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Oxfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board - Thursday, 26 June 2025 2.00 pm

June 26, 2025 View on council website
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Summary

The Oxfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board met to discuss homelessness, the Better Care Fund, a learning disability plan, and updates on health and wellbeing strategies. The board also planned to discuss health inequalities, research partnerships, and needs assessments.

Homelessness in Oxfordshire

Caroline Green, Chair of Prevention of Homelessness Directors Group and Chief Executive of Oxford City Council, was scheduled to present a report on homelessness in Oxfordshire. The report was expected to provide an update on work to address homelessness across Oxfordshire, at a time when the county and the wider country is experiencing rising homelessness and temporary accommodation use. The report also highlights progress made in tackling homelessness, identifies ongoing challenges, and updates on the work of the Oxfordshire Homeless Alliance.

The report noted that homelessness support services are jointly commissioned through a partnership between the District and City Councils, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board, and the County Council, using a pooled funding arrangement.

The report stated that there had been a large rise in temporary accommodation (TA) use in Oxfordshire, and the City and Districts are unable to source enough self-contained accommodation for need, requiring many households, mostly singles, to live for prolonged periods in hotel and B&B accommodation.

The report also noted a number of significant risks and challenges that have emerged in the homelessness area over the past year to 18 months, including:

  • High and rising homelessness levels, and a high temporary accommodation (TA) placement rate, in line with national trends, despite a small fall in rough sleeping numbers.
  • Potential large funding reductions for all of the City and District Councils, due to changes to local government funding for homelessness services (Homelessness Prevention Grant).
  • Significant changes to the health system, and the structure of ICBs.
  • Transformation of the approach to rough sleeping is facing a critical 12 months ahead.
  • The supply of housing for single adults is insufficient in Oxfordshire.

The report noted progress that had been made, including:

  • The Prevention of Homelessness Directors Group (PHDG) has been relaunched with an updated terms of reference, clarifying its role as the key interface between housing, health, and adult social care.
  • Two countywide officer housing summits were held in September and December 2024, bringing together partners from across housing, health, and adult social care to explore key issues impacting homelessness across the county.
  • The Countywide Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy action plan was revised earlier this year to realign priorities and reshape existing actions.
  • Progress has been made in fostering better joint working, such as through the Out of Hospital project work, with embedded social workers in the Alliance service.
  • The Oxfordshire Homelessness Alliance is undertaking a transformation plan to enable service-level improvements and delivery, in line with our strategy.

Appendix 1 to the report provided a high-level overview of the Oxfordshire Countywide Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Better Care Fund Plan

The board was scheduled to receive a verbal update on the Better Care Fund (BCF) plan, along with supporting documents, including a letter from NHS England confirming its acceptance.

The BCF plan for 2025/26 detailed Oxfordshire's priorities, which include:

  • ensuring that more people can stay at home, living independently in their own communities
  • supporting people in their own home should they have health crisis rather than being conveyed and admitted to acute hospital.
  • implementing preventative services
  • aligning BCF with areas such as housing, public health and technology.

The plan also details how Oxfordshire will continue to underpin the wider community and strengths based preventative approach set out in the Oxfordshire Way.

The plan set goals for performance against three national metrics:

  • Non-elective admissions
  • Discharge ready delay days
  • Permanent admissions to care homes

The board was also scheduled to review a briefing document, and a letter from Ben Jupp, Director of Intermediate Care and Rehabilitation Interim Senior Responsible Officer, Better Care Fund NHS England, which stated:

I am pleased to let you know that following the review process, your plan has been classified as 'approved'.

Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025-2035

The board was scheduled to discuss the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025-2035, a 10-year strategy for adults, including the transition into adulthood. Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Care, was scheduled to present the report. The plan is expected to be reviewed at years 3, 5, and 7 to ensure its effectiveness and adaptability, applying any revisions required based on needs and demands at that time.

The Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan has four key themes:

  • Having a life
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Having a place to live
  • Homes not hospitals

There are four cross-cutting areas incorporated within these themes:

  • Life changes and transitions
  • Workforce
  • Assistive Technology / Technology Enabled Care
  • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

The board was expected to note the development of the plan and approve it, acknowledging that amendments may be made following consultation.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Update - Start Well

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the delivery of priorities 1 and 2 under the thematic domain of Start Well within the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Lisa Lyons, Director of Children's Services, was scheduled to present the report.

The report covered:

Priority 1: The best start in life

All children in Oxfordshire should experience a healthy start to life and be ready for school, especially in our most deprived communities.

Priority 2: Children and young people's emotional wellbeing and mental health

More children and young people in Oxfordshire should experience good mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The report highlighted key successes and challenges, and noted that these priorities require a whole systems approach to bring about change.

The report noted that Oxfordshire has become a Marmot Place and there is substantial work ongoing to promote the best start in life for all children and young people.

Other Business

The agenda included the following items:

  • Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution Update
  • ICB Update
  • Marmot Place Update
  • Development of Health and Inequalities Research & Partnerships in Oxfordshire
  • JSNA/PNA Update
  • Report from Healthwatch Oxfordshire
  • Reports from Partnership Boards
    • Health Improvement Board (verbal)
    • Children's Trust Board
    • Place Based Partnership (to follow)

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) is a statutory annual report provided to the Health and Wellbeing Board and published in full on the Oxfordshire Data Hub. The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is a special assessment of pharmaceutical services provision in an area.

Lisa Lyons was also scheduled to provide a report from the Children's Trust Board, which was refreshed and relaunched in October 2024. Jodie Lloyd-Jones from Oxfordshire Youth is the Vice chair. The basis of the work of the Children's Trust Board to oversee strategic priorities across the system, is set with the framework of the Children and Young People's Plan 2024-2028.

Attendees

Profile image for Councillor Liz Leffman
Councillor Liz Leffman  Leader of the Council •  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Tim Bearder
Councillor Tim Bearder  Cabinet Member for Adults •  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Sean Gaul
Councillor Sean Gaul  Cabinet Member for Children and Young People •  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Kate Gregory
Councillor Kate Gregory  Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities •  Liberal Democrat
Ansaf Azhar
Michelle Brennan
Stephen Chandler
Councillor Rachel Crouch
Karen Fuller
Caroline Green
Councillor District Georgina Heritage
Lisa Lyons
Grant MacDonald
Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery
Councillor Chewe Edgar Munkonge
Councillor Rob Pattenden
Councillor Helen Pighills
Matthew Tait
Jack Ahier

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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