The Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 29 January 2026 to discuss a range of health-related issues. Key topics included the Director of Public Health's Annual Report, the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan, and an update on Maternity Services. The committee also reviewed responses to previous recommendations and received an update on the Wantage Community Hospital redevelopment.

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025/26

Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health and Communities for Oxfordshire County Council, presented the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025/26. The report, delivered in an interactive web-based format, reviews progress in tackling health inequalities since the 2019/20 report. It draws on hyper-local information from Community Insight Profiles, the work of Community Health Development Officers, and collaborative efforts across districts and the voluntary and community sector. The interactive format aims to enhance accessibility and engagement through various media, including videos, infographics, and animations. The report aligns with Oxfordshire County Council's corporate priorities for 2025-2028, focusing on making the county greener, fairer, and healthier. The Committee AGREED to recommend noting the progress made in addressing inequalities and supporting the interactive format of the report.

Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025 – 2035

Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Care, presented the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025-2035. This 10-year strategy for adults, including the transition into adulthood, focuses on four key themes: Having a Good Life, Health and Wellbeing, Having a Place to Live, and Homes not Hospitals. These themes are supported by four cross-cutting areas: transitions and life changes, workforce, assistive technology, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. The plan was co-designed through extensive engagement with people with learning disabilities, their families, carers, and strategic partners. The Committee AGREED to issue recommendations including: partners considering an anniversary event to share progress and good practice; developing outcome measures for scrutiny by the JHOSC in 2027; empowering people with learning disabilities, carers, and staff to improve annual reviews; and further engagement with people with learning disabilities/autism and epilepsy, involving voluntary sector organisations to understand their contributions to communities of practice and prevention of avoidable hospital admissions and early deaths.

Maternity Services Update

Yvonne Christley, Chief Nurse, and Professor Dr. Andrew Brent, Chief Medical Officer, from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), provided an update on maternity services. The report detailed trends in birth injuries, deaths, and birth trauma, highlighting that OUH rates for postpartum haemorrhage and perineal tears remained below national benchmarks. While perinatal mortality figures were broadly in line with expectations for a tertiary maternity unit, the report acknowledged small variations. The Birth Trauma and Birth Reflections Service has seen an increase in attendance. The Committee AGREED to issue recommendations including: implementing a Trust-wide maternity communication standard; producing a quarterly, public-facing learning report on complaints, patient experience, and actions taken; developing an evaluation framework for initiatives addressing inequalities; planning and explaining how national maternity tariffs, demand modelling, and BirthRate Plus projections align with staffing expansion and staff burnout; and providing a written update on progress regarding epilepsy and its alignment with the NHS England maternity bundle.

JHOSC Substantial Change Working Group Update Report

The Committee received an update on the JHOSC Substantial Change Working Group's ongoing scrutiny of the project to redevelop Wantage Community Hospital. The Chair highlighted progress made, including building works underway, and recommended the working group's continuation for another year with the appointment of three new members. The Committee NOTED, CONFIRMED, and AGREED to the recommendations in the update.

Chair's Update

The Chair provided a verbal update on various issues, including: a deep dive into children's emotional wellbeing and mental health services; a report on the Oxfordshire Neighbourhood Health Plan submitted to system partners; a report on Children's Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health; a response from the Department of Health and Social Care regarding future arrangements for an independent patient voice; interactions with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (BOB JHOSC); and a private meeting with OUH regarding maternity services. The Committee NOTED the Chair's update.

Response to HOSC Recommendations

The Committee NOTED the responses to recommendations on Eyecare Services in Oxfordshire and GP Access & Estates. However, the Committee expressed concern that the response to the Eyecare recommendation did not adequately address the tracking of specific problems escalated to the Eye Hospital, emphasising the need for a system to identify trends and sources of issues.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire Update

Veronica Barry, Executive Director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, presented an update on recent activities. This included reports on the NHS app, trans and non-binary people's experiences with GP services, and a new survey on end-of-life care. Healthwatch also reported on ongoing community research and plans for future priorities. The Committee NOTED the update and thanked Healthwatch for its work.

Forward Work Plan

The Committee AGREED to the proposed work programme for its upcoming meetings, noting that the January meeting included the Director of Public Health Annual Report, the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan, and Maternity Services. The Health Visitors update was rescheduled. The Committee also AGREED to enable the Chair and Health Scrutiny Officer to make final amendments to the work plan offline.

Actions and Recommendations Tracker

The Committee NOTED the progress outlined in the actions and recommendations tracker.

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