Health and Wellbeing Boards

Under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, senior health and social care leaders in every local authority area are formally required by government to work together as Health and Wellbeing Boards. This joined-up approach is part of the government’s vision for an integrated health and social care system.

Each Board is responsible for assessing its local population’s social care and health needs and producing a strategy to deliver services which meet these needs.

Although these Boards have limited formal powers they are a statutory, executive decision-making body. Their impact creates greater integration and partnership between all bodies involved from the NHS, public health and local government.

Each board must include a representative from each relevant CCG and local Healthwatch, as well as local authority representatives. The local authority has considerable discretion in appointing additional board members. Most have chosen not to invite providers to become formal members, though many engage with providers in other ways.

In Berkshire West there are three Health and Wellbeing Boards. These meetings are open to the public. Further information and details of the meeting dates are available below:

• Reading Health and Wellbeing Board
• West Berkshire Health and Wellbeing Board
• Wokingham Health and Wellbeing Board

You can read the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for each locality below:

• Wokingham JSNA
• Reading Health JSNA
• West Berkshire Health JSNA