Agenda and draft minutes

To elect a Chair for the duration of the meeting.

RESOLVED that Councillor Al-Hamdani be elected Chair for the duration of the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Woodvine, Jean Hurlston and Simon Kamau.

Urgent business, if any, introduced by the Chair

There were no items of urgent business received.

To Receive Declarations of Interest in any Contract or matter to be discussed at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To receive Questions from the Public, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

There were no public questions received.

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held 5^th March 2026.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held 5^th March 2026 be approved as a correct record.

To receive a verbal update on the JSNA.

The OMBC Data Lead Officer provided the Board with a verbal report on the State of Child Health. The Board was informed that data from the RCPCH showed that without any action, Oldham will be one of the unhealthiest towns in the country. Currently, Oldham has the worst average in the national picture, and nothing had changed in the last 10 /12 years. The National data that was used for the update is not comparable and was reported to be too difficult to compile. Updates were provided on the challenges around Children smoking and vaping. It was noted that this was further complicated by smoking with cannabis. It was suggested that the only way comparison can be done is if we have a register, example death register related to this or a smoking register. Members asked questions in relation to data. There were discussions around how data can be made comparable and that the scope of data needed to be widened, either by conducting surveys but mentioned that the success rate of these is not always great, risks etc. The Board addressed questions around Children’s Asthma Plans and whether they were being maintained. Oldham is the 15^th highest in Infant Mortality in the country and the first on the list for Asthma admissions in the country, followed by Tameside. It was reported that Asthma is a priority in the Neighbourhood Health Plan and that GM are looking to invest more money in Child Health. A Member mentioned looking at educating parents. Public Health informed why respiratory issue is higher in Oldham. This is due to air quality, roads, cold weather, expensive heating, people not using dryers, etc. The verbal update covered Children’s Mental Health (Teenagers) and Diabetes (noted to be making progress) and delivery of Best start in Life.

A discussion was had on the possibility of setting up a Working Group around issues of asthma, but this was not progressed. It was informed that there are significant issues with Children’s Health in the Borough and that the Health and Wellbeing Board is responsible for the wider health and wellbeing and that people should engage with each element at the most appropriate setting. Dr J Patterson informed that the Health and Wellbeing Board we convene make sure we all know what is happening. The Director of Public Health agreed to ensure coordination to address the issue, and to ensure that all members who wanted to engage would be kept informed of the most appropriate settings where they could engage.

Verbal update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) –

The Board received a verbal update on JSNA from the Data Lead. It was noted that the JSNA is a bank of resources / services built online highlighting the future health and social care needs of Oldham. The update covered the responsibility on building JSNA, its legal duty, what a JSNA typically includes and the importance of the JSNA. The JSNA website includes extensive health information, data summaries, needs assessment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive and approve the Local Outbreak Management Plan.

The Consultant in Public Health and the Senior Health Protection Nurse presented a report for the board to consider Oldham’s updated Local Outbreak Management Plan (LOMP) and for the Board to approve the suggested changes.

The LOMP was developed to ensure clarity on operational roles and responsibilities for each responding organisation in the event of an outbreak of infectious disease in Oldham. It is intended to act as a companion to the GM Multi-Agency Outbreak Plan, providing operational detail and helping responders provide an effective and coordinated approach to outbreaks of communicable disease. It is important for each organisation, having signed off this plan, to support staff to engage and to embed the multi-agency response to an outbreak of infectious disease and create familiarity with key tasks. The plan is to be reviewed and updated every two years to be signed off by the Health and Wellbeing Board.  The LOMP ensures that councils, health services, and communities can act quickly and efficiently to stop infectious diseases from spreading. The LOMP outlines how to direct testing, contact tracing, and treatment to affected settings as well as clearly defining roles and responsibilities and identifying key contacts.  The plan had been reviewed by the Local Authority Health Protection Team and presented and approved at the Health Protection subgroup of the Health and Wellbeing Board. A list of key changes was included in the report to assist the Health and Wellbeing board with the review and approval of those changes.

It was noted that the Infectious Disease figures were not brought before the Board, but that some data would be brought to future meetings.

RESOLVED: That the Health and Wellbeing Board considered the suggested changes to the LOMP and Agreed the final sign off.

To note the content of the End of Year Report and provide retrospective approval for their submission to the Regional Better Care Fund panel

To note the content of the 2026-27 BCF Planning Template, and provide retrospective approval for its submission to the Regional Better Care Fund Panel

To agree to delegate the decision to submit quarterly reporting templates to the Place-Based Lead and Oldham Council’s Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care (DASS).

The Assistant Director of Adult Social Care OMBC presented a report on The Better Care Fund.  The report provided data analysis and financial figures on the current position with examples of case studies of services funded, expectations / outcomes for people and the outcomes for the Oldham system.

RESOLVED: That the Board -

1. a) Noted the submission of the End of Year Report

b) Provided retrospective approval for their submission to the Regional Better Care Fund panel

2. a)  Noted the submission of the 2026-27 BCF Planning Template, and

b)    Provided retrospective approval for its submission to the Regional Better Care Fund Panel

3. Agreed to delegate the decision to submit quarterly reporting templates to the Place-Based Lead and Oldham Council’s Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care (DASS).

NOTE:  The Chair had brought to the Board’s attention that it be noted that the Appendices embedded word document under section 5 of the report were not accessible, and it was requested that any future agenda items with embedded documents must allow members to access them. The Officer reporting had offered to put the Appendices on the large VDU, but Chair trusted that they were correct. Councillor Shah reassured that the place-based Leader had had sighting of these Appendices before coming to this Board, and the Director of Public Health noted that they had been discussed thoroughly and approved by the working group set up for this purpose

The Health and Wellbeing Board is asked to:

1. Approve the Oldham Neighbourhood Health Plan as Oldham's strategic framework for neighbourhood health between 2026 and 2031.

2. Endorse the vision, priorities and outcomes set out within the plan.

3. Support partners to align existing transformation programmes and investment decisions with the delivery of the plan.

4. Receive annual progress reports on delivery, outcomes, risks and dependencies through established governance arrangements.

Approval of the Plan will provide formal place-based endorsement of Oldham's approach to neighbourhood health and enable the Plan to be recognised as Oldham's agreed response to Greater Manchester and national neighbourhood health requirements.

The Deputy CEO (Health and Care) presented a report to the Health and Wellbeing Board seeking approval of the Oldham Neighbourhood Health Plan.

The Plan reflects the collective ambition of the town and sets out a five-year vision and delivery framework for neighbourhood health in Oldham, bringing together partners across health, social care, local government and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and provide more integrated support closer to home.

The Board noted that the approval of the Plan will provide formal place-based endorsement of Oldham's approach to neighbourhood health and enable the Plan to be recognised as Oldham's agreed response to Greater Manchester and national neighbourhood health requirements in supporting residents to live healthier and more independent lives. Neighbourhood Health is not a separate programme. It is a key component of Oldham's wider approach to public service reform and Live Well, bringing together health services, social care, housing, employment support, family services, community organisations, and local assets around the needs of residents and neighbourhoods. The Plan therefore represents a collective commitment by partners to shift from organisationally led services towards a more integrated, preventative, and community-centred model of support. Neighbourhood health provides an opportunity to organise services around local populations and communities, ensuring support is more coordinated, proactive and focused on prevention. It was noted that the Plan established a phased implementation programme centred on population health management, integrated neighbourhood teams, Live Well neighbourhoods and stronger community partnerships. The Plan recognises that successful delivery will depend on continued partnership commitment, effective governance arrangements, workforce capacity, and the development of place-based investment approaches that support prevention and neighbourhood delivery.

The report covered what Neighbourhood Health is and how it will serve between 30,000 and 50,000 residents by bringing together primary care, community services, mental health services, social care, housing providers, community organisations, and local assets to provide more joined-up and person-centred support. The benefits of a neighbourhood health approach include, care delivered closer to home, better coordinated support across organisations, earlier intervention and prevention, improved physical and mental health outcomes, greater independence for residents, reduced health inequalities, and more sustainable use of public sector resources.

The Chair had asked if there was a way to synchronise and look to produce a quarterly report. Officer responded that will be looking at a format and items.

The Board noted that approval of the Plan will provide formal place-based endorsement of Oldham's approach to neighbourhood health and enable the Plan to be recognised as Oldham's agreed response to Greater Manchester and national neighbourhood health requirements.

RESOLVED: The Board -

1. Approved the Oldham Neighbourhood Health Plan as Oldham's strategic framework for neighbourhood health between 2026 and 2031.
2. Endorsed the vision, priorities and outcomes set out within the plan.
3. Supported partners to align existing transformation programmes and investment decisions with the delivery of the plan.
4. The Board received annual progress reports on delivery, outcomes, risks, and dependencies through established governance arrangements.

To brief members of the Health and Wellbeing Board on the current situation at the Northern Care Alliance following various media reports.

The Deputy CEO (Health and Care) provided the Board with a report on the current situation at the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) following various media reports.

The report provided an overview of recent concerns relating to the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, the actions being taken by the Trust and the wider NHS system, and the implications for services used by Oldham residents.  The report was prepared following significant national and local media coverage concerning patient safety, governance, organisational culture, and the management of concerns within the Trust. It also reflected the recent regulatory action taken by NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).  Councillor Shah asked for an update on Culture in the Organisation in relation to Scrutiny Committee as our residents use the services in Salford and had concerns about resident care. The Officer responded that they are equally concerned about all that and is a particularly challenging issue around coordination - sometimes people are needed in Bury and Salford, and cannot be everywhere at once and need to support residents and patients.

RESOLVED:  That the Board –

1. Noted the contents of the report.

2. Noted the actions being taken by the Northern Care Alliance, NHS Greater Manchester, and NHS England Northwest.

3. Noted that there are currently no proposed service changes affecting Oldham residents as a consequence of the improvement programme.

4. Requested a further update once the Northern Care Alliance Integrated Improvement Plan has been finalised and agreed with regulators.