Agenda and minutes

The Chair, Councillor K Caan, welcomed everyone to the meeting, in particular, representatives of the voluntary and community sector, A Sharman from the Salvation Army and E Yates from Coventry Haven.

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes of the meeting held on 5^th February 2025 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

The Chair, Councillor Caan, updated the Board on recent events held in Coventry.  The Kabaddi World Cup had taken place in the CBS Arena and it was the first time the competition had been held outside India, attracting a huge audience with communities coming together through sport.  The game was to be taken to schools throughout Coventry in the coming months and a women’s team launching soon.

International Women’s Day had been celebrated throughout Coventry on 8^th March with numerous events taking place in the city.

In February, the first 4 residents who had been on a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) funded Coventry University Citizen social science course, shared their projects at a celebration event attended by council officers, voluntary and community representatives and university researchers.  These residents conducted mini research projects on issues that mattered to them including access to parks, access to healthcare for migrant communities, the role of creativity in wellbeing, and baby care.  There would be a new cohort of community researchers training in 2025 to help link lived experience into research and influencing service delivery and policy making.

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RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the Chair’s update.

The Board received a verbal update of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, who reported the Director of Public Health Annual Report, which this year highlighted migration/wellbeing, was due for publication.  Reforms with NHS England and how this would affect partners and Public Health, in particular, collaborations around immunisations, screening and specialist work, were not yet known. NHS and ICB colleagues confirmed there would be a 50% reduction in colleagues of NHS England, but gave assurances that they would be managing through the turbulence. The Director also advised she would be attending a health security conference which she would report back on at the next meeting.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing update.

Briefing Note of the Chief Transformation Officer and Deputy Chief Executive and the Chief Finance Officer, NHS Coventry & Warwickshire ICB

The Board received a Briefing Note of the Chief Integration Officer, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, regarding the draft Coventry and Warwickshire IDB Financial Plan 2025/26.

Priorities for 2025/26, stated by NHS England were:

• Emphasis on productivity (working with providers to develop 6% efficiency programme)
• Specific workforce targets; agency 30% reduction; bank staff 10% reductions and reduce growth in admin roles

The briefing note highlighted the following:

Financial plan budgets for 2025/26:

·  The Coventry and Warwickshire system had been notified of a Core Programme recurrent revenue resource limit for 2025/26 of £1.913bn, equating to a 4.4% rise of that in 2024/25.

·  Overall C&W IDC recurrent allocations was £2.44bn.

·  The allocation was fixed and there would be no further in year funding available.

·  A detailed draft plan submitted to NHS England at the end of February, with final plans due at the end of March.

·  Decisions on changes to some services and activities would be required for the ICB to deliver against future Financial Improvement Trajectories in the short to medium term.

Productivity and Efficiency Opportunities:

• NHS England developed productivity and efficiency opportunities packs for each trust and ICB.  This identified a potential 4.3% efficiency opportunity for Primary Care prescribing and 2% for Individual Packages of Care (IPoC).
• The plan reflects the recommended 4.3% efficiency.

Risks in delivery of the 2025/26 ICB financial plan:

• Efficiencies – failure to deliver elements of the savings target
• Contract agreements

Operational Planning Performance Update

The initial plan was submitted on 27 February 2025 with a final submission due on 27 March 2025.

Key highlights included:

• GEH had implemented a new PTL from 1 February 2025 which had impacted their current performance.
• SWFT 12 hour waits had been calculated against historic 12 hour breach levels.  It appeared the trust was planning to meet the national ask but an incorrect baseline position had been used.
• The Mental Health average length of stay was currently on track at CWPT and the wider system ICB trajectory.
• Reliance on MH inpatient care for adult LDA and autistic adults showed the system planned to improve on the current position for both trajectories but would not meet national targets.  NHSE had confirmed they would support these appropriate trajectories.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the Briefing Note regarding the draft Coventry and Warwickshire IDB Financial Plan 2025/26.

Briefing Note of the Consultant in Public Health (UHCW NHS Trust and Coventry City Council), R Chapman

The Board received a Briefing Note of the Consultant in Public Health, UHCW NHS Trust and Coventry City Council, R Chapman which provided an update on the progress of 3 areas of work:

• Homelessness and health
• Substance misuse
• Domestic abuse

Homelessness, domestic abuse and drug misuse are interconnected issues affecting the most vulnerable in society and were the focus of significant partnership working in Coventry.

In March 2024, the Health and Wellbeing Board received a report in relation to Homelessness and Health highlighting the health inequalities faced by people experiencing homelessness. 

Since the previous report to the Board, a number of projects and interventions had started to take place with the support of the Coventry Care Collaborative including:

• Completion of initial NICE baseline self-assessment
• Secondment of a researcher from Warwick University as part of the HDRC to support a research piece into health and homelessness in the city
• Inclusion of homelessness as a specific priority area in Marmot 2.0 and initial planning partnership meeting focusing on health inequalities.
• The production and publication of the Homeless and Rough Sleeping Strategy and the delivery plan.
• Development of an operational steering group to look at practical interventions in terms of health and homelessness and steer delivery of agreed operational actions.

Much focus in the past 2 years relating to substance misuse had been the implementation of the Drugs and Alcohol Strategy and ensuring positive engagement from key partners within the local system.  Key achievements to date had been strengthened partnership relationships; inter-organisational pathway development and the local response to understanding and managing drug related harms and deaths.  The priorities for the next 3 years had been recently reviewed and one area to receive more focus was around prevention and reducing harm from the impacts of alcohol use on individuals, families and the wider community.

In November 2024, Coventry and Warwickshire held the first Prevention Summit.  Alcohol was identified as a local priority for the wider work on prevention. In Coventry, there was a disproportionate amount of harm caused by alcohol use and alcohol related mortality and hospital admission rates were higher than the national average.

Another significant piece of work that had been completed was the re-procurement of drugs and alcohol treatment services.  The current provider, Change Grow Live (CGL), had been successful in maintaining the contract and the new service model had a much stronger focus on building a more vibrant long term recovery offer for Coventry.

Domestic Abuse and preventing harm from domestic abuse was one of Coventry’s key priorities following the commencement of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.  Coventry had continued to prioritise tackling and preventing domestic abuse.  The current strategy was overseen by the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board.

Current priorities included Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) and Safe and Supported accommodation subgroup that co-ordinated the whole housing approach for groups of domestic abuse including their children, workforce development, Data task and Finish Group and ongoing needs assessments for the safe accommodation duties and wider strategy refresh for 2026.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Briefing Note of the Director of Public Health & Wellbeing, A Duggal and the Consultant in Public Health – Health Protection and Sustainable Places,

L Makurah

The Board received a Briefing Note of the Consultant in Public Health, Health Protection and Sustainable Places, and the Director of Public Health & Wellbeing, informing them of the development of a new Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Strategy covering 2025 to 2030.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012, brought Public Health related statutory functions within the remit to Local Government, including an assurance function around health protection., the regulations of which deal with:

• Infectious diseases
• Environmental hazards and contamination
• Adverse weather events

There was a system wide Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Committee supporting the co-ordination of work for the delivery of these arrangements.  The key strategic functions of the health protection system included:

• Outbreak and incident response
• Emergency planning preparedness and response including pandemic preparedness
• Infection prevention and control
• Prevention and health promotion

The development of the updated system-wide Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Strategy covering 2025 to 2030 had been led by Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.

The strategy set out 4 priority areas for action:

1. Sexually transmitted infections and blood borne viruses
2. Immunisations
3. Health harms from environmental hazards
4. Tuberculosis

Health equity and inequalities and anti-microbial resistance were the 2 themes that underpinned the strategy acting as additional drivers and facilitators for improved outcomes.

Both themes had been considered for each priority area and business-usual arrangements.  They would be embedded into the delivery plan for the strategy and where necessary, impact assessments would be used to enhance specific activities and tailor specific services delivered by system partners.

The Strategy covered 5 years with a strategic refresh point at 3 years (2027/28) which would enable a structured update of system priorities and accommodation of any emerging health protection issues.

Stakeholder engagement for the Strategy took place in January/February 2025, including discussion at the Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Committee.

A detailed action plan for Coventry to accompany the Strategy, would be produced alongside monitoring key measures of success.  The strategy and action plan were scheduled for publication at the end of April 2025.

The Health and Wellbeing Board were recommended to:

1. Approve the five year strategy and respond to the priorities.

2. Agree the plan to deliver and create a specific five year action plan for Coventry.

Report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing, P Fahy

The Board received a report seeking retrospective formal approval of the Coventry Better Care Fund Q3 reporting template 2024/25 and to inform the Health and Wellbeing Board of BCF Planning Requirements for 2025/26.

The BCF commenced in2015 with an aim of bringing together the NHS, social care and housing services, so that older people and those with complex needs, could manage their own health and wellbeing and live independently in their communities for as long as possible.

The Q3 return deadline was 14 February 2025, and the return was submitted indicating a later retrospective sign off by HWBB.  The template had input from relevant colleagues across the Health and Social Care system.

The 2025/26 planning timescales were challenging:

3 March 2025  Draft Headline submission to national Better Care Fund team and regional Better care managers

31 March 2025 (noon)  Full HWB submission to be made to the national Better Care Fund team and regional Better care managers.

May 2025  Outcome letters to HWB areas

Whilst there was an expectation of sign off by the Board in advance of submission, it could be done retrospectively and the final submission would not be available for HWB approval until the next meeting.

In order to facilitate appropriate sign off at ICB level in advance of the 31 March deadline, an extraordinary meeting of the Coventry Care Collaborative committee was arranged for 21 March 2025.  As this meeting was 10 days in advance of the 31 March submission deadline, the BCF documents were presented in draft rather than final versions. For Health and Wellbeing Board sign off, final versions were required.

The Health and Wellbeing Board were recommended to:

1. Note the content of the report and retrospectively approve the Better Care Fund Reporting Template Q3 2024/25.

2. Note the 2025/26 Planning requirements and the need for future retrospective approval.

Verbal update of the Chair – Health and Wellbeing Board Members Headline Updates

The Board received a verbal update of the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board requesting Members feedback, guidance and support on any future items or themes.

The Board noted this was the last meeting of the 2024-25 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1)  Include BCF Narrative Planning 2025/26 on the July 2025 meeting agenda.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of public business.