The Health and Wellbeing Board (HWBB), established with effect from 1 April 2013, is a key element of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and is the means by which the Council will deliver its new duties to improve the strategic co-ordination across local NHS, social care, children’s services and public health. Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will be required to consult with the HWBB when drawing up their annual plan on how they discharged their functions in the previous financial year.

The HWBB is a Council committee established under s102 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as modified). Meetings will be held in public, except where exempt or confidential information will be disclosed. The Access to Information Rules in Part 8 of the Council’s Constitution will apply.

Functions of the HWBB:

1.            To assess the needs of the population through the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA);

2.            To agree and produce a Health and Wellbeing Strategy to address needs, which commissioners will need to have regard of in developing commissioning plans for health care, social care and public health;

3.            To promote joint commissioning;

4.            To promote integrated provision, joining up social care, public health and NHS services with wider local authority services;

5.            Involvement in the development of CCG commissioning plans;

6.            To provide advice to the NHS Commissioning Board in authorising and assuring CCGs;

7.            To give the local authority its opinion on whether or not the Council is discharging its duties to have a JSNA and any Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies.

The full Terms of Reference are available in Part 7 of the Council’s Constitution.