Agenda item

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to:

1.             NOTE the progress on the delivery of priorities 5 & 6 for Age Well within the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

2.             NOTE and AGREE the proposed amendments to the Health and Wellbeing Board Shared Outcome metrics.

Karen Fuller (Director of Adult Social Care and Izzy Rockingham (Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well) presented the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Update on priorities 5-6.

Karen Fuller introduced the item, explaining that the paper provided a comprehensive update on progress against Priorities 5 and 6 of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which focused on maintaining independence for older people and strengthening social relationships. She noted that the report also proposed amendments to the shared outcomes and metrics used to track delivery, reflecting changes in the wider policy and data landscape.

Karen Fuller emphasised that the report illustrated the value of system‑wide working under the “Oxfordshire Way”, particularly where health, social care, voluntary sector and district partners had aligned their activity. She highlighted that the agenda item linked closely with earlier discussion on neighbourhood health and care, and that the Age Well work was expected to increasingly align with neighbourhood‑based models over time.

The Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well then presented the detailed content of the report. She explained that Priority 5 centred on maintaining independence and had three core shared outcomes. The first was ensuring that older people remained safe, well and independent in their own homes for longer. She described how the system was supporting more people at home, including increases in care hours delivered through adult social care and greater use of extra care housing. She stressed that this was not solely a social care issue, but depended heavily on community‑based support and voluntary sector involvement. She highlighted the role of voluntary sector partners in improving health and wellbeing and reducing reliance on statutory services. She drew attention to the Move Together programme, noting that while it targeted people with long‑term conditions, 45% of participants were over 65, meaning that a majority were being reached earlier in life. This was described as a positive shift towards prevention, reducing frailty before it became entrenched.

In relation to hospital activity, the Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well reported that Oxfordshire remained on target for emergency admissions relating to long‑term conditions. However, she acknowledged that falls‑related admissions remained above target. She explained that a system‑wide falls action group had been established and was developing a coordinated response involving health, social care and voluntary partners.

The second shared outcome related to supporting people who had lost a degree of independence. The Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well described consistently strong reablement outcomes, with around 80% of people achieving independence or reduced care needs following reablement. She explained how this aligned with the Home First approach and a continued commitment to treating care home admission as a last resort. Oxfordshire’s performance in this area compared favourably with other local authorities nationally.

The Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well also highlighted an area of concern: dementia diagnosis rates. She explained that Oxfordshire remained below target, and outlined work underway through a BOB Integrated Care Board‑wide group and local clinical groups within Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust to address this.

The third shared outcome focused on empowering older people to make decisions about their own health and wellbeing. There was an increasing use of Live Well Oxfordshire as a directory of community support, and it was highlighted that the impact of the specialist advice service, which had supported nearly 3,000 people in its first year, had secured significant financial benefits for residents.

Turning to Priority 6, the Head of Joint Commissioning-Age Well explained that social isolation remained a major challenge. She noted that while Oxfordshire performed better than the England average, over a third of older people still reported not having as much social contact as they would like. She described work to strengthen community connections through community capacity grants, partnerships with organisations such as Age UK, and local area coordination.

There were also particular challenges faced by older people in rural areas, including isolation, transport barriers and digital exclusion. It was explained that this work was closely linked to the Marmot programme and that public health colleagues were supporting further analysis and targeted responses.

The Board expressed surprise that discharge to usual place of residence was no longer a required national metric, noting its importance in supporting independence. It was explained that while the national requirement had been removed, local measurement could still be retained.

The Board also sought clarification on falls prevention, questioning whether the issue was a lack of provision or a lack of awareness and coordination. It was responded that there was a breadth of existing services, but that navigation and awareness were challenges. It was explained that a public‑facing and professional awareness campaign had been launched, alongside practical measures such as a dedicated advice line for care homes.

Further discussion explored the role of environment in falls prevention, including pavements, housing and public spaces. The importance of avoiding over‑medicalisation and instead addressing wider determinants through neighbourhood planning and highways collaboration was also emphasised.

The Board also discussed satisfaction metrics, noting that Oxfordshire was slightly below the national average. It was explained that there were limitations of national surveys and how local feedback mechanisms, including Healthwatch intelligence and provider engagement, were being used to gain a more nuanced understanding.

The Board RESOLVED to:

1. NOTE the progress on the delivery of priorities 5 & 6 for Age Well within the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

2. NOTE and AGREE the proposed amendments to the Health and Wellbeing Board Shared Outcome metrics.