Hounslow Health and Wellbeing Board reviews successes and challenges of 2022-2026 strategy
The Hounslow Health and Wellbeing Board met on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, to review the successes and ongoing challenges of its Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2026. The meeting's agenda and public reports pack can be found here.
Sterling Rippy presented the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Close Down Report, highlighting significant progress in several areas. Childhood obesity rates for Year 6 children have decreased by 4 percentage points over the strategy period, with the latest figure standing at 23.60%. This reduction was attributed to the introduction of the Healthy Hounslow Service, which revamped child weight management programs and increased community engagement with businesses on healthy catering and retailer schemes. Furthermore, breastfeeding rates have increased by 20 percentage points, a success linked to system working with family hubs, enhanced Saturday clinics with the health visiting service, and the Baby Friendly Free Feeding (BFF) scheme.
Cancer screening rates for breast and bowel cancer have improved, and smoking prevalence has fallen below the London average. Emergency hospital admissions due to falls in residents aged 65 and over have seen a three-year downward trend. Support for carers has also expanded, with the carers service growing to include three additional carers advisers, community hubs, carers cafés, hospital advice tables, and stronger referral pathways. Engagement increased substantially, and carers received practical support for benefits, respite, assessments, and emergency planning. However, the report noted that while the percentage of adult carers who have as much social contact as they would like has increased, it remains low at 25.5% for all adult carers and 36% for those aged 65+.
However, areas for continued focus include maternal and birth outcomes, with a rise in low birth weight and tooth decay among young children. The rise in low birth weight was attributed to workforce challenges, engagement pathway development, and issues with Healthy Start data, including difficulties in establishing effective maternity smoking cessation referral routes. For tooth decay in young children, the report notes that progress in reducing hospital admissions for dental caries was not yet evidenced, despite strong delivery of fluoride varnish and supervised toothbrushing programs.
Alcohol-related hospital admissions are increasing, driven by a wider issue of increased alcohol emissions and a need for a system-wide approach to prevention and early identification. While an effective Alcohol Care Team (ACT) at West Middlesex Hospital has shown good results, it primarily serves that hospital, and Hounslow residents attend other hospitals where equivalent interventions may not be in place. The report suggests a need for continued investment in prevention, early intervention, and partnership working across the system to reduce alcohol-related harm and engage residents in treatment.
Rough sleeping numbers have also risen, partly attributed to the presence of Home Office contingency hotels, particularly those accommodating single men who are not a priority group for accommodation and may choose street life. New approaches being planned include Housing First, the Early Rough Sleeping Assessment Tool (ERSAT) for earlier identification and preventative support, and a Floating Support Service to help residents sustain accommodation.
The report also reflected on lessons learned, including the need to reduce the number of priorities (as 33 priorities made it difficult for collective focus), the inadequacy of focusing solely on borough averages (as significant inequalities between communities remained), and the importance of addressing wider determinants of health beyond health services (such as housing, employment, income, environment, and community connection). Future strategies will aim to focus on inequalities, organize around place and prevention, and better address complexity and overlapping needs.
For childhood obesity, the Year 6 prevalence reduced by 4 percentage points over the strategy period, with the latest figure being 23.60%. While smoking prevalence in adults was reduced below the London average, the specific figure is not provided in the summary, only that it became equal with the London rate.
Further details on the meeting can be found in the minutes of the previous meeting.