Agenda and draft minutes

In view of the fact Cllr Tim Bearder, the Chair, had sent apologies and the absence of a vice-Chair, the Board AGREED to appoint Cllr Sean Gaul as temporary Chair for the meeting.

Upon being elected Chair, Cllr Sean Gaul made the following statements to the Board:

Ø  The HWB did not currently have a vice-chair. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) had just recruited a new Chair who was in the process of being on-boarded at the Trust. They would ultimately become the new vice-chair of the HWB by the next meeting in September 2026.

Ø  The All-Age Autism Strategy had now come to this meeting for full and final sign off. The delays were partly to allow the strategy to be discussed at the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) prior to its formal sign off by the HWB.

Ø  There was a Neighbourhood Health Plan item at this meeting, although this would again be for the HWB to note the ongoing work to develop the plan, as opposed to signing off a final version of the plan.

The Board NOTED the Chair’s introduction.

Apologies were received from Cllr Lisa Smith, with Cllr Rob Pattenden substituting.

Apologies were also received from Lisa Lyons.

Apologies were received by Cllr Tim Bearder.

None were made.

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 present a petition must be submitted no later than 9am ten working days before the meeting.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting (ie, Monday 9^th July 2026 9AM).

Requests should be submitted to omid.nouri@oxfordshire.gov.uk AND committeesdemocraticservices@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 no registered speakers.

To APPROVE the Note of Decisions of the meeting held on 14 May 2026 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes/Note of Decisions of the meeting held on 14 May 2026 were APPROVED as an accurate record.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to:

1.    Endorse the Oxfordshire All-Age Autism Strategy 2026-2031, approve its publication and implementation, and agree the contents and principles set out in the strategy. (Annex 1)

2.    Note that LGR may affect delivery of the Oxfordshire All-Age Autism Strategy 2026-2031 by changing system-wide governance, leadership and funding arrangements. While this may cause delays, it also provides an opportunity to strengthen partnership working and improve service alignment.

Karen Fuller (Director of Adult Social Care); Bhavna Taank (Head of Joint Commissioning – Live Well); Derek Gravett-Smith (Strategic Commissioner – Live Well); and Dee Nic-Sitric (Chief Executive of Autism Champions) presented the All-Age Autism Strategy.

The Head of Joint Commissioning – Live Well explained that the strategy had been developed through a substantial programme of engagement and co-production involving autistic people, their families, carers, community organisations, education providers, health services, social care services and wider stakeholders. Autism touched many aspects of an individual’s life and that the strategy had therefore deliberately adopted a whole-system approach rather than focusing solely on health and care services. The intention was to ensure that all organisations across Oxfordshire understood their role in improving outcomes for autistic people and creating environments in which they could thrive.

The Board heard that autistic people continued to experience poorer outcomes than the wider population across a range of measures. The strategy recognised challenges relating to access to appropriate support, barriers to education and employment, difficulties in obtaining suitable housing, inequalities in physical and mental health outcomes, and inconsistent experiences when accessing public services. Members were advised that whilst significant work had been undertaken across Oxfordshire in recent years, feedback from autistic people had demonstrated that many of these challenges remained prevalent and required a coordinated, long-term response.

The Strategic Commissioner – Live Well outlined the principal themes emerging from the consultation and co-production process. Autistic people and their families had consistently highlighted the need for services to become more accessible, flexible and responsive. Stakeholders had also stressed the importance of increasing understanding of autism across society, improving transitions between services, strengthening support during adulthood, and ensuring that autistic people were meaningfully involved in decisions which affected them. The strategy sought to establish a clear framework for addressing these issues over the next five years whilst retaining sufficient flexibility to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

The Chief Executive of Autism Champions provided an expert-by-experience perspective on the strategy, describing the significance of the co-production process and welcomed the extent to which autistic people had been involved in shaping the final document. Autistic people often faced challenges not because of their autism itself, but because systems and environments had not been designed with sufficient understanding of neurodiversity. Many autistic people encountered unnecessary barriers when accessing healthcare, education, housing and employment, and that these barriers could have profound consequences for wellbeing, independence and quality of life.

Board members discussed education and learning, noting the importance of ensuring that autistic children and young people received appropriate support as early as possible. It was recognised that positive experiences during childhood could significantly influence long-term outcomes in adulthood.

Discussion took place regarding the importance of early identification, transitions between educational settings, and ensuring that educational environments were appropriately equipped to support neurodiverse learners. Members emphasised the value of partnership working between schools, health services and local authorities in improving outcomes for autistic children and young people.

The Board also explored issues  ...  view the full minutes text for item 208.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to:

1.    NOTE the progress made in embedding the Marmot approach, using the 8 Marmot principles as a framework for understanding inequalities, and strengthening system-wide action on health inequalities in Oxfordshire.

2.    NOTE the next phase of delivery, focused on converting insight and deep-dive recommendations into agreed actions, clear ownership and measurable outcomes.

3.    AGREE that Marmot related equity measures should be embedded within the refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy outcomes framework to strengthen oversight and accountability.

Kate Holburn (Deputy Director of Public Health) and Jessica Allen (Deputy Director- Institute of Health Equity) presented the Marmot update. Members were reminded that Oxfordshire had formally adopted the Marmot Place approach as a framework for addressing health inequalities and improving population wellbeing through action on the wider determinants of health. The Deputy Director explained that the Marmot approach recognised that health outcomes were influenced by a broad range of social, economic and environmental factors, including housing, education, employment, income, transport, community resilience and access to services. Accordingly, the programme required a coordinated, whole-system response involving organisations across the public, voluntary and community sectors. 

The Deputy Director of Public Health explained that significant progress had been made since Oxfordshire adopted the Marmot Place framework. Work had focused on embedding Marmot principles across existing programmes and partnerships, whilst also strengthening the evidence base relating to health inequalities within the county. Although Oxfordshire was often perceived as a relatively affluent county, county-wide averages masked significant inequalities experienced by particular communities and neighbourhoods. A central ambition of the programme was therefore to improve understanding of these inequalities and ensure that policy and service delivery were informed by a more comprehensive appreciation of residents’ lived experiences.

Members were informed that extensive engagement activity had been undertaken with communities across Oxfordshire. Over 700 residents had participated in engagement exercises designed to capture lived experience and improve understanding of the issues that mattered most to local communities. This engagement had included both urban and rural communities and had sought to reach residents who were often underrepresented in traditional consultation processes. The findings had highlighted a range of recurring themes, including concerns regarding access to services, cost-of-living pressures, housing quality, transport connectivity, social isolation and employment opportunities.

One of the most significant findings from the engagement programme had been the variation in experiences across different parts of Oxfordshire. Whilst some challenges were common across the county, it was apparent that communities experienced these issues in different ways depending upon local circumstances. Rural communities frequently highlighted concerns relating to transport, access to services and social isolation, whilst urban communities often raised issues associated with housing affordability, deprivation and the pressures associated with rapidly growing populations. The Marmot Place programme therefore sought to ensure that action was tailored to local circumstances rather than relying upon a single county-wide approach. 

The Board heard that considerable work had also taken place to align the Marmot Place programme with other major strategic initiatives across the county. The Deputy Director of Public Health explained that Marmot principles were increasingly influencing the development of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Better Care Fund, neighbourhood health planning work and broader partnership activity. Particular emphasis was being placed on prevention, early intervention and reducing inequalities, ensuring that these themes became embedded within the design and delivery of services.

Barbara Shaw welcomed the emphasis on lived experience and emphasised the importance of ensuring that engagement became an ongoing feature of the programme, and that communities remained actively  ...  view the full minutes text for item 209.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to NOTE the Neighbourhood Health Plan Update.

Michelle Brennan (Oxfordshire GP representative) presented the Oxfordshire Neighbourhood Health Plan update. Neighbourhood health formed a central component of the wider transformation taking place across the health and care system. The overarching ambition was to move from a predominantly reactive model focused on responding to ill health towards a more preventative, proactive and community-oriented approach that addressed the needs of local populations at a neighbourhood level.

The Board heard that significant progress had been made in defining neighbourhood footprints across Oxfordshire and in identifying the local partnerships that would support neighbourhood working. Members were advised that these footprints had been developed through collaboration between local authorities, primary care, NHS providers, voluntary and community organisations and other partners. The intention was to establish neighbourhoods which reflected local communities and population needs whilst remaining of a scale that would support meaningful collaboration and service integration. 

The Thames Valley Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) Associate Director of Oxfordshire Place outlined the broader national context within which the work was being undertaken. Neighbourhood health had become an increasingly significant feature of national health policy, with growing recognition that many of the challenges facing health and care systems could not be addressed solely through acute hospital services. Greater emphasis was now being placed upon prevention, population health management, integration and community resilience.

Members were informed that recent engagement with national programme representatives had provided positive feedback regarding Oxfordshire's progress in developing neighbourhood arrangements. Particular recognition had been given to the work undertaken to define neighbourhood geographies and to connect neighbourhood development with other major programmes focused on prevention, reducing inequalities and addressing the wider determinants of health. It was acknowledged, however, that significant work remained to translate strategic ambitions into operational delivery.

Ansaf Azhar highlighted the strong relationship between neighbourhood health and Oxfordshire's wider Marmot Place ambitions. neighbourhoods offered an important mechanism through which partners could better understand local populations and address inequalities in a more targeted way. By bringing together intelligence, community insight and local relationships, neighbourhood approaches could support more effective identification of need and enable services to intervene earlier before problems became more complex and costly. 

The discussion focused on the development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, which were described as a key delivery mechanism within the emerging model. These teams would bring together professionals from across health, social care, primary care, community services, mental health services and the voluntary and community sector to work collaboratively around the needs of local populations. The objective would be to reduce fragmentation between services, improve coordination of support and facilitate earlier intervention.

The discussion also considered the importance of ensuring that neighbourhood health arrangements reflected the diversity of Oxfordshire's communities. Members noted that urban and rural areas faced different challenges and that neighbourhood approaches would need sufficient flexibility to respond to differing local circumstances. Particular reference was made to the importance of maintaining strong links with community organisations and ensuring that neighbourhood arrangements were informed by local knowledge and lived experience rather than solely by organisational priorities.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 210.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to NOTE the report and update.

Richard Smith (Head of Housing, Cherwell District Council) and Grace Hinde (Oxfordshire Countywide Homelessness Partnership Manager) presented the Prevention of Homelessness Director’s Group Update. The report provided a six-monthly update on the work of the Directors’ Group and outlined progress in the development of a refreshed countywide Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. Members were advised that the Directors’ Group continued to bring together representatives from Oxfordshire’s local authorities and partner organisations to coordinate activity aimed at preventing homelessness, reducing rough sleeping and improving outcomes for individuals experiencing housing insecurity.

It was explained that homelessness continued to present a significant challenge both nationally and locally. While the nature and causes of homelessness had become increasingly complex, partners across Oxfordshire remained committed to developing a more preventative and coordinated approach. The Directors’ Group had therefore focused considerable effort on strengthening partnership working, improving strategic oversight and ensuring that services were aligned around prevention and early intervention wherever possible.

Members heard that a revised Oxfordshire Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy had recently been developed and had been subject to a period of public consultation. The consultation had generated a positive response and had attracted input from local authorities, voluntary and community organisations, statutory partners, people with lived experience of homelessness and members of the public. Feedback had broadly endorsed the strategic direction proposed within the draft strategy and had highlighted the importance of maintaining a strong preventative focus. Respondents had consistently emphasised the need for earlier interventions, improved coordination between services, and greater support for people who were at risk of homelessness before reaching crisis point.

The Board was informed that the refreshed strategy had been developed against a backdrop of continued pressures within the housing system. Challenges relating to housing affordability, limited housing supply, increasing demand for temporary accommodation, rising living costs and wider economic pressures continued to affect residents across Oxfordshire. Members heard that these factors often interacted with wider social issues, including poor physical and mental health, family breakdown, substance misuse, domestic abuse and financial hardship. As a result, homelessness was increasingly recognised as both a housing issue and a broader public health concern requiring a whole-system response.

Discussion focused on the strong relationship between homelessness and health inequalities. People experiencing homelessness often experienced significantly poorer health outcomes than the wider population and faced considerable barriers in accessing healthcare and other support services. One of the key objectives of the strategy was therefore to strengthen links between housing, health and social care services to provide more integrated support for vulnerable individuals. Particular emphasis had been placed upon improving pathways for people with complex needs and ensuring that support was available before issues escalated to crisis point.

Members were informed that the Directors’ Group had continued to work closely with registered housing providers, NHS partners, adult social care services, public health teams and voluntary sector organisations. The report highlighted a range of collaborative initiatives aimed at preventing homelessness, supporting people to sustain tenancies and reducing repeat presentations to homelessness services. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 211.

To receive and NOTE the Healthwatch Oxfordshire Report on patient views and experiences of Oxfordshire health and care services.

Barbara Shaw (Chair of Healthwatch Oxfordshire) presented the Healthwatch Oxfordshire update. Members were advised that the report provided an overview of recent engagement activity undertaken by Healthwatch Oxfordshire and highlighted findings from a number of pieces of work completed since the Board had last received an update.

A significant amount of community engagement work had been undertaken in recent months. Healthwatch Oxfordshire had been working closely with partners on engagement activities relating to health inequalities and community experiences across Oxfordshire. Particular reference was made to recent work undertaken with residents living in rural communities, which had been delivered in partnership with Community First Oxfordshire as part of the county’s broader Marmot Place programme. Members heard that Healthwatch had engaged with 851 residents across fourteen rural settlements, providing valuable insight into the experiences of people living in those communities and helping to strengthen understanding of the challenges affecting access to services and wider wellbeing. The Board was advised that more detailed findings from this work would be presented to a future meeting.

The Board then received an update on a newly published Healthwatch Oxfordshire report examining people’s experiences of palliative care and end-of-life care across Oxfordshire. The report had been published during the week of the meeting and represented one of the organisation’s most recent pieces of engagement work. The findings offered important insights into public attitudes, experiences and concerns surrounding palliative and end-of-life care and highlighted a number of themes which Healthwatch considered relevant to both service providers and system leaders.

Members heard that individuals overwhelmingly expressed a preference to spend their final days at home or within a hospice setting rather than in hospital or residential care. The reasons cited by participants included the comfort of familiar surroundings, the opportunity to remain close to family and loved ones, and perceptions that home or hospice settings would provide greater dignity and personal control during the final stages of life.

The report also identified a degree of uncertainty amongst some respondents regarding the services available to support people approaching the end of life, including hospice-at-home and hospital-to-home services. This suggested that further work might be required to improve public awareness of the options available. The Board was informed that participants consistently highlighted the importance of receiving the right care and support at the right time. Themes emerging from engagement included the importance of symptom management, receiving clear information, maintaining dignity and respect, feeling safe and supported, and remaining connected to family members and friends. Emotional support and companionship were frequently described as being just as important as clinical or medical interventions. Participants had emphasised the value of compassionate care and the importance of professionals communicating openly and sensitively with patients and their families during what could be a particularly difficult period.

The update also highlighted concerns expressed by some communities regarding cultural sensitivity and the extent to which services consistently met diverse cultural and faith requirements. Members heard that some respondents, including individuals from Muslim communities, had raised concerns regarding whether  ...  view the full minutes text for item 212.

To receive updates from Partnership Boards:  

·       Place-Based Partnership (Verbal Update)

·       Health Improvement Board (Verbal Update)

·       Children’s Trust Board (Verbal Update)

Place-Based Partnership:

Chris Wright (Associate Director of Oxfordshire Place, Thames Valley ICB) provided the Place-Based Partnership update. Members were advised that a significant amount of work continued to be focused on the implications of NHS organisational changes following the establishment of the new Thames Valley Integrated Care Board arrangements. Partners were continuing to work together to ensure that Oxfordshire maintained a strong focus on place-based delivery, population health improvement and local partnership working within the context of the wider Thames Valley footprint. Considerable attention was being given to ensuring that Oxfordshire’s established partnership arrangements remained effective as governance arrangements evolved. Work was underway to clarify responsibilities between system, place and neighbourhood levels and to ensure that local priorities continued to inform strategic decision-making.

Members were informed that maintaining strong local leadership and local accountability would remain important as organisational arrangements developed. The update highlighted the continuing importance of partnership working between the NHS, local government, voluntary and community sector organisations and wider system partners in delivering improved outcomes for residents. 

Health Improvement Board:

District Cllr Georgina Heritage presented the Health Improvement Board (HIB) update. Members were informed that the HIB had continued to oversee a range of workstreams relating to prevention and population health improvement. Particular emphasis had been placed upon tackling health inequalities, promoting healthier lifestyles and strengthening preventative approaches across the county.

The Board heard that recent discussions within the Health Improvement Board had included consideration of gambling-related harms and opportunities to strengthen awareness and preventative interventions. Gambling harm was increasingly being recognised as a public health issue, given its potential impact on mental health, financial wellbeing and family circumstances. The Health Improvement Board had therefore considered how partners could work collectively to improve awareness and ensure that appropriate support pathways were available to individuals experiencing gambling-related difficulties.

Children’s Trust Board:

Cllr Sean Gaul presented the Children’s Trust Board update. Members were advised that the Children’s Trust Board had continued to oversee implementation of a number of strategic priorities relating to children, young people and families. The update highlighted continuing work to improve outcomes for children across Oxfordshire, with particular emphasis on reducing inequalities and supporting children to have the best possible start in life.

Significant work was underway in relation to the Best Start in Life agenda. This included activity focused on improving early years outcomes, school readiness, family support and reducing disparities experienced by children from disadvantaged backgrounds. One area of continuing concern related to differences in school readiness outcomes between children eligible for free school meals and their peers, and work continued across partnership organisations to narrow these gaps and improve outcomes.

The Children’s Trust Board continued to work closely with education providers, health services, local authority services and voluntary sector partners to strengthen integrated support for children and families. It was noted that many of the issues being considered by the Children’s Trust Board aligned closely with the Health and Wellbeing Board’s strategic priorities, particularly those relating to prevention, reducing inequalities and supporting healthy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 213.

The Board is asked to NOTE the forward work programme.

The Chair emphasised that agenda items should be shaped by the collective interests and priorities of the Board. The Chair therefore encouraged members to view the Forward Work Programme as the mechanism through which the Board could identify the issues it wished to consider in greater depth at future meetings.

The Chair explained that the Forward Work Programme should be reflective of what Board members wanted to explore and scrutinise as part of the Board’s wider responsibility for improving health and wellbeing outcomes across Oxfordshire.

The Board RESOLVED to:

1.    AGREE the forward work plan.

2.    DELEGATE to the Committee Officer and Deputy Director of Public Health (in consultation with the Chair) to make any amendments to the work plan as may be required.