Agenda and draft minutes

1.    It was noted that the following Members had joined the Board:

-       Mrs Linden Kemkaran (Leader of Kent County Council)

-       Miss Diane Morton (Cabinet Member for Adult Social care and Public Health)

-       Mrs Christine Palmer (Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services)

-       Mr Mark Mulvihill (Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health)

-       Mr Ed Waller (Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer and Chief Delivery /Commissioning Officer (interim) – NHS Kent and Medway - Integrated Care Board)

-       Cllr Hannah Perkins (Swale Borough Council)

-       Cllr Keji Moses (Canterbury City Council)

RESOLVED that Dr Bob Bowes be re-appointed as a co-opted member of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board.

1.    Mrs Kemkaran proposed and Mr Mulvihill seconded that Miss Morton be elected as Chairman of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board. No Other nominations were received.

2.    Following the election of Chair, Mrs Morton took her seat and gave an opening speech, outlining her priorities for the year ahead.

3.    RESOLVED that Miss Morton be elected as Chairman of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board.

1.    Miss Morton proposed and Mr Mulvihill seconded that Dr Bowes be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board. No other nominations were received.

2.    RESOLVED that Dr Bowes be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board.

Apologies for absence were received from Mr Smith, Cllr Moses, Mr Goatham and Dr Ghosh, who was substituted by Mrs Crouch

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on 11 February 2025 were an accurate record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

1.    Mrs Crouch (Consultant for Public Health) provided a verbal update on the following:

(a)  The Baton of Hope visited Kent on the week commencing 22^nd September 2025 as part of the ongoing suicide prevention and anti-stigma campaign. Events took place across Maidstone, Canterbury, and Margate, concluding with an evening event at Dreamland. The Suicide Prevention Strategy remained open for public consultation until 6 October. Mrs Crouch expressed her thanks to Miss Morton (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health) and all those who participated in supporting the baton holders.

(b)  The NHS winter flu vaccination programme opened for children and pregnant women, with full roll-out due to start in October 2025. The campaign had two phases:

·         Encouraging pregnant women to vaccinate for flu, RSV, and whooping cough.

·         Promoting flu vaccination uptake among those with long-term conditions.

Kent also participated in national pandemic preparedness exercises under Exercise Pegasus.

(c)  Public Health continued to work closely with Adult Social Care to advance prevention initiatives, helping Kent residents live well and independently for as long as possible. This approach aimed to prevent, reduce, and delay social care needs in line with Council priorities. The approved framework was supported by a delivery plan built around five core components, including actions on employment and housing aligned with the Marmot Coastal Region programme. Efforts were focused on developing a small set of accelerator schemes with local partners to demonstrate how KCC could help residents access quality jobs.

(d)  Work was underway to implement actions following the population needs review. A new sexual health clinic in Dover was supported to address service gaps and inequalities. Gonorrhoea and Monkeypox (Mpox) vaccinations were rolled out opportunistically in clinics, with data collection in progress to assess impact. Strategic projects included work on ChemSec and evaluation of the online STI testing service, with outcomes to follow.

(e)  Healthy weight stigma training had been launched to enable staff to hold inclusive conversations confidently. A new booklet was also developed to raise awareness of available services and support residents in maintaining a healthy weight.

(f)   A new place-based infant feeding service was due to start mobilisation in October. Further details on aspects of the public health transformation programme were due to be provided by Vicki Tovey in agenda item 11.

(g)  A health needs assessment for secondary-aged children was nearing completion. Focus groups were held with young people to understand attitudes and behaviours around vaping. This helped inform how the disposable vape ban had impacted youth vaping and the measures needed to reduce use among young people in Kent. The work also supported Trading Standards in reducing underage sales of vape products.

(h)  Early years nutrition training had been launched, with strong engagement from settings and noticeable improvements in practice. Overall, significant progress was underway with many positive developments reported.

2.    Further to questions and comments from Members the discussion included the following:

(a)  A query was raised on whether there would be concerted efforts to debunk false information  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

Oluwatoyin Sosanya (Public Health Pharmacy and Quality Lead) was in attendance for this item

1.    Mrs Crouch (Consultant for Public Health )introduced the report and noted that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Council was required to regularly review and publish the pharmacy services needed in Kent, both currently and in the future. This analysis was presented in the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) included within the papers. The assessment informed commissioning decisions by NHS England and the Integrated Care Board (ICB), ensuring that services met population needs and addressed identified gaps.

2.    Mrs Sosanya reiterated that the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) was a statutory document designed to assess the current and future need for pharmaceutical services in Kent over the next three years. It considered the health needs of the Kent population and how these could be met by services commissioned by the NHS, including pharmacies, appliance contractors, and dispensing GPs. The PNA was a key document used by NHS England, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and local authorities to inform commissioning decisions, including market entry decisions to the pharmaceutical list, which were determined by the ICB.

3.    The PNA had been developed with the support of a specialist provider, commissioned through a competitive tender process, and overseen by the Kent PNA Steering Group. The steering group included representatives from system partners such as the Local Medical Committee, Local Pharmaceutical Committee, Healthwatch, and the ICB. It met four times at critical stages for review, discussion, and sign-off. Early in the process, engagement took place with the public and pharmaceutical providers through a questionnaire, followed by a statutory public consultation. Both activities informed the final document. At the time of writing, no gaps had been identified in the provision of pharmaceutical services across Kent, and monitoring would continue on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

4.    Further to questions and comments from Members the discussion included the following:

(a)  In response to concerns regarding the PNA’s conclusion of no gaps, raised in light of pharmacy closures, increased queue times, and the ability to meet growing needs, particularly regarding prevention and an ageing population, Mrs Sosanya explained that a robust, evidence-based process had been followed. She confirmed the PNA considered population needs and financial stability, and the steering group agreed that the network was sufficient at the time. She emphasised that the PNA was a snapshot in time, monitoring would continue with ICB and system partners, and supplementary statements would be published as needed to inform future applications.

(b)  Clarification was sought as to the process that would be followed should gaps be identified in pharmaceutical services. Mrs Sosanya explained that the landscape would continue to be monitored and minor changes addressed through supplementary statements, which would signal to the ICB that updates to the pharmaceutical list should be considered in future applications. She confirmed that the Health and Wellbeing Board was required to publish a new Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment every three years, but could do so earlier if there were significant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

Vicky Tovey (Assistant Director of Public Health) was in attendance for this item

1.    Mrs Tovey introduced the paper outlining the Public Health Service Transformation Programme (PHSTP), its progress, and planned work. The programme, which began in summer 2023, aimed to improve services funded by the Public Health Grant by targeting resources to those most in need, addressing health inequalities, meeting prevention obligations, and ensuring best value.

2.    The programme covered a broad range of mandated and statutory services, from early years health visiting and infant feeding to older people’s exercise. It followed the natural end of several partnership contracts, including with Kent Community Health Foundation Trust, creating an opportunity to review services collectively and maximise impact.

3.    Areas for improvement included low-level cannabis use, which was given greater focus within lifestyle and health visiting services. The paper detailed an evidence-based commissioning approach, including data analysis, best practice review, resident engagement, and market engagement.

4.    The programme had reached its implementation stage, involving procurement, transition to new models, and communication of changes to residents and the wider system. Service changes ranged from minor refinements to significant redesigns, such as moving community-based infant feeding groups out of health visiting into a separate place-based service and transitioning children and young people’s counselling to a therapeutic model aligned with ICB commissioning to increase capacity.

5.    Further to questions and comments from Members the discussion included the following:

(a)  In response to queries on the referral process for the Children and Young People’s Emotional Well-being Service, Mrs Tovey confirmed that referrals were accepted via multiple routes, including self-referrals, schools, and wider system partners. Communications had been issued to inform stakeholders. Services were also dual-run to avoid gaps, and young people on existing waiting lists were contacted to offer a choice between the current and new service.

(b)  With regard to comments made in relation to improving the transition for young people up to the age of 19, Mrs Tovey noted that this remained a key focus. The service provided mild to moderate support up to age 19 and worked closely with ICB services, which covered older age ranges, and Live Well Kent, which supported those from aged 17. Services collaborated to assess individual needs and determine the most appropriate provision, ensuring smoother transitions between children’s and adult services. Mr Waller (Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer and Chief Delivery /Commissioning Officer(interim) – NHS Kent and Medway - Integrated Care Board) also confirmed that earlier in the year, the intention had been announced to move Children’s Mental Health Services, currently provided by North East London Foundation Trust, into a joint arrangement for children’s and adults’ mental health delivery within KMPT. The strategic driver for this change was to enable a single provider to manage the transition period, ensuring continuity of care for children and adolescents with more significant mental health needs.

(c)  Further information was sought on place-based prioritisation of the smoking cessation service, particularly in light of the high  smoking levels in Swale. Mrs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

Ed Waller (Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer and Chief Delivery /Commissioning Officer(interim) – NHS Kent and Medway - Integrated Care Board) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mrs Crouch (Consultant for Public Health) introduced the item and noted that, from a public health perspective, the team fully embraced the 10 Year Plan and supported the NHS in maintaining its focus on keeping people well rather than solely treating illness. She highlighted that this approach aligned closely with the services offered by public health and confirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in addressing the major factors influencing health.

2.    Mr Waller continued to provide an overview of the 10 Year Plan and outlined how it would be taken forward, much of which would require collaboration across Kent and Medway. The plan centred on three key shifts: moving NHS service delivery from hospitals into the community, shifting focus from treatment to prevention, and transitioning from analogue to digital. While these themes were not new, the plan emphasised delivering them at scale, which had not previously been achieved.

3.    The plan also described changes to the health system, including the merger of NHS England and the Department of Health, larger ICB footprints, and a new operating model for the ICP in Kent and Medway focused on strategic commissioning, separate from provider trust management. Additional themes included transparency and quality of care, workforce transformation, innovation, and a revised financial and productivity framework.

4.    Particular emphasis was placed on neighbourhood health, bringing together NHS services, GPs, community health teams, acute hospitals, mental health services, and council services such as adult social care and housing to deliver integrated care locally. The clinical model would prioritise the most frail and highest users of healthcare, aiming to prevent deterioration and reduce hospital admissions.

5.    It was noted that Kent had secured a place on a national accelerator and pilot programme in Folkestone and Hythe, through a joint bid by KCC and partners, to test the neighbourhood model. This area was chosen due to its high concentration of citizens who would benefit from a different approach. The pilot would enable testing of new methods, moving away from traditional models, and generating evidence to inform wider changes across Kent.

6.    Further to questions and comments from Members the discussion included the following:

(a)  In response to concerns regarding the problems that may transpire as a result Local Government Re-organisation (LGR), Mr Waller acknowledged the need for a very close relationship between health services and council-run services. He noted that the ICB currently covered two upper-tier councils and that NHS provider trusts straddled those boundaries. He explained that any new local government structure would require clarity on how the footprints of local government and the NHS aligned, and how systems would relate to deliver services effectively. He emphasised that these challenges would need to be overcome as it was essential they worked well together. Mrs Crouch added that local health alliances had already been established, bringing partners together across  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.