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This paper seeks to look at proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill for the establishment of health and wellbeing boards.

The paper looks at one part of the Health and Social Care Bill, the provisions in Chapter 2 of Part 5 relating to the establishment and functions of health and wellbeing boards.

The paper considers the functions of health and wellbeing boards, particularly in relation to encouraging integrated working, and suggests that the proposed legislation does not yet clearly spell out what steps the boards should take to encourage integrated working or how commissioners of services should be encouraged to work more closely together.

This paper offers a legal perspective on the possible establishment of health and wellbeing boards.

This paper aims to examine the role of health and wellbeing boards in the context of the Government's reforms introduced by the Health and Social Act 2012 and the fundamental challenges facing the NHS and local government; it also aims to assess evidence from the early experience of shadow boards and considers what factors will most influence their success.

The paper draws on an analysis of the policy literature and on structured telephone interviews with lead representatives of 50 health and wellbeing boards randomly selected from a representative cross section of English local authorities; it also draws on case study material, some of which has been written up for other articles in this Special Issue.

Early experience of the boards in shadow form indicates there is considerable optimism about their prospects to achieve greater success in achieving integrated services but they face formidable challenges arising from a hostile financial climate and unchanged national policy fault lines that have hindered effective integration to date. Poor engagement with providers will limit progress. Five factors that are likely to determine the effectiveness of boards are identified. Their biggest single challenge arises from the role of local government in delivering strong, credible and shared leadership which engages people in transforming local services.

Current knowledge is based on the operation of shadow boards at a very early stage in their development and in the context of complex organisational change in which there is major uncertainty about emerging roles of new bodies.

There is very little systematic research evidence about the development of health and wellbeing boards other than the work reported in this paper, illustrated by the linked articles which follow it.

The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of issues being faced, and likely to have to be faced, in establishing effective health and wellbeing boards.

The paper is based the perspective of the Department of Health's lead for implementation of these boards. Set in the context of national policy expectation, it draws on the early experiences of board development all over the country; and on discussions and seminars held to test their practical implications.

Transformation of the current pattern of services is needed to meet the preferred needs of the public. This is a major challenge at local level, and the leadership capacity and style of the new boards, and their communication skill, will be vital to the creation of responsive integrated services.

The paper draws together current thinking on a key policy initiative of the current government, and links it directly to integrated health and social care.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on the progress of the Campaign to End Loneliness, and aims to illustrate how commissioners can be influenced to address loneliness in their localities.

The paper is a case study that draws upon an external evaluation of the Campaign to End Loneliness by Charities Evaluation Services, a review of local government strategies and case studies of good practice.

This paper focuses on the design, implementation and progress of Loneliness Harms Health, a series of local campaigns targeting health and wellbeing boards. It provides a case study of how evidence-based campaigning influenced newly formed health and wellbeing boards to address loneliness in their localities, and identifies implications for commissioner and provider practice.

This paper demonstrates how to successfully influence commissioning practice using a “pincer” movement of local campaigning, top-down advice and information. It highlights examples of good practice uncovered by the Campaign over the past 18 months including measurement of, and partnership working around, the issue of loneliness in older age. Three recommendations are made for local service providers and commissioners wishing to address loneliness: it should be linked to other priorities, cross-agency partnerships are vital and asset-based approaches can save money. It concludes with information about the future of the Campaign to End Loneliness and information on how to get involved.

This paper provides a detailed analysis of an innovative, policy-based, campaigning strategy to influence commissioning and practice around the issue of loneliness in older age. It is an issue which can be easily overlooked by care, public health and NHS professionals, but early results indicate the newly formed health and wellbeing boards can play a significant role in addressing it.

To share a case study of a service improvement review of practice and ambition for Health and Wellbeing Boards in the English West Midlands in the changing context of Integrated Care Systems.

Mixed qualitative methods: 33 semi-structured interviews with senior care and health leaders; a computer-based self-assessment tool for Health and Wellbeing Boards; and desktop analysis of Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies.

“Place-based partnership” is a motivating concept, embracing the agency of leaders in pursuing local strategies and solutions. The need for strong leadership was recognised. The opportunity for Integrated Care Systems to contribute to narrowing health inequalities was welcomed by building on local place-based models, maximising council expertise in managing population health and wellbeing in their areas.

The case study is a snapshot of a developing area at a time when further government guidance for Integrated Care Systems was pending. More specific analysis of place-based partnerships in the West Midlands in the context of Health and Wellbeing Boards and Integrated Care Systems would seem beneficial. In addition, further research of subsequent changes such as the Hewitt Review is also considered important.

The review shows the assertion of “place” as a unifying concept for Health and Wellbeing Boards and Integrated Care Systems. It suggests closer involvement of leaders in children's services with local Health and Wellbeing Boards is needed.

Health and Wellbeing Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships share common aims of improving the health and wellbeing of local populations. Maximising integration especially on preventative approaches and fully engaging communities in health would have positive social impact.

The case study adds to the relatively less well-developed literature on Health and Wellbeing Boards and their link with Integrated Care Partnerships.

The aim of this paper is to bring attention to the current level of engagement of care service provider organisations with shadow health and wellbeing boards. The paper argues that full engagement of provider organisations will improve the effective working of the future health and wellbeing boards; both in the creation of good commissioning strategies and in their subsequent implementation.

A survey of Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) members was undertaken, and analysed alongside other reports of progress in implementation.

Currently there is a very low level of engagement of provider organisations. A notable exception is in Coventry which is an exemplar for good engagement: a case study is provided.

This is new knowledge. Also, a connection is made between emerging government policy on market facilitation in social care and its implications for health and wellbeing boards.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the effectiveness of partnership working in public health and draws on a systematic review of public health partnerships and original research conducted by the authors. It then considers in the light of research evidence whether the recently established Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act will help agencies to work together more effectively to improve population health or will go the way of previous initiatives and fall short of their original promise.

The paper is based on a systematic literature review conducted by the authors and empirical research focusing upon the ability of public health partnerships to reduce health inequalities and improve population health outcomes. It also draws on recent studies evaluating HWBs.

The paper finds that, hitherto, public health partnerships have had limited impact on improving population health and reducing health inequalities and that there is a danger that HWBs will follow the same path-dependent manner of previous partnership initiatives with limited impact in improving population health outcomes and reducing health inequalities.

The research draws on a systematic literature review and further scoping review of public health partnerships, in addition to empirical research conducted by the authors. It also reviews the current evidence base on HWBs. It is recognised that HWBs are in their early stages and have not as yet had the time to fulfil their role in service collaboration and integration.

The paper gives an overview of how and why public health partnerships in the past have not lived up to the expectations placed upon them. It then offers practical steps that HWBs need to take to take to ensure the mistakes of the past are not replicated in the future.

The research outlines how public health partnerships can operate in a more effective manner, to ensure a more seamless provision for service users. The paper then gives pointers as to how this can benefit HWBs and the wider community they serve.

The paper draws on a comprehensive research study of the effectiveness of public health partnerships on improving health outcomes and a systematic literature review. In addition, it also draws upon the current evidence base evaluating HWBs, to inform the discussion on their future prospects, in regard to partnership working in public health and promoting service integration.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) are intended to help create evidence-based priorities for public health commissioning at local government level in the UK. They are supposed to consider the needs of people with protected characteristics, and this study aims to look at how the JSNAs for London are serving the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) population.

JSNAs are documentary data and are in the public domain. Each of the 31 JSNAs for London was individually assessed against a series of questions designed to test their inclusion of the local LGBTQ+ population.

Fewer than one in five of London’s JSNAs: had a dedicated LGBTQ+ section; cited bespoke research into, or engagement with, the local LGBTQ+ population; made recommendations for specialist services for people from this community; or considered intersectionality in the context of this population.

This study demonstrates that many of London’s JSNAs contain little information on the city’s local LGBTQ+ population and only minimal assessment of its health, care and wellbeing needs. Recommendations include conducting further research on this population at the local level, using available guidance and engaging best practice.

This paper seeks to provide a critique on the overall readiness of joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) to respond to the new roles and functions proposed by the Health and Social Care Bill 2011.

Commentary informed by a national survey of Directors of Public Health in early 2011, a 2010 regional survey of JSNA leads in the South East, and other thematic and case study research exercises commissioned by or associated with the 2009‐2011 DH JSNA Development Programme.

Despite significant progress in the quality of JSNA 2008‐2010, raised expectations pose a serious challenge. It is possible to identify a number of key issues that must be directly addressed if the process is to fulfil the new expectations. The paper concludes with a call to action for members of health and wellbeing boards to audit the quality of their existing JSNA around these main challenges.

A new perspective on JSNA in light of new policy changes, combining existing research, unpublished research (as of August 2011) and the authors' experience leading national JSNA policy and improvement at the Department of Health.

This paper aims to contribute to the discourse on the role and efficacy of the newly emerging health and well being boards which are established within the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It also aims to propose the importance of high functioning relationships underpinning clear but flexible local design.

The paper is based on the reflections of the chair of the shadow Health and Well Being Board in Bath and North East Somerset and the chief executive of one of the local provider organisations. They share a commitment to effective joint working and see the workings of health and well being boards epitomising the functionality of local interagency working. This is explored through a case study of the development of the Health and Well Being Board in Bath and North East Somerset.

The paper proposes the importance of high functioning relationships that can transcend structures and suggests that health and well being boards be considered as system orchestrators creating space for the challenge and creativity that creates “good enough” solutions to complex issues.

The paper contributes to the active discourse on how best to establish and develop effective health and well being boards and aims to create value through shared learning and experience.