care Fund, hospital at home initiatives, virtual wards, and discharge-to-assess models. The programme also links to local plans for preventing ill health and holistic falls services. The transition from analogue to digital is supported by work on universal care plans and the single patient record.

Katie Scammell highlighted the programme's alignment with the aging well theme of the local health and wellbeing strategy, aiming to maximise healthy life expectancy and reduce hospital admissions. She also noted the link between healthy hearts and frailty, suggesting a double win from actions taken on both fronts. Public health work is focused on prevention, with a framework for frailty prevention and staying well being developed.

Councillor Diane White sought clarification on the definition of frailty, which was explained as individuals over 65 scoring over five on the Clinical Frailty Score (CFS). She also sought clarification on population figures and the percentage of frail individuals, which was clarified to be 23% of the over-65 population. Councillor White raised concerns about falls prevention, balance classes, and the impact of uneven pavements on elderly residents' independence. It was noted that balance exercises are funded through public health and are available via Connected Kingston. The programme also includes reviewing London Ambulance Service and falls service pathways. The age-friendly strategy was mentioned as a holistic approach to supporting an aging borough.

John Azah suggested engaging with organisations like Miller and Multicultural Richmond, which have significant older populations, to involve them in the frailty programme. Rachel Stokes inquired about resources and support for residents to engage with digital developments, particularly the NHS app, and the potential for carers to upload contingency plans. It was noted that the current focus is on multi-professional access to data for the universal care plan and single patient record, but the point about resident support for digital engagement will be taken back for discussion.

Ian Garlington highlighted that nearly 1,700 individuals over 65 with a frailty diagnosis also have dementia or organic cognitive disease, and that depression is the third most common diagnosis in frailty. He noted that mental health is not explicitly referenced in the papers, despite its prevalence. Sonia J.D. Chkain reiterated concerns about the usability of the NHS app for older people and requested data on its usage among frail individuals. The Chair acknowledged the importance of mental health and the holistic approach to prevention.