Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies were received from Cllr Edwards, substituted by Cllr Gordon, and from Cllr Bearder, Cabinet member for Adults.

See guidance note on the back page.

Cllr Fletcher declared a non-pecuniary interest, that her mother was a full-time unpaid carer, and that she and her wife both had caring duties.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 06 November 2025 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 06 November 2025, were APPROVED as a true and accurate record, subject to the correction of a typographical error on page 8, about the spelling on “approved”.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting, or present a petition, can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting, i.e. Monday, 12 January 2026.

Requests should be submitted to the Scrutiny Officer at scrutiny@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

There were none.

Cllr Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Adults, Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Services, and Isabel Rockingham, Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well, have been invited to present a report on the Oxfordshire Unpaid Carers Strategy.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

The Committee invited Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Services, Isabel Rockingham, Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well, and Jordan Marsh, Commissioning Officer, to present a report on the Oxfordshire Unpaid Carers Strategy.

The Director of Adult Social Services and the Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well presented a summary on the Oxfordshire Unpaid Carers Strategy. The Director emphasised the crucial importance of supporting unpaid carers and explained that recent efforts had made their support a system-wide responsibility across Oxfordshire. The Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well outlined the key points of the report, noting that unpaid carers contributed the equivalent of around 7.9 billion hours of care, which was vital to the health and social care system.

However, the Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well set out that fewer people were self-identifying as carers, making it harder for the Council to offer necessary support. The Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well stressed that the Council’s statutory duties under the Care Act required assessment and support for all known unpaid carers. Strategic priorities were highlighted, including better identification of carers, improved access to information and guidance, and personalised support plans, all aimed at helping older people live independently at home.

Cllr Boucher-Giles joined the meeting at this stage.

Following the presentation, members engaged in an extended discussion with officers exploring the challenges faced by unpaid carers and the effectiveness of current support arrangements. A strong theme throughout the exchanges was the difficulty in reliably identifying carers across the county. Officers explained that while hospitals were a common route for recognition, increasing emphasis had been placed on primary care settings. Work with GP practices had helped encourage clinicians to flag unpaid carers on patient records, despite longstanding problems caused by incompatible health and social care systems. Carers Oxfordshire focused primarily on adults, but younger carers were usually identified through schools, health contacts or self‑referral and were then supported by the children’s team, which worked with families to assess need and coordinate tailored assistance.

Members highlighted residents’ concerns about navigating the congestion charge exemptions for unpaid carers. Examples were shared of older carers who struggled with digital systems or were unsure whether they were eligible, particularly if they lived with the person for whom they cared. Officers recognised these concerns and stressed the importance of effective communication, between the Council and unpaid carers. Although many carers had been supported in the lead‑up to the scheme’s introduction, the system inevitably relied on people coming forward. Providers such as Carers Oxfordshire were kept informed so that advice and signposting were consistent but officers accepted that more work was needed to ensure carers felt confident about entitlements and understood how to access them.

Questions were raised by members about how the Council responded when a person’s care needs escalated beyond what family members or friends could reasonably provide. Officers described the coordinated approach already in place for those with significant health conditions, which involved multidisciplinary oversight through health  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5/26

Cllr Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Adults, Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Services, Ian Bottomley, Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well,  and Sharon Paterson, Commissioning Manager – Live Well, have been invited to present a report on Supported Independent Housing.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

The Committee invited Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Services, Bhavna Taank, Head of Joint Commissioning – Live Well, and Jordan Marsh, Commissioning Officer, to present a report on Supported Independent housing.

The Head of Joint Commissioning - Live Well summarised the supported independent living report, highlighting current services for adults aged 18–65 with learning disabilities and autism. She noted challenges, including insufficient specialist accommodation and a fragmented provider market, but described ongoing improvements such as a strengthened provider framework and greater involvement of people with lived experience. Strategic priorities include expanding support for complex needs, increasing local provision for young adults, and reducing out‑of‑county placements. The Director added that, although Oxfordshire had been successful in supporting people at home, there remained a need for more specialist supported living units and continued strategic focus to address this gap.

Following the presentation, members held an extended discussion with officers that explored the cost, capacity, and operation of supported living services. The conversation began with concerns about overall value for money, given that the service’s £56 million budget equates to nearly £86,000 per service user, Officers explained that many supported living residents have highly complex needs, requiring intensive levels of support that inevitably drive costs.

The Director noted that, in practice, delivering this provision in‑house would likely be even more expensive because of staffing requirements. She acknowledged that the Council had not always managed the provider market as effectively in earlier years but emphasised that recent work had strengthened frameworks, set clearer expectations, and improved consistency across providers. She also stressed that every out‑of‑county placement was reviewed carefully, with the Council seeking local options wherever feasible.

Members then turned to whether the primary barrier to reducing out‑of‑county placements was the availability of suitable housing or the right support packages. Officers explained that, while both elements matter, the more significant constraint was the shortage of appropriate properties, particularly for people with the highest levels of need. New complex‑needs accommodation was being developed in Witney, Faringdon, and Chalgrove, and the provider framework already included specialist organisations able to deliver the care required. As a result, the main bottleneck lay in securing and adapting buildings, rather than in accessing support providers.

Discussion moved to how the Council planned for young people transitioning from children’s services to adult supported living, given the small but highly individualised nature of the cohort. Officers described a transition process that began at age 16, supported by link workers who assessed needs early and work with families to plan ahead. In the most complex cases, the Council collaborated with Homes England to obtain capital funding for bespoke properties. Although such cases were few in number, they represented disproportionately high costs. To understand future demand, the Council had commissioned a housing survey overlaying demographic data to forecast the need for specialist accommodation over the next decade. The Director observed that the process was complicated by the involvement of five district councils  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/26

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings, having heard any changes from previous iterations, and taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

The Council’s Forward Plan can be found here: Council Forward Plan

The Committee NOTED the forward work plan and considered a range of topics for future scrutiny.

Members proposed examining the support available to veterans as they transition to civilian life, with a focus on mental health. The interaction between transport management and adult social care was raised, alongside the need to explore the links between climate change and health, such as the impact of flooding and heatwaves on residents’ wellbeing.

The Committee agreed to revisit the Carers Strain Index, including the lived experiences of carers, and requested a focused item on the Oxfordshire Way strategy and its implementation. An update on the transformation programme following the CQC report was requested.

Community cohesion was highlighted, with a suggestion to understand localities work, the role of immigration teams, and public health initiatives such as the Marmot approach. Members also sought updates on the Connect to Work programme, the CQC improvement programme, the development of neighbourhood health, community resilience, social prescribing, and medical equipment supply.