Agenda and minutes

For Members of the Board to note any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from the following:

·       Kim Wright (Chief Executive, Brent Council)

·       Wendy Marchese (Strategic Partnerships Manager, Brent Council)

·       Claudia Brown (Director of Adult Social Care, Brent Council)

·       Councillor Donnelly-Jackson

·       Councillor Kansagra

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, the nature and existence of any relevant disclosable pecuniary or personal interests in the items on this agenda and to specify the item(s) to which they relate.

Personal interests were declared as follows:

·       Councillor Nerva – Councillor Member of the North West London Integrated Care Board (NWL ICB)

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 24 July 2025, be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

None.

To update the Board on the completion and publication of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA).

Ruth du Plessis (Director of Public Health and Leisure, Brent Council) introduced the report which updated the Board on progress with the Brent Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). In updating the Board, she delivered a presentation highlighting the following key points:

·       She began by thanking members of the Health and Wellbeing Board who had contributed to the PNA through the stakeholder group and encouraged members to refer to the PNA and use it in their work as it held a lot of useful data.

·       There had been a comprehensive process followed for developing the PNA, working within the NHS England (NHSE) guidelines.

·       She highlighted the breadth of provision pharmacies now provided, from the dispensing of medicines, advice and support, to additional enhanced services such as vaccination, blood pressure checks and support for palliative care medicines.

·       The PNA included a wealth of information relating to population demographics, showing the increase in population, which would have resource implications for Brent going forward, as well as data on crime, abuse, drugs, alcohol and housing.

·       A map displayed pharmacy provision in the borough and she highlighted that, both nationally and locally, the number of pharmacies had reduced slightly. A change to the pharmacy contract allowing flexibility of hours had also resulted in less 100-hour pharmacies that were now open. Despite this, Brent still had a higher provision of pharmacies compared to nationally, and the report provided further information around travel distances.

·       In developing the PNA, a public consultation had been undertaken with resident input as well as pharmacists and other stakeholders, which garnered around 400 responses and helped to shape the data and process.

·       The findings from the public consultation showed that people benefited from their pharmacy provision and quality of service was important to users, with people travelling to get to the pharmacy they felt provided a quality service. Accessibility was another important factor for residents and the consultation found that most people walked to their pharmacy which highlighted the importance of having pharmacies within walking distance of residents. The results also showed that many people used their pharmacies on a Saturday morning.

·       In concluding the presentation, Ruth du Plessis advised that the analysis indicated that Brent had enough pharmacies in the borough and that they were broadly in the right places. The PNA covered the next three years, but, given the fact that Brent was building more houses, provision may need to be increased in a few years.

The Chair thanked the Ruth du Plessis for her presentation and invited contributions from those present. The following points were made:

·       The Board commended the PNA steering group on the development of the PNA and felt the process had garnered good insights into the borough.

·       The Board asked what the local authority’s role would be in bringing about an increase in provision if it had been found that there was a significant shortage of pharmacies. Ruth du Plessis confirmed that there was a route the Council could take if a gap in provision was identified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Following the Healthwatch paper presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board in April 2025, to provide a six-monthly update on progress against the work programme.

Patricia Zebiri (Healthwatch Manager, Brent) introduced the report, which provided an update on the projects being progressed within the Healthwatch Brent Work Programme between April 2025 – October 2025. In introducing the update, she highlighted the following key points:

·       Along with the changes to ICBs across the country, the government had also announced the abolition of Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch teams. Alongside other colleagues in health and social care, plans were still evolving and there was not much information available on the changes, except that the local Healthwatch functions were expected to be integrated into ICBs. Healthwatch Brent was currently working to a potential timescale of 26 October 2026 with the team as it currently existed.

·       Some positive news that Healthwatch Brent’s Communications and Engagement Officer, who had previously been a volunteer with Healthwatch, had been promoted meant that the establishment had been reduced to 1.6 FTE for the beginning of the year. Recruitment was underway for Fixed Term contracts and Healthwatch expected to be back to its full capacity by the end of the month, but the delivery of the work programme for 2025-26 had been significantly impacted.

·       Work had focused on continued engagement exercises, signposting, raising awareness, Adult Social Care (ASC) work, and health and social care provision. Healthwatch had also formed part of the PNA Steering Group which she advised had been very informative.

·       Discussions were underway with A&E services to see whether Healthwatch could talk to users there to see if pharmacy services might have been an alternative for them.

·       Work had commenced on GP enter and view visits which she advised were very time consuming. Some local Healthwatch teams had decided not to continue enter and view visits as they were concerned they would not have time to wind up services and finish the work before the changes to Healthwatch came into effect, but Brent Healthwatch decided to continue its enter and view programme. Some of the feedback received had been very good with good practice identified.

·       Healthwatch continued to attend as many decision-making meetings as possible, with 27 attended in the first half of the year.

·       Volunteers were helping to deliver the work with 109 hours collectively delivered in quarter 2, and those volunteers helped represent some of the least heard groups in the borough, providing helpful resource for getting messages back down the chain as well. She hoped that benefit would be retained with the new mechanisms for resident feedback.

·       Healthwatch was looking to do a piece of work on Pharmacy First, asking what the community knew about the service and determining whether there were inequalities in terms of knowledge and utilization of Pharmacy First.

The Chair thanked Patricia Zebiri for the introduction and invited contributions from those present, with the following points raised:

• In terms of the relationship between Healthwatch and Adult Social Care, Rachel Crossley (Corporate Director Service Reform and Strategy, Brent Council) advised that this was the second year the teams had been working together and it felt  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To provide both the Brent Children’s Trust (BCT) update and the Family Wellbeing Centres (FWCs) Annual Report.

Councillor Gwen Grahl (as Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools) introduced the report, which provided a 6-monthly update on the activity of the Brent Children’s Trust (BCT) from April 2025 to October 2025. In presenting the update, she highlighted the following key points:

• Following a positive SEND inspection, Brent was one of 18 local areas inspected in 2025 to date to have the highest possible outcome.
• The Trust had overseen the inspection implementation plan following the CQC inspection result to ensure progress, including for annual Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) reviews, the phased rollout of the Families First Programme, continued work to tackle health inequalities, and the development of an early intervention mental health model to reduce reliance on CAMHS.
• The Trust was looking at strengthening links between hubs and Family Wellbeing Centres.
• She felt there was good work to celebrate in the report and thanked all partners for their continued commitment to improving outcomes for children and families.

Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Community Development, Brent Council), added the following points:

• The Trust had good buy-in as a partnership from the Council, third sector and health colleagues, which he felt had resulted in the positive SEND inspection during the year.
• There were a range of subject areas the Trust covered from early intervention through to Family Wellbeing Centres and health inequalities.
• The Trust was planning a refresh of priorities for the following two years in January 2026 at an in person meeting.
• He was encouraged by the additional resources towards mental health and wellbeing and the Trust was beginning to see progress there.

Robyn Doran (Director of Transformation, CNWL, and Brent ICP Director), Vice Chair of BCT, concluded the introduction by raising the following points:

·       She emphasised the importance of the Trust using the weight of all partners to raise the profile to the ICB of the need to have more resources in Brent around inequalities and children’s health, particularly around earlier intervention for mental health. She felt that there had been some movement there with a plan for the coming year and the Managing Director of Brent Integrated Care Partnership continually lobbying for investment. She was confident that Brent would receive resources for continuing that earlier intervention work so that not all children and young people identified as having mental health issues needed to go straight to CAMHS but could be supported much earlier, working with families and partners to co-produce direct outcomes.

·       Robyn Doran confirmed that there was a strong commitment in the Trust enabling a consistent voice with the same aims and ambitions for Brent which she felt made a difference.

The Chair then invited questions and comments, with the following points raised:

• The Board was encouraged to hear that the work of the BCT had led to additional resources for children’s mental health and early intervention, and asked what the timeline would be for children and families seeing the impact of those changes. Robyn Doran felt that changes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

Councillor Gwen Grahl (as Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools) introduced the report, which provided an update on the progress of Family Wellbeing Centres (FWCs). In introducing the report, she highlighted the following key points:

• She felt that FWCs were a crucial part of everything the Council did for children and young people and were a gold standard model now being replicated in many local authorities across the country.
• FWCs provided a whole family approach and range of services under one roof and were an important part of many outcomes such as supporting children with SEND, speech and language development, parenting programmes, youth activities, antenatal care with NHS partners, and the decreasing numbers of children looked after.
• In the reporting period, FWCs had delivered over 130 different activities and services, supported more than 18,000 families, and the integrated model meant that families were getting the right help at the right time.
• She extended thanks to the dedicated staff and partners who made FWCs work, highlighting that the feedback received about FWCs often revolved around outstanding staff members who had gone above and beyond to help families.
• In concluding her remarks, she welcomed the families who had attended the meeting that evening to talk about their experiences using FWCs.

Serita Kwofie (Head of Early Help, Brent Council) added that, although there had been a plateau in terms of new registrations to FWCs, there had been an increase in regular attendance at FWC activities, which she felt was a testament to the range of services offered at FWCs. She added that the report also detailed forward planning in light of the Best Start for Life work and the aims and ambitions of the Council to further develop FWCs. In concluding, she welcomed the families who had attended the meeting, highlighting the importance of hearing from families and service users on the successes outlined in the report as well as any areas for improvement they had identified.

The Chair invited Adela, CK and Uday to the meeting who had attended to speak about their experience of using FWCs. In providing an opportunity for them to speak, the Board noted the following feedback from the service users:

Adela advised that she had found out about FWCs when she was pregnant and attended her prenatal visit. The nurse had explained how Brent supported parents and families at FWCs, and from that time until now she had attended her FWC every week. She went 3-4 times a week and took part in different activities with her son, and she advised that she was very grateful for the service. Her favourite activities were Stay Play and Learn, Let’s Talk, Messy Play, Connection with Children and potty training. She had also taken part in other activities including visiting London Zoo, Kew Gardens, and summer and end of year parties. She did not have any suggestions for improvement but highlighted that families may not know about the FWCs if they had not been told at their prenatal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7b

To provide an update on winter planning and community services for 2026, including admission and discharge planning and the impact of NHS reforms.

Jasvinder Perihar (Programme Manager – Intermediate Care, Brent) introduced the report which set out the comprehensive winter plan for Brent. In introducing the report, she highlighted the following key points:

• The plan presented collated information on winter initiatives from system partners across Brent so provided a comprehensive overview of winter planning.
• She highlighted that cold weather increased the potential of people becoming more ill, particularly vulnerable individuals, those with health conditions, over 65s and younger people.
• The increase in those becoming ill impacted and increased demand on health services, the workforce, the delivery of services, and areas such as housing, homelessness and social welfare issues such as cost-of-living.
• Section 1.3 of the report set out the areas covered in winter planning, including flu immunisations, vaccination programmes, winter schemes that supported admission and discharge planning, and areas ensuring continued access to services during the winter period.
• The Board was asked to note the winter initiatives and have confidence that key areas were addressed.

The Chair thanked colleagues for their introduction and invited input from those present, with the following issues raised:

• The Board asked whether partners had a sense yet of whether the pressures were better or worse compared to previous years. Simon Crawford (Deputy Chief Executive, LNWT) advised that the pressure and demand was higher this year compared to the previous year, and on one day that week Northwick Park Hospital had seen the second highest ever conveyances of ambulances, at 148 conveyances in one day. He added that there had not been an obvious summer period this year where the Trust would expect to see demand fall between May to September, and pressures had been fairly consistent throughout the year with Northwick Park routinely seeing over 100 ambulances daily.
• In relation to receiving 148 ambulances in one day, the Board asked whether there had been any audit as to how many were subsequently admitted and whether there were circumstances which could have avoided the need for an ambulance to convey. Simon Crawford confirmed that the Trust did analyse those percentages and could provide that to the Board covering the last 6 weeks. The Trust also tried to analyse the reasons for the conveyance and the condition patients were coming in, and looked at demographic data in terms of age profile, gender and ethnicity. He highlighted a challenge for the hospital in terms of ambulance conveyancing, because, in response to the increased demand the London Ambulance Service (LAS) was seeing, there had been a change in protocol enabling paramedics to leave the patient after 45 minutes, which he suggested should be reviewed to ensure paramedics continued to offer proactive care before dropping patients off.
• Noting that an area of significant pressure was arranging appropriate Adult Social Care discharge for hospital patients, the Board asked how the system was now managing that. Simon Crawford advised that the relationship with social services and discharges was positive. Through the emergency pathway, as quickly as patients were brought in and stabilised, the Hospital was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To discuss and agree any future agenda items for the Health and

Wellbeing Board.

The Chair gave members the opportunity to highlight any items they would like to see the Health and Wellbeing Board consider in the future, adding that there were two more meetings of the municipal cycle and the current political administration. He asked to see a deep dive on health inequalities in Brent, particularly in the context of the new structures of the health service and how the integrator would have impact there, as well as early learning from the work in Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and the work of Brent Health Matters. The Public Health Annual Report would also be brought to a future Board meeting.

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Head of Executive and Member Services or his representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

None.