Brent Health Board has reported a £1.3 million overspend on its Better Care Fund (BCF) for the 2025-26 financial year. The overspend was primarily attributed to increased costs for community equipment following the liquidation of the previous supplier, NRS.
The Health and Wellbeing Board, which met on Thursday 30 July 2026, was informed that the West and North London Integrated Care Board (W&NL ICB) is funding the overspend. The meeting information states that The overspend is the responsibility of the ICB to fund.
There is no mention of a repayment structure.
The BCF is a national programme that pools NHS and local authority funding to support integrated health and social care services, aiming to help people remain independent for longer, prevent hospital admissions, and ensure safe and timely returns home.
Eleanor Maxwell, Better Care Fund Lead for Brent, explained that the overspend arose due to the challenging year experienced with community equipment suppliers. The liquidation of NRS left many boroughs, including Brent, in a difficult position, leading to additional costs for legal challenges and scrabbling to find suppliers that could then do the job.
While the exact costs of these legal challenges are not specified, they contributed to the overall overspend. The budget setting process for the BCF has also been a challenge, with funding often received late in the year, limiting planning capabilities. Furthermore, the meeting information noted that the need is increasing, and actually the budget setting from the ICB portion wasn't as accurate as it could be, and they were also limited by the funds that was available in the BCF.
The situation was exacerbated by the fact that all our eggs were in one basket, and that was a challenge.
Following the liquidation of NRS, Brent worked with eight suppliers, and this has gradually been slimmed down to four or five currently. The new provider is reported to be providing much better data, and the contract is stronger regarding expectations. However, specific terms and costs associated with these new contracts are not detailed.
Despite the overspend, the report presented to the board indicated that Brent successfully met all national conditions for the BCF in 2025-26. The board was asked to formally ratify this report, which can be found in the Public reports pack Thursday 30 July 2026.
The proposed BCF Plan for 2026-27 was also presented, which largely maintains existing investment while reflecting a strategic direction towards integrated neighbourhood working and prevention. The expected outcomes for the BCF overall, which would encompass this strategy, are: fewer hospital admissions, faster hospital discharges, more people supported safely at home, and fewer long-term residential admissions to care homes. The plan also indicates an increasing focus on prevention and early intervention, supporting people to remain independent in their own communities. Success will increasingly be measured not only by how quickly people leave hospital, but whether they are able to live healthier and more independent lives, receiving coordinated care at home and avoiding unnecessary escalation into more intensive services.
This plan has been developed jointly with the W&NL ICB and was submitted to NHS England, having been recognised as one of the strongest submissions in the region.
