Agenda item

Report of the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB).

The Board received a report from the Head of Performance and Population Health, NHS NEL ICB in respect of the Population Health Hub Update & Health Inequalities Funding.

Following the Chair’s query in relation to foot health, officers advised the Board that the Podiatry Team offered foot health services to patients who were house-bound, in an effort to fill an inequality gap, since it was identified that they could not access this service due to being house-bound.

The Deputy Chair raised a question regarding MATCH (eMbedding heAlth equiTy in City and Hackney). She cited the reduction in funding listed within the report with funding allocated for 2023-24 being £220,000 and asked officers if there was any expected impact because of this and whether there was any alternative funding available. Officers advised Members that they had scaled down the programme areas to test their approach when working with people in an effort to embed sustainable consideration of health equity. The five programme areas which had been identified in MATCH were maternity, cardiovascular disease, anti-racist commissioning, food poverty and women’s health. It was confirmed that due to the reduction in funding, programme areas were to be scaled down and that funding allocated for 2023-24 was for the next three years with a suggestion that this may be made recurrent. The Director of Public Health also mentioned that there was a focus to transform the way services were delivered in an effort to be more equitable.

Members of the Board highlighted their concerns that the report was not City orientated. Officers advised the Board that a review of the MATCH project could be applied to the City, especially in terms of accessibility to services for City Residents.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.