Proposals for the duties of health and wellbeing boards are published today by the Department of Health. The draft guidance, on which views are being sought, provides a framework for NHS and local government to work together to undertake joint strategic needs assessments(JSNA) and joint health and wellbeing strategies (JHWS).
There is an eight-week public consultation on the draft guidance that:
- lays out duties that underpin JSNAs and JHWSs to be undertaken by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities through health and wellbeing boards from April 2013
- explains how JSNAs and JHWSs will fit together with commissioning plans in the health and care system
- sets out how the JSNA and JHWS process will enable the NHS and local government to make real improvements to the health and wellbeing of local people.
Views on the guidance should be fed back by 28 September 2012.
Respond to the consultation online
Read the documents:
- Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy draft guidance: proposals for consultation (PDF, 150K)
- Easy read guide
- General health and wellbeing board duties and powers (PDF, 55K)
- Factsheet: Table of duties and powers (PDF, 117K)
- Technical appendix (PDF, 101K)
- Summary of terms (PDF, 111K)
- Frequently asked questions (PDF, 55K)
Health and wellbeing boards will be made up of clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, patient representatives, public health, and children’s and adult social care leaders in each local authority area to shape local health and care services, decide how they will be commissioned and support joined-up working across health and care services. Joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies will set out the local needs and agree priorities to underpin local commissioning plans.