Richmond Council's Health and Wellbeing Board to Prioritise Prevention and Tackle Health Inequalities
Richmond Council's Health and Wellbeing Board is set to adopt a renewed focus on preventative measures and tackling health inequalities across the borough, with updated Terms of Reference aiming to strengthen its strategic leadership role.
The Board, which met on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, reviewed and updated its framework to better reflect the evolving health and care landscape. The revised Terms of Reference clarify the Board's role as Richmond's senior place-based partnership for health and wellbeing, with a strengthened emphasis on prevention, reducing health inequalities, resident voice, and neighbourhood health and care. The Board will Promote prevention, early intervention and population health improvement
and Support neighbourhood health and care by promoting services that are organised around residents, families and communities.
A whole-system approach to prevention and population health improvement
will also be promoted.
Councillor Piers Allen, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, presented the updated Terms of Reference, highlighting the shift towards a neighbourhood health model. He stated, As health and care move towards a stronger neighbourhood model, the Health and Wellbeing Board has a particularly important role in bringing together the Council, NHS partners, the voluntary community sector, and crucially, the voice of our residents.
The Board's core focus remains on improving health and wellbeing outcomes, reducing health inequalities, and ensuring services are increasingly joined-up around people and communities.
The Board aims to Reduce health inequalities and improve healthy life expectancy.
The revised Terms of Reference also state that it will Promote equality and inclusion in the way it sets priorities, considers evidence, engages with communities and monitors outcomes, with particular regard to groups experiencing inequality or barriers to accessing services.
The practical implementation of the 'neighbourhood health model' will involve promoting services organised around residents, families, and communities, with the Board providing strategic leadership to ensure services are increasingly aligned with local needs. The Board will also give particular attention to hearing the views of communities experiencing poorer health outcomes and those whose voices are less frequently heard,
ensuring that residents, carers and communities influence priorities and decision-making.
The voluntary community sector's significant role in improving population health and wellbeing is recognised, with the Board bringing together the Council, NHS, Healthwatch, and the voluntary and community sector to provide shared leadership. The Board will Monitor progress towards improving resident's outcomes and reducing inequalities.
The updated Terms of Reference clarify the Board's statutory duties, including the preparation of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy. They also outline the Board's strategic functions, such as providing leadership for neighbourhood health and care and promoting collaboration across various sectors.
Key principles guiding the Board's work include a commitment to improving outcomes for residents, reducing health inequalities, promoting prevention and early intervention, and fostering partnership and collective leadership. The revised framework also emphasizes co-production with residents, carers, and communities, ensuring their voices influence priorities and decision-making.
The Board will continue to receive assurance on the delivery of agreed priorities from relevant partnership bodies, including the Kingston and Richmond Places Provider Alliance and the Richmond and Wandsworth Safeguarding Adults Board. The revised Terms of Reference are intended to provide a clearer framework for the Board to effectively fulfil its role in leading health and wellbeing initiatives across Richmond. The full details of the revised Terms of Reference can be found in the Public reports pack.