The Oxfordshire Health Improvement Partnership Board met on 18 September 2025, and reviewed a draft of the Drugs and Alcohol Health Needs Assessment, and approved its provisional recommendations. The board also reviewed its terms of reference and monitored performance against Oxfordshire's Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2030.

Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment

The Health Improvement Partnership Board reviewed the draft Drugs and Alcohol Health Needs Assessment (HNA) and approved its provisional recommendations. The HNA is a systematic review of data designed to identify health needs, gaps in service and recommendations for future action. The last full assessment was published in 2018-19, with an interim update in 2022.

The assessment's objectives are to:

• Provide an overview of drug and alcohol use in Oxfordshire.
• Assess the level of need, highlighting populations most at risk and potential inequalities.
• Review existing service provision, identifying barriers to access and potential gaps.
• Generate recommendations for future service planning and strategic development.

The assessment used quantitative data from national, regional and local sources, including the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System¹ and the Oxfordshire Data Hub². Qualitative insights were gathered from a stakeholder engagement workshop and focus groups with adults with lived experience.

Key issues identified in the draft HNA include:

• Prevalence of alcohol and drug use: Alcohol remains one of the most commonly consumed substances, while illicit drug use has declined since 2020 nationally. Alcohol dependence in Oxfordshire is lower than the national average, and unmet needs for alcohol dependency have declined substantially.
• Alcohol and drug-related harms: Mortality and morbidity related to alcohol and drugs in Oxfordshire are below national averages and have remained stable. However, inequalities persist, with urban, deprived areas having higher rates of harm.
• Inequalities and vulnerable groups: Children and young people affected by parental alcohol or drug use are higher than the national average. Individuals in the criminal justice system and those experiencing homelessness are at greater risk of harm from substance use disorders.
• Service data: The proportion of adult service users in treatment for opiates, non-opiates, and alcohol has increased. Geographical variation exists in new presentations to treatment services, with urban centres comprising the greatest numbers.

The HNA made several key recommendations, including:

• Greater collaboration with research institutions to generate evidence on the cost-effectiveness of substance use interventions.
• Strengthening alcohol awareness campaigns and promoting referrals among healthcare practitioners.
• Curbing expansion of alcohol licensing, particularly in urban centres.
• Expanding school and university-based primary prevention programmes.
• Enhancing outreach efforts to engage individuals with a singular substance use disorder.
• Continuing to increase the availability of naloxone³ to a wider range of service providers.
• Enhancing partnership working with primary care services and sexual health services to encourage testing and vaccination for blood-borne viruses.
• Strengthening support for families affected by domestic abuse and substance use.
• Ongoing close collaboration with police, probation, and community safety partners to tackle drug-related crime.
• Enhancing support for children and young people with a greater focus on whole-family support.
• Continuing to engage with primary care and mental health services to strengthen collaboration and develop more accessible pathways for individuals with substance use issues.
• Supporting community alcohol and drug services to ensure they can meet the needs of the increasing number of people on a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement⁴ and/or Alcohol Treatment Requirement⁵.
• Raising awareness of recent changes to local connection requirements for social housing and supporting their effective implementation.
• Scoping how to develop services in rural areas to improve uptake of services and strengthen community connections.
• Expanding language and accessibility support within services.
• Considering the expansion of employment support services.
• Remodelling children and young people's treatment services to increase access and be more effective at meeting local needs.

The HNA is funded by a combination of the ring-fenced annual Public Health Grant and the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG). The DATRIG funding allocation for 2025-2026 to Oxfordshire is around £3 million.

Performance Report

The board reviewed the performance report, which monitors progress against agreed outcome measures in Oxfordshire's Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2030. The report focuses on two priorities: healthy people and places, and physical activity and active travel.

Key highlights from the report include:

• Healthy Weight: Adult overweight and obesity prevalence is at 58.6%, showing a slight improvement from last year. 38.6% of people in Oxfordshire achieve the five-a-day fruit and vegetable consumption recommendation.
• Alcohol-Related Harm: Treatment indicators remain above target and national averages. Alcohol-related admissions are within target at 414 per 100,000.
• Physical Activity and Mental Wellbeing: Physically inactive children are at 33%, higher than the national average, with data quality concerns noted. Mental health hospital admissions for intentional self-harm are at 97 per 100,000, slightly up from last year but lower than national and southeast averages.
• Move Together: Uptake of Move Together, a programme supporting people with long-term conditions, has surpassed its target, with participants achieving an average of 3,218 steps per day.
• You Move: 40% of participants in the You Move programme, which supports children and families eligible for free school meals or in vulnerable groups, reported doing more physical activity.
• Active Travel: 55.2% of adults walk or cycle for travel at least three days per week.
• Smoking Prevalence: Smoking prevalence in adults is at 10.3%, while smoking prevalence in adults in routine and manual occupations is at 15.3%.

The report indicated that of the 25 indicators, 2 had new data, 16 were green, 7 were amber, and 1 was red.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire Report

Robert Majilton, Healthwatch Oxfordshire Ambassador, presented an update on Healthwatch Oxfordshire's activities. Healthwatch Oxfordshire continues to gather feedback on health and social care services in Oxfordshire. Recent publications include a report on women's health services and the annual impact report for 2024-25. Forthcoming reports will cover trans and non-binary people's experiences of GP services, using the NHS App, and end-of-life care.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is also supporting community research, working with groups such as the Sunrise Multicultural Project in Banbury to understand South Asian women's experiences of cancer screening and diagnosis.

Review of Terms of Reference

The board reviewed the terms of reference for the Health Improvement Partnership Board. The terms of reference outline the board's purpose, responsibilities, membership, and governance. The board's purpose is to support the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board in promoting the health and wellbeing of the people of the county.