Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Mr Doyle, Mrs Palmer and Sarah Hammond. Sydney Hill was in attendance as a substitute for Sarah Hammond.

No declarations of interest were made by Members in relation to items on the agenda.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on 25 September 2025 were an accurate record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

1.    The Chair provided a verbal update. She welcomed new attendees and particularly welcomed representatives from the Local Government Association (LGA), who were attending to support the forthcoming workshop.

2.    The Chair explained that a workshop would be held following the meeting to support the refresh and reinvigoration of the Health and Wellbeing Board, which included consideration of its membership, scope, ways of working and future focus.

3.    She reported on recent discussions with the Director of Public Health and NHS colleagues regarding neighbourhood health, the NHS 10?Year Plan and opportunities to strengthen partnership working. She emphasised that the Board was not a political forum and that its focus must remain on improving outcomes for Kent residents and achieving value for money.

4.    The Chair provided a detailed update on the Better Care Fund (BCF). She explained that, due to the timing of national guidance and the ongoing development of local budgets, it had not been possible to bring a substantive report to the Board at this meeting on the 2026/27 Better Care Fund. She advised that guidance required BCF plans to be developed collaboratively and agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board; however, where deadlines had previously fallen between Board meetings, sign?off had been undertaken by the Chair on the Board’s behalf.

The Chair advised that the 2026/27 Better Care Fund guidance had recently been updated to align with proposed reforms linked to the NHS 10?Year Plan. The guidance required Integrated Care Boards and local authorities, working with Health and Wellbeing Boards, to submit an assurance return demonstrating compliance with national funding conditions and planning requirements. This included information on the use of Better Care Fund expenditure, local priorities, and assurance statements in relation to value for money.

It was reported that the assurance return was required to be submitted to the national team by 19 May 2026. As the Health and Wellbeing Board was not scheduled to meet before this deadline, the Chair sought the Board’s support to review the assurance return in detail once received and to sign it off on behalf of the Board. She confirmed that a full report would be brought back to a future meeting of the Board for information and scrutiny.

5.    RESOLVED that, by general agreement, the Chairman’s update be noted.

1.    Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health, reported on recent local and national events he had attended, along with Dr Ellen Schwatrz, Assistant Director of Public Health. He advised that the events focused on work and health, as well as the links between planning and public health, and that he had contributed to a panel discussion on how planning could support healthier places and improved health outcomes.

2.    He advised that Kent continued to be a training site for future public health consultants and that a recent visit from training programme directors had provided positive assurance regarding the breadth and quality of work being undertaken.

3.    Dr Ghosh outlined early work with Kent universities to explore the development of a centre of excellence for public health, aiming to strengthen research, innovation and national recognition.

4.    He highlighted the forthcoming Marmot Coastal Region launch on 13 March 2026 as a key milestone in Kent’s commitment to addressing health inequalities.

5.    In terms of other updates, Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health, advised that the Kent Public Health Observatory had developed a new alcohol licensing tool in collaboration with partners. He explained that the tool brought together data on hospital admission rates, mortality, deprivation scores, and the proximity of off?licences, pubs and schools, and would support more informed decision?making in relation to alcohol licensing. He confirmed that public health continued to have a role within the alcohol licensing process.

6.    In preparation for the launch of the Kent Marmot Coastal Region Programme, Dr Ghosh reported that analysis had been undertaken on inequalities between coastal and non?coastal areas. He noted that this was a complex and nuanced issue, but highlighted a key finding that life expectancy in coastal communities was, on average, 2.1 years lower than in non?coastal areas.

7.    Dr Ghosh advised that Kent Public Health had worked with colleagues across the Integrated Care System to produce an updated set of mental health indicators, strengthening the shared evidence base to support system?wide planning and improvement.

8.    The Board was informed that, as part of work focused on older adults, Ashford and Gravesham had applied for and been formally accepted into the UK Age?Friendly Communities Network. Dr Ghosh explained that age?friendly communities aimed to support people to age well and to live healthy, independent later lives.

9.    Dr Ghosh reported that the former postural stability and falls prevention service had been subject to extensive consultation and redesign. The re?imagined service, now known as Forever Active, was an evidence?based programme supporting Kent residents aged over 50 to remain active, mobile, strong and independent, and was showing early signs of success.

10.It was further reported that health alliances had now been established across all districts and boroughs. Dr Ghosh highlighted that Canterbury Health Alliance had recently received a Healthwatch Award for Excellence in Integrated Working at Local Level, in recognition of targeted work. He advised that this demonstrated how a hyper?local neighbourhood  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

Davinia Springer (Public Health Specialist) was in attendance for this item

1.    Dr Ghosh (Director of Public Health), introduced the item and set the context for the annual Kent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Summary Report. He explained that the report was produced each year at this time and provided an overview of the state of health and wellbeing in Kent. He advised that the summary report was underpinned by extensive detailed analysis and acted as a comprehensive, single source of population health intelligence. He recommended the report to the Board as a valuable tool for understanding current trends and future direction across different aspects of health. Dr Ghosh invited Davinia to present the key findings.

2.    Ms Davinia Springer (Public Health Specialist) explained that the JSNA Summary Report brought together key changes in population health needs, findings from in-depth thematic analysis, and intelligence work completed over the previous year, alongside improvements and developments across the system. She highlighted that, as a local authority, Kent County Council had a statutory duty to continually assess both current and future population health needs and health inequalities. She confirmed that the JSNA was overseen by a JSNA Steering Group which was in its fourth year.

3.    In relation to demographic change, Ms Springer reported that Kent remained the most populous county council area in the South East, with an estimated population of 1.61 million residents. Population growth had remained steady at approximately 1%, in line with national trends. Population density varied significantly across the county, ranging from 16.6 people per hectare in Dartford to 2.4 in Ashford, and this variation continued to influence patterns of service demand and access.

4.    Across the four Health and Care Partnerships, several consistent themes were identified. Levels of overweight and obesity remained high across Kent, with some districts exceeding national averages. Accident and Emergency attendances for children under five years of age remained above pre-pandemic levels in several areas. Smoking prevalence had improved in some districts but remained high in others, particularly Thanet. Mental health indicators continued to show pressure points, with self-harm admissions being of particular concern among young people. Alcohol-related hospital admissions were notably high in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley. These patterns reinforced the importance of targeted, place-based prevention approaches. The National Child Measurement Programme data showed rising levels of excess weight in both Reception and Year 6 children. Districts including Folkestone and Hythe, Dover, Ashford, Gravesham and Thanet were significantly above national averages.

5.    The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment concluded that there were no significant gaps in pharmaceutical provision across Kent. However, the sector continued to face national workforce and financial pressures. Overall access remained good, with the majority of residents able to reach a pharmacy within 20 minutes.

6.    Adult obesity continued to increase, with 67% of adults in Kent living with excess weight. Davinia highlighted the influence of environmental factors, including the concentration of fast-food outlets in deprived and urban areas, uneven access to affordable healthy food, and variable awareness and use of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.