Virtual meeting held on Zoom on 22 April 2026
Hosted by South Woodham Ferrers Health & Social Care Group (SWFH&SCG)
Led by Peter Blackman, Chair, SWFH&SCG
Peter referred to and explained:
- The SWFH&SCG Public Health System – Changes to local NHS held on 23 March 2026 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da74zZMigwE
- The Essex ICB meeting held on Thursday 23 April 2026 Agenda Papers at file:///C:/Users/PeterBlackman/Downloads/Part-1-Essex-ICB-Board-Meeting-Pack-23-April-2026-2.pdf particularly:
- Item 8 Chief Executive’s Report pp44-50, and
- Item 10 Neighbourhood Report pp73-127.
These latest papers are the best available explaining how the NHS operates in Essex since 1 April 2026.
These matters were discussed.
It was agreed that we must continue to lobby for effective patient and public engagement within our local NHS Essex.
Peter mentioned the question he had posed to the Essex ICB meeting then to be held on 23 April. This was answered [while Peter and Guide Dogs pup Jaggy were stuck in the long traffic jam on the A12 following a serious collision].
The following question was posed to the first substantive meeting of NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) on 23 April 2026:
“As we celebrate St George’s Day, please may I welcome the highly informative Chief Executive’s Report setting out your initial priorities and giving the detailed guidance about Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Health. This is complimented by the later Neighbourhood Report. Meeting Pack Page 106 includes the following: “Some of the ways in which the NHS works has undermined confidence from the public …. . Some of the issues with our historic action include …… D- Constant restructures which prevent the sector and the public from maintaining working relationships.” Members of the ‘old’ Mid Alliance Community Engagement Group have contacted us because they say they don’t know what has been happening with ‘our’ local NHS and two-way communication has been non-existent. These Board papers will be very useful in our informal virtual meeting about this on Wednesday 22nd evening. The Question: What patient and public two-way engagement is being set up for Alliances/new proposed local authority areas and the new 38 Neighbourhoods?
The Chief Executive’s reply was:
“Thank you for your question and I want to start by emphasising that we absolutely recognise that strong, two-way engagement with people and communities is essential to rebuilding trust, and Essex ICB is committed to ensuring the views of residents are at the centre of our decision-making process.
At neighbourhood level, we are keen to strengthen partnerships with the VCSE [voluntary, community, social enterprise] sector and existing community networks to ensure residents can both shape and respond to local priorities andbuild more collaborative relationships with trusted community voices.
Following the pre-election period, we will begin wider engagement on our Population Health Improvement Plan to test our ambitions with residents and ensure lived experience informs plans at both system and neighbourhood level. A further update on our approach to working with people and communities will be shared at a future Board meeting. In the meantime, we would like to formally thank groups such as the South Woodham Ferrers Health and Social Care Group for their continued commitment to representing local people, strengthening community voice, and supporting constructive dialogue with the NHS and partners.”
On 29 April 2026 at the Chelmsford CVS Forum James Halden, Chief of Staff, Essex ICB delivered a comprehensive presentation entitled “Making health services better in Essex – a partnership with communities, local government, and providers” and his slides are below which you will hopfeully find informative and as comprehensive as is presently available.
SWF Health & Social Care Group 