Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Shuttleworth, Laura Windsor-Welsh, Anna De Silva and Kristina Atkins.

There were no public questions for this meeting to consider.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board, held on 3^rd April 2025, are attached for approval.

Resolved:
That the minutes of the meeting, of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 3^rd April 2025 be approved as a correct record.

The meeting was informed that in order to meet the national funding conditions of the Better Care Fund, the submitted report, presented by the Director of Adult Care (DASS) sought the Health and Wellbeing Board’s approval on the submission of Oldham’s 2024-25 End of Year report.

The Board was advised to note, that in order to meet the deadlines set out for the Better Care Fund, the relevant template had been submitted.

The Health and Wellbeing Board had previously approved to delegate the decision to submit quarterly reports to the Better Care Fund team, on the understanding that the reports will be noted at the next available Health and Wellbeing Board meeting.

The Better Care Fund’s vision was to support people to live healthy, independent and dignified lives, through joining up health, social care and housing services seamlessly around the person.  The Better Care Fund Policy Framework centres on these objectives and now set separate National Conditions for each:

·         enable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer

·         provide people with the right care, at the right place at the right time.

Resolved:

1.    the Health and Wellbeing Board notes the content of the 2024-25 End of Year report.

2.    The Health and Wellbeing Board provides retrospective approval for its submission to the Regional Better Care Fund panel.

The Public Health Annual Report, 2024/25, which takes a wider view on the healthy life expectancy for residents of Oldham, and the main contributing factors.

The Director of Public Health presented the Public Health Annual Report 2024/25 (entitled: Healthy Life Expectancy in Oldham). The Director explained that as part of the statutory role of the Director of Public Health there was a requirement to produce an annual report on the health and wellbeing of the local population, highlighting key issues. The report can either be a broad overview of a wide range of public health programmes or may have a focus on a particular theme. This year’s report takes a wider view on the healthy life expectancy for residents of Oldham, and the main contributing factors.

Healthy Life Expectancy was a measure of how many years someone can expect to life in good health and is usually measured using self-reported good health.  This is an important way to consider how healthy our population is, and to consider what factors will increase the numbers of years that Oldham residents will life in good health. 

The Public Health Annual Report is structured around the key drivers of healthy life expectancy and focusing on what is happening in Oldham to support our residents.  It includes residents’ stories to highlight the work that residents are doing to support their own health and life happier healthier lives. 

The Board had a full and frank discussion regarding the contents of the Annual Report. The key findings/recommendations in the report were:

1.    To increase national public health investment Advocate for increased and sustained national investment in public health services and initiatives integral to improving healthy life expectancy. This includes services for children and young people and social prescribing, as well as evidence-based initiatives to support smoking cessation, alcohol harm reduction, physical activity and positive food and drink choices.

2.    Enhanced NHS focus on prevention Building on the population health management work, enhance the focus and investment into prevention and early intervention within NHS services.

3.    Health in all policies Acknowledging the impact of the whole system on health, fully implement a health in all policies approach across the council and partners, with a focus on maximising health benefit. This can span advertising and licensing policies, food and drink offered in council, NHS and other partner establishments as well as planning to promote active travel and access to green space.

Resolved:

1.    That the Health and Wellbeing Board notes the draft Public Health Annual Report and the recommendations set out in the report. 

2. That the Board considers the findings and constituent members/organisations be requested to disseminate them within their own organisations where relevant.

A report that presents the Oldham Health and Wellbeing Board Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025 - 2028.

The Director of Public Health presented a report that detailed the Oldham Health and Wellbeing Board Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025 - 2028.

The submitted document had been prepared by Oldham’s Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) in accordance with the NHS Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services Regulations 2013, as amended. It replaced the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) previously published in 2022.

In the current NHS there is a need for the local health partners, NHSCB, Oldham Council, Oldham pharmacies and other providers of health and social care, to ensure that the health and pharmaceutical needs of the local population are met through the appropriate commissioning of services.

There was also a need to ensure that those additional services commissioned by Oldham Council or NHSCB from Oldham pharmacies are promoted to Oldham’s population to improve their uptake. The current providers of pharmaceutical services in Oldham are well placed to support the HWB in achieving the required outcomes identified as the health priorities outlined in its strategy.

The purpose of the PNA is to assess and set out how the provision of pharmaceutical services can meet the health needs of the population of a HWB’s area for a period of up to three years, linking closely to the joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA). Whilst the JSNA focusses on the general health needs of the population of Oldham, the PNA looks at how those health needs can be met by pharmaceutical services commissioned by NHSCB and LAs.

Whilst the PNA is primarily a document for NHSCB to use to make commissioning decisions, it may also be used by Local Authorities (LA’s) and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). A robust PNA will ensure those who commission services from pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractors (DACs) are able to ensure services are targeted to areas of health need and reduce the risk of overprovision in areas of less need.

Considering the totality of the information available, the HWB considered whether the location, number, distribution and choice of pharmacies covering each district, including the whole of Oldham HWB area providing essential and advanced services during the standard core hours currently meet the needs of the population.The HWB has not received any significant information to conclude otherwise or any future specified circumstance that would alter that conclusion.

Based on the information available at the time of developing this PNA (there were):

§  No current gaps in the need for provision of essential services during normal working hours have been identified.

§  No current gaps in the provision of essential services outside normal working hours have been identified.

§  No current gaps in the provision of advanced and enhanced services have been identified.

§  No gaps in the need for pharmaceutical services in specified future circumstances have been identified.

§  No gaps have been identified in essential services that if provided either now or in the future would secure improvements, or better access, to essential services.

§  No gaps have been identified in the need for advanced services that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

A report that provides an overview of the Natural Health service, the impact it has made to date and plans for the coming year, 2025/26.

It was agreed that consideration of this this item be deferred to a future meeting of the Board.

Report/presentation to follow

It was agreed that consideration of this this item be deferred to a future meeting of the Board.

Members of th eHealth and Wellbeing Board are asked to note dates for meetings during the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year (all meetings on Thursdays, starting at 10.00am):

a.    17^th July 2025 (development session)

b.    11^th September 2025

c.    30^th October 2025

d.    4^th December 2025 (development session)

e.    15^th January 2026

f.     5^th March 2026

It was noted that the meetings of the Health and Wellbeing Board, in 2025/26, will be held on the following dates:

a.    17^th July 2025 (development session)

b.    11^th September 2025

c.    30^th October 2025

d.    4^th December 2025 (development session)

e.    15^th January 2026

f.     5^th March 2026