Agenda item

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to:

1.    NOTE and APPROVE the direction of travel set out in this report for the Oxfordshire Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27 and the decision-making process set out at paragraph 14.

2.    APPROVE the Oxfordshire Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27 and decision on the assurance statements set out at paragraph 19 (of the main report for this item) for submission by 19^th May 2026. 

Karen Fuller (Corporate Director for Adult Social Care, Oxfordshire County Council) and Isabel Rockingham (Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well) presented the Oxfordshire Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan for 2026–2027.

It was emphasised that the BCF remained a central mechanism for delivering integrated health and social care across Oxfordshire. She described the plan as a genuinely co-produced document developed jointly by the County Council, the Thames Valley ICB, and wider system partners. The purpose of the plan was to align investment across organisations in order to improve outcomes, support independence, and deliver more seamless care for residents.

The key strategic focus for the coming year was the continued shift from acute hospital-based care towards more preventative, community-based provision. This aligned with the broader ambition of the “Oxfordshire Way” and the emerging neighbourhood model of care, both of which aimed to support people to remain independent and well in their own communities for longer.

The Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well provided a detailed overview of the plan. She explained that 2026–2027 was being treated as a transition year ahead of anticipated national reform of the Better Care Fund in 2027–2028. As a result, there were no major structural changes to funding in the current year, and the focus had instead been on stabilising performance, strengthening alignment with neighbourhood working, and preparing the system for future reform.

The Head of Joint Commissioning – Age Well outlined the four key priority areas within the plan. She reported that admission avoidance remained a central priority, with Oxfordshire having achieved a 3% reduction in non-elective hospital admissions for people aged over 65 in the previous year, equivalent to approximately 800 fewer admissions. This had been supported by services such as the Single Point of Access and enhanced clinical triage systems through 111 and 999 services. She noted that continued investment in these services would seek to build on this success.

She then addressed the area of hospital discharge and system flow, noting that while Oxfordshire had maintained strong performance in enabling timely discharge, there had been an increase in delays due to the rising complexity of patients and workforce challenges. In response, the plan included additional investment in staffing capacity, intermediate care provision, and digital tools to improve discharge processes and reduce administrative delays.

Finally, it was emphasised that the BCF remained a system-owned plan, with shared governance and jointly funded roles across organisations. It was also explained that a system-wide finance schedule had been developed to improve transparency and support longer-term planning, particularly in anticipation of national changes to funding arrangements.

Karen Fuller also addressed the issue of rural service delivery, explaining that new models of home care provision had been introduced, including locality-based arrangements where providers operated within specific geographic areas. She reported that this had improved the availability of home care and increased overall capacity by approximately 25%, demonstrating a successful response to the challenges of delivering services in rural communities.

Michelle Brennan emphasised the importance of a more preventative approach across the system. She reflected that historically, services had focused disproportionately on the most complex and frail individuals, whereas greater long-term impact could be achieved by supporting people earlier in their health journey. She highlighted the need to focus on individuals who were currently well, or at risk of developing long-term conditions, to prevent progression to frailty and reduce overall system demand.

The Board RESOLVED to:

1. NOTE and APPROVE the direction of travel set out in this report for the Oxfordshire Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27 and the decision-making process set out at paragraph 14 of the report.

2. APPROVE the Oxfordshire Better Care Fund Plan for 2026/27 and decision on the assurance statements set out at paragraph 19 (of the main report for this item) for submission by 19^th May 2026.