Noted that the Health and Social Care Act 2012 had helped establish statutory health and Wellbeing Boards in April 2013. Since its inception, the ambition has always remained that health and wellbeing boards will build strong and effective partnerships, which improve the commissioning and delivery of services across NHS and local government, leading to better health and wellbeing outcomes for local people. The Board operates according to the Council’s Constitution and according to the Terms of Reference for the Board itself. The main points of the discussion have been summarised as follows.

The Board:

Noted that a few changes in NHS structures and ways of working within the current pandemic has warranted a quick review of the current Health and Wellbeing Boards Terms of Reference resulting in two proposed amendments to the current Terms of Reference.

1.    In April 2021, Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) along with the six other Northeast London (NEL) CCGs – City and Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge started working together as a commissioning alliance to develop an aligned approach to collaborating with providers to ensure long term sustainability. As a result of these changes in NHs structures, the position of independent chair of Tower Hamlets CCG no longer exists. It is proposed that a suitable clinical representation from the NHS Northeast London CCG is identified.

2.    Due to the pandemic, the Government made allowances to local Authorities to host committee meetings until end of May 2021. Since then, Tower Hamlets has been operating a hybrid model providing a quarter of the membership attend the meeting physically as per Terms of Reference. Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference holds an additional premise that the quarter of the membership ‘includes at least one representative from the NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group.’ There is no legal precedent for this requirement and to ensure that meetings are quorate the proposal is to remove the additional premise from the Terms of Reference with boards agreement.

Noted that a further review of the Terms of Reference would be undertaken in the coming months following development of Integrated Care System and NHS reorganisation in April 2022.

Noted that some existing aspects of the Board’s current Terms of Reference had been accidentally omitted from Appendix 1 to the report and thus changes to be considered should be restricted to those specified in paragraph 3.3 of the report. 

Accordingly, the Board RESOLVED to:

     I.        Agree to amend the Board’s Terms of Reference as follows.

a.    Replace the current Vice Chair role description with ‘Clinical representative of NHS North East London Clinical Commissioning Group (NEL CCG).

b.    Replace the current wording under the Quorum heading with “The quorum of the Board in the Terms of Reference is a quarter of the membership”.

    II.        Agree that a further review of the Terms of Reference will take place in the coming months following development of Integrated Care System and NHS reorganisation in April 2022.

Council is asked to consider the report of the Corporate Director, Law, Probity and Governance on appointments to the Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Council considered the report of the Corporate Director, Law Probity and Governance regarding appointments to the Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs reported that the list of elected representatives needing adjusting to reflect the decisions taken (as set out in resolution 1 below). 

DECISION

1.            That it be noted that at its meeting on 21 June 2016 the Health and Wellbeing Board discussed amendments to its membership as reflected in the amended Terms of Reference attached as Appendix 2 to the report to be amended to include the Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s’ Services and remove the post of the Executive Advisor on Adult Social Care.

2.            That it be noted that the Mayor has agreed the updated Terms of Reference in respect of membership and has nominated:

(a)          That the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult services be the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board;

(b)          That the Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Performance becomes a voting member of the Board; and

(c)          That a Councillor from the largest opposition group be appointed as a non-voting as a stakeholder and that that Councillor be put forward by such group.

3.            That the appointment of co-opted members to the Board be agreed.

4.            That a Councillor from the largest opposition group be appointed as a stakeholder to the Board.

(Action by: Melanie Clay Corporate Director, Law Probity and Governance)

The Council considered the report of the Corporate Director, Law Probity and Governance regarding appointments to the Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs reported that the list of elected representatives needing adjusting to reflect the decisions taken (as set out in resolution 1 below). 

The recommendations set out in the report were put to the vote and were agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

1.            That it be noted that at its meeting on 21 June 2016 the Health and Wellbeing Board discussed amendments to its membership as reflected in the amended Terms of Reference attached as Appendix 2 to the report to be amended to include the Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s’ Services and remove the post of the Executive Advisor on Adult Social Care.

2.            That it be noted that the Mayor has agreed the updated Terms of Reference in respect of membership and has nominated:

(a)          That the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult services be the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board;

(b)          That the Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Performance becomes a voting member of the Board; and

(c)          That a Councillor from the largest opposition group be appointed as a non-voting as a stakeholder and that that Councillor be put forward by such group.

3.            That the appointment of co-opted members to the Board be agreed.

4.            That a Councillor from the largest opposition group be appointed as a stakeholder to the Board.