The partnership will manage the borough’s Better Care Fund, which seeks to integrate health and social care
Waltham Forest Council is set to enter a new open‑ended partnership agreement with NHS North East London (NEL) to manage the borough’s Better Care Fund (BCF) from April 2026.
The BCF – worth £41.5 million in 2025/26 – funds a wide range of local health and care services, from hospital discharge teams and rapid response services to community equipment, dementia support and end‑of‑life care.
Under national rules, the fund must be delivered through a formal Section 75 agreement between local authorities and NHS bodies. The current agreement expires in March 2026, and cabinet papers recommend replacing it with an open‑ended version containing mutually agreed termination clauses. Officers say this will cut bureaucracy, reduce repeated legal costs, and align Waltham Forest with the seven other NEL boroughs, all of which already use open‑ended agreements.
The BCF aims to integrate health and social care, helping people stay independent, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and leave hospital more quickly when they are ready. Funding last year supported reablement teams, rapid response, community rehab beds, assistive technology, carers’ services and support for vulnerable residents with complex needs.
According to a cabinet report, the fund contributed to “faster discharges, avoided emergency admissions, promoted independence and strengthened community wellbeing.”
The government will also reform the scheme from April 2026, renaming it the Integrated Care Funding Framework (ICFF) and focusing more tightly on neighbourhood‑level intermediate care.
Waltham Forest plans to expand the agreement beyond the BCF to include other joint funding areas such as Section 117 mental health aftercare and the Integrated Community Equipment Service. Council officers say this will bring clearer governance, transparent reporting and streamlined financial processes across multiple shared budgets.
The Health & Wellbeing Board, which oversees BCF performance locally, has already supported the move.
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