GovWire

This draft guidance for engagement on health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) sets out the role of HWBs following the publication of the Health and Care Act 2022 and the Health and social care integration: joining up care for people, places and populations white paper (published February 2022).

Health and wellbeing boards are a key mechanism for driving joined-up working at a local level since they were established in 2013. The Health and Care Act 2022 has introduced new architecture to the health and care system, specifically the establishment of integrated care boards (ICBs) and integrated care partnerships (ICPs).

In this new landscape, HWBs continue to play an important role as a key mechanism for:

• joint working across health and care organisations
• setting strategic direction to improve the health and wellbeing of people locally

The Department for Health and Social Care will be updating the guidance on the HWBs general duties and powers following engagement with key stakeholders. This draft guidance for engagement will be used to engage with stakeholders before revised guidance is published later this year.

How to respond to the questions for engagement

This document contains a series of engagement questions. We welcome responses to these questions to:

• shape the guidance
• provide practical examples of the roles and ways of working of HWBs

If you have feedback on this document, or want to be involved in the engagement process, please email integrationplacepartnerships@dhsc.gov.uk by 16 September 2022.