Derbyshire is a large and complex two-tier area of local government, with eight district/borough councils and an administrative area that is not coterminous with NHS boundaries. There are a total of five shadow CCGs covering Derbyshire. Creating an effective functioning health and wellbeing board (HWB) that represents the range of agencies that contribute to the health and wellbeing agenda has required careful consideration.
Derbyshire has built on its strong history of partnership working to develop the most appropriate board for the area. The chair and chief officer of each shadow CCG have a place on the board, while two leaders and one chief executive represent the district/borough councils and act as a communication link with the other districts and boroughs. With more than 20 members, it is quite a large board although it is felt this has worked well so far.
There many groups and organisations that will play an important part in the delivery of Derbyshire's Health and Wellbeing strategy and it would be impossible for them all to be members of the board. To engage a wider range of stakeholders in the development of the board's work to improve health outcomes for local people, a Stakeholder Engagement Forum has been established.
A Provider Forum was also established in July 2012 to ensure service providers are fully engaged with the HWB and the delivery of key priorities for the county.
The Shadow Board has had varied agendas covering a range of health and wellbeing issues since it was established in July 2011 and the feeling is that good progress has been made. A Health and Wellbeing Coordination Group was established soon after the creation of the board to set the agenda, chase progress and drive forward its work.
This ensures that the board considers the most appropriate and relevant issues and makes the most effective use of time available. Moving forward into 2013/14, the board has decided to have a themed approach to each meeting based on the Health and Wellbeing strategy priorities.
The board has been keen to move beyond the formation stage and look at how partner organisations can work together to really make a difference. Given that the board meets for two hours every other month, it has been important to find a way to ensure action is taken on the priority areas.
The Task and Finish Group approach has worked well with regard to falls and bone health and it is an approach that will be taken forward in relation to other key issues. The main lesson learned in relation to the groups is to ensure the right people are engaged from the beginning so that they are empowered to make decisions and commitments and move projects forward.
Lessons learned
- The board only has a limited amount of time and capacity therefore it must clearly identify priorities to focus on.
- Good communication links outside of the board meeting are essential to develop working relationships and share knowledge.
- It is important to spend time developing mutual understanding of partners' perspectives, different working cultures and language used.
- All parties that will contribute to the delivery of the Health and Wellbeing strategy do not need to be members of the board as this would make it unmanageable. However, many other organisations and groups play important roles in delivering the Strategy and must be engaged.
- A co-ordination group is essential to set the board agenda and prepare papers for the smooth running of the board.
- Having specialist, time-limited groups is an effective way to move activity forward in between board meetings.