Cheshire West and Chester Health and Wellbeing Board

Cheshire West and Chester Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) is a system-leadership board which meets monthly to monitor progress on integrated health and care developments and to ensure that delayed transfers of care meet national targets. This case study forms part of our integrated care systems (ICS) resource.


The HWB, which links together many specialist inter-agency groups, aims to ensure that integration is closely linked to prevention and to tackling the wider determinants of health.

Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) is a collaboration of six organisations – NHS providers, GP federations and the council’s adult social care and public health services - hosted by the main acute trust and underpinned by an integration agreement. Its care model is based on nine ‘care communities’ in which GPs, local groups and community teams provide care and support for populations ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 people. The ICP provides monthly updates to the HWB.

“Our board brings strong commitment, breadth of experience and leadership to meet the increasing challenges and changes within our health and care system to achieve our vision of a healthier, thriving future for all of our population.”;

Clare Watson, Chief Officer for the four Cheshire clinical commissioning groups

The four Cheshire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have established a joint commissioning committee to make at-scale commissioning decisions about community health services. The committee has an independent chair and includes non-voting representation from local authority social care and public health and from Healthwatch.

Cheshire West and Chester is one of the nine areas within the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. The HWB oversees the development of the local ‘place plan’ which will form the area’s response to the NHS Long Term Plan. The aim is to have a single place plan combined with the joint health and wellbeing strategy, which provides the overarching strategic framework.

The HWB champions full and meaningful engagement with stakeholders and the public. One example is an appreciative enquiry – a series of community conversations which will inform the development of the ICP and place plan. This involved discussions with over 500 residents in 49 venues across the borough, plus one-to-one engagement by phone and online, managed by a voluntary sector provider.

The HWB oversees a comprehensive approach to tackling health inequalities and the wider determinants of health, and has extended its membership to the blue light services, housing, the voluntary and community sector, the ICP and others. It encourages partners to support initiatives to improve wellbeing. For example, the HWB has signed up to the Motor Neurone Disease Charter, the Active Cheshire Pledge and the World Health Organisation’s Age Friendly Communities Network. It is keen to maintain its all-age focus and has introduced a strong ‘children and young people’ focus.

The HWB will continue to review its role and purpose to reflect local developments such as the ICP and potential merger of the four Cheshire CCGs. Partners in Cheshire West and Chester believe that there is great potential for improving outcomes for local people by going further with health, care and wellbeing integration.

Contacts

Ian Ashworth, Director of Public Health

[email protected]

Phil Purvis, Senior Manager, Policy and Coordination

[email protected]