Health and Wellbeing Board

Further information is available on the Health and Wellbeing Board Factsheet (PDF document). A brief overview is provided below.

Why have a Health and Wellbeing Board?

Legislative changes, introduced by the publication of Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS in July 2010, proposed bringing democratic accountability to the NHS through the establishment of statutory Health and Wellbeing Boards by local authorities. Health and Wellbeing Boards are a key element of the health and social care reforms.

What is a Health and Wellbeing Board?

When it takes on statutory responsibilities in April 2013 the Health and Wellbeing Board will operate as an executive body of Leeds City Council. Until then it will be a ‘shadow’ board. The shadow Health and Wellbeing Board will act as an advisory body to Leeds City Council’s Executive Board, the NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds Board and the Clinical Commissioning Groups. It will be subject to scrutiny by the existing arrangements within the local authority.

Until the Board assumes its statutory responsibilities, it will ensure the effective introduction of the formal statutory Health and Wellbeing Board and will oversee relevant transitional arrangements for health, social care and public health until the new arrangements are fully in place for the NHS.

What will the Health and Wellbeing Board do?

The role of the Board will be to:

• bring together the key decision makers across the NHS and local government;
• set a clear direction for the commissioning of health care, social care and public health;
• drive the integration of services across communities;
• improve local democratic accountability; and
• tackle inequalities in health.

The Health and Wellbeing Board aims to improve health and care services, and the health and wellbeing of local people. It will provide strong leadership and support effective partnership working on delivering the aspirations of the Vision for Leeds, to be the best city in theUK. One of its key objectives is to join up activities to ensure that we can achieve the best possible results for the people ofLeeds. It also aims to create a culture where partnership work, in the interests of local people, is built into the way that all agencies, sectors and organisations work.

Ultimately Leeds will be a healthy and caring city for all ages where:

• people live longer and have healthier lives;
• people are supported by high quality services to live full, active and independent lives; and
• inequalities in health are reduced, for example, people will not have poorer health because of where they live, what group they belong to or how much money they have.

Related sites

Leeds InitiativeLeeds City Council

Related downloads

| Health and Wellbeing Board Fact Sheet November 2011.pdf (0.04 MB)