The Health and Wellbeing Board is a Committee of the Council established under s194 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.  The Health and Wellbeing Board will lead the improvement of the health and wellbeing of the Borough population, with a specific focus on tackling health inequalities.  The Board will join up commissioning strategies across the NHS, social care, public health and other partners that contribute to health and wellbeing.  The Board will have an agreed vision, strategy and delivery plan to keep the business of the Board focused and ambitious.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will provide for shared leadership of a strategic approach to the health and wellbeing of the Borough and its communities that reaches across all relevant organisations.  In doing so, there will be shared ownership of the Board by all its members (and their nominating organisations) and accountability to the communities of the Borough

The Health and Wellbeing Board will work to -

(1)          ensure that all available resources to support health improvement and people’s quality of life are used efficiently and to their full potential.

(2)          lead an assessment of the health and wellbeing needs of the local population and produce a high-level Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

(3)          develop a joint health and wellbeing strategy providing an overarching framework and priorities identified for action within which commissioning plans for the NHS, social care, public health and other health and wellbeing related services will be developed;

(4)          shift the focus of services from crisis management to a preventative approach at key points in the whole life course

(5)          challenge all partners to fully deliver their contribution to the Borough’s priorities for health and wellbeing

(6)          lead joint working and ensure coherent and co-ordinated commissioning strategies, including those of the NHS Commissioning Board.

(7)          provide public accountability for services that are directly related to the health and wellbeing of the local population.

(8)          ensure all partners fully understand what outcomes the Board are working to and use robust performance management structures to measure progress and success.

(9)          Maintain an oversight of the allocated public health budgets and how these are spent.

(10)        Pull together the commissioning activities of the NHS locally and the local authority where this aligns with delivery of the joint health and wellbeing strategy and, through integrated commissioning, require assurances form joint commissioning structures of value for money and equity of access and outcomes.