Agenda item

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to:

1.    Provide feedback on the proposed design of the 2026 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).

2.    Advise on the content of the 2026 JSNA, approach, and to highlight any additional topics and themes of research and intelligence interest that they would like to see included.

3.    Via relevant officers in their organisations, contribute information and intelligence to the JSNA to further its development and participate in making information more accessible to everyone.

Craig Miles-Clarke (Senior Research Officer, Oxfordshire County Council) presented a report on the Oxfordshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for 2026.

Since the previous iteration of the JSNA, additional support and resources had been developed to improve usability. These included training sessions delivered across multiple teams within the County Council, as well as the production of three public-facing videos available via the Oxfordshire Data Hub. These resources were intended to support users in navigating the increasingly digital format of the JSNA, particularly the interactive Power BI dashboards that had been introduced.

The Senior Research Officer summarised the findings of a recent user feedback survey conducted following the 2025 JSNA, and reported that the majority of users felt confident navigating the JSNA and expressed a preference for the blended format, which combined interactive dashboards with traditional narrative reports. Users had indicated that data was generally easy to find, although there had been mixed feedback regarding the effectiveness of training provision, with some respondents suggesting that further improvements were required.

Turning to the proposals for the 2026 update, it was confirmed that the blended format would be retained, with continued use of interactive dashboards alongside downloadable narrative reports for each thematic chapter. It was explained that content development would be guided by the JSNA steering group, which would review existing indicators and consider new areas for inclusion based on public health need, strategic alignment, and capacity. The 2025 JSNA had included approximately 435 indicators, and future development would involve prioritisation to ensure the assessment remained focused and usable.

The Senior Research Officer drew attention to three proposed areas of focus for the 2026 JSNA. These included an updated and expanded section on inclusion health groups, further development of data and research relating to homes and health, and an update to the gambling harms section, which had last been refreshed in 2024. The importance of the JSNA in supporting Oxfordshire’s status as a Marmot Place was also emphasised, particularly in improving understanding of health inequalities across the county.

Chris Wright (Associate Director of Oxfordshire Place, Thames Valley ICB) expressed appreciation for the work undertaken in developing the JSNA, and noted that he had been involved in the previous year’s process and considered it to have been well executed. They highlighted the value of the JSNA and wider data resources hosted by the County Council, particularly from an NHS and healthcare planning perspective, and emphasised their usefulness for both professionals and the wider public.

Michelle Brennan echoed these comments, noting that she had made frequent use of the JSNA dashboards in her work on neighbourhood initiatives. She described the tools as highly useful and welcomed the continued development of the digital format.

The Board RESOLVED to:

1. NOTE and Provide feedback on the proposed design of the 2026 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).

2. ADVISE on the content of the 2026 JSNA, approach, and to highlight any additional topics and themes of research and intelligence interest that they would like to see included.

3. Via relevant officers in their organisations, CONTRIBUTE information and intelligence to the JSNA to further its development and participate in making information more accessible to everyone.