The Local Government Association (LGA) provides tailored support to leadership for health and care through the Partners in Care and Health Programme (ADASS & LGA), which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and provided free of charge to councils. Herefordshire Health and Wellbeing Board invited the LGA in to review ways of working at the board through conducting one-to-one interviews with system leaders and a board workshop in February 2026. This report captures a high-level summary from this work.

Zoe Clifford explained that, in anticipation of the publication of the Neighbourhood Health Framework, the Local Government Association had supported a development session workshop with board members in February 2026.  This had identified the following principles for ways of working for the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB): strong connections from leadership to organisations; strategic deep dives; focus on where the HWB can have the most impact; ensuring a clear interface between HWB and One Herefordshire Health and Care Partnership Board; focus on truly system-wide, population health and wellbeing issues; addressing health inequalities; a commitment to workshop development sessions; a commitment to in-person meetings; ensuring that lived experience is heard by the HWB to inform decisions; allowing time for meaningful HWB discussion; prevention focused; and sponsor to be identified for each priority.  It was noted that a workshop for board members was planned for 28 September 2026 to explore lived experience in the context of the work on neighbourhood health.

The Chairperson commented that: a workshop for board members held in March 2026 had demonstrated that local context was key to board development going forward; and stakeholders in the Autism Partnership Meeting and the Learning Disability Partnership Board had suggested that groups and individuals with lived experience should be involved at an earlier stage in public sector decision-making generally.  David Mehaffey reported that the Integrated Care Board was in the process of creating a bespoke role specifically around patient involvement and, at its 20 May 2026 meeting (link), was due to consider corporate objectives including ‘1.3) Implementing a strengthened approach to co-production, patient voice, patient experience and patient feedback’.  Noting the workshop to be held in September 2026, Hilary Hall commented on the need to explore and build upon existing mechanisms.

Resolved:       That

a)      the findings of the LGA facilitated work with the board be noted; and

b)      the next steps for the board development work be agreed.