The Oxfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board met on Thursday 24 September 2026 to discuss the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) update, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Indicator Review, and an update on Best Start Family Hubs. The Board approved the proposed move from an annual comprehensive refresh model to a staggered thematic delivery model for the JSNA, and noted the strategic direction of travel and updates for Best Start Family Hubs in Oxfordshire. The Board also approved a revised core set of 39 Health and Wellbeing (H&WB) outcomes metrics aligned with Marmot principles.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Update

The Board approved a significant shift in how the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) will be developed and reported. Moving away from a single comprehensive annual refresh, the JSNA will now adopt a staggered thematic delivery model. This approach will allow priority themes to be updated throughout the year, aligning more closely with the Health and Wellbeing Board's priorities and reporting cycles. The aim is to improve the timeliness of intelligence, sustain partner engagement, and respond more readily to changing priorities. The Board also approved the development and maintenance of a JSNA forward plan to guide future updates and noted the continuing role of the JSNA Steering Group in supporting prioritisation and governance.

Mat Pickering, Head of Data for Oxfordshire County Council, presented the update, explaining that the JSNA provides the key evidence base for understanding current and anticipated health and wellbeing needs. Michelle Brennan, a GP Representative, welcomed the digital dashboards and suggested exploring alignment with the NHS population health management dashboard to enrich datasets with information on health inequalities. Michael Holland, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, inquired about how the timing of thematic updates would support neighbourhood health planning and ensure specific population groups were not overlooked. Chris Wright, Associate Director for Oxfordshire Place at the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, offered support from the Population Health Management and Health Evaluation Steering Group.

The Board resolved to:

• Approve the proposed move from an annual comprehensive refresh model to a staggered thematic delivery model for the JSNA, aligned to Health and Wellbeing Board priorities and reporting cycles.
• Approve the development and maintenance of a JSNA forward plan to guide future thematic updates and broader strategic assessments.
• Note the continuing role of the JSNA Steering Group in supporting prioritisation, governance and future delivery of JSNA outputs.
• Approve the proposed outputs and delivery timetable set out in this report.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Indicator Review

The Board approved a revised core set of 39 Health and Wellbeing (H&WB) outcomes metrics aligned with Marmot principles. This review aimed to improve the relevance, focus, and transparency of the performance framework, reducing the number of indicators from approximately 170 to 39. These core measures will be published online in an accessible format for residents and partners. Quarterly thematic reports will continue, focusing on one of the four strategic priority themes: Start Well, Live Well, Age Well, and Building Blocks of Health. Sub-boards will continue to monitor the wider set of indicators.

Bethan McDonald, Consultant in Public Health for Oxfordshire County Council, presented the report, explaining that the review sought to embed health inequalities and Marmot measures within the strategy framework. Councillor Mark Lygo raised questions about indicators relating to climate action and healthy homes, while Barbara Shaw, Chair of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, highlighted difficulties in obtaining data on the mental health of younger children. The Chair questioned the Board's ability to influence progress on broader measures like affordable housing and net-zero targets, prompting a discussion on the Board's role in bringing organisations together to address complex issues beyond single lines of accountability.

The Board resolved to:

• Continue the process of a rotating quarterly update to the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board on the progress of the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing (H&WB) strategic priorities by theme: Start Well, Live Well, Age Well and Building Blocks of health.
• Approve a revised core set of 39 Health and Wellbeing (H&WB) outcomes metrics aligned with Marmot principles, as set out in Annex 2, updated to accompany quarterly thematic progress reports, with metrics available online in an easily accessible form.

Best Start Family Hubs Update

An update was provided on the development of Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) across Oxfordshire, which are a core delivery mechanism for the council's Best Start in Life Plan. The BSFH programme aims to provide welcoming, inclusive spaces offering integrated support to families from pregnancy to age 19 (or 25 for those with SEND). The core offer includes parenting programmes, play-and-learn opportunities, support for children with additional needs, and a healthy baby offer. The strategic direction involves establishing five primary BSFH locations, aligned with district council boundaries, supported by a network of BSFH Network Sites delivered by partners, including Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations. A grant programme is being developed to support VCFSE organisations in delivering elements of the core offer.

Lisa Lyons, Director of Children's Services for Oxfordshire County Council, presented the update alongside Sophie Black, Assistant Director for Early Help, Assessment and Prevention, and Jenny Stoker, Family Hub Lead for Oxfordshire. They outlined the hub-and-spoke model, identified primary hub locations, and detailed the core and wider offers. Concerns were raised about reaching rural communities and the potential displacement of established community provision. The Chair acknowledged continuing concerns about rural access and the displacement of existing providers, encouraging officers to communicate more visibly about work underway to address these issues.

The Board resolved to:

• Note the strategic direction of travel and updates for Best Start Family Hubs in Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire Marmot Place - Rural Inequalities Report

The Board received an update on the Oxfordshire Marmot Place programme, with a particular focus on the findings of the rural inequalities work. The report combined quantitative analysis of health and wider determinants of health in selected rural communities with qualitative evidence gathered from residents and community organisations. Approximately 35% of Oxfordshire's population lives in rural areas, and while rural areas generally perform better on indicators like life expectancy, averages mask significant pockets of disadvantage. Key challenges identified included the cost of living, transport, access to health and care, affordable and energy-efficient housing, opportunities for young people, and the sustainability of community and voluntary action.

Panagiota Birmpili, Public Health Registrar, and Katharine Howell, Senior Research and Projects Officer at Healthwatch Oxfordshire, presented the findings. They highlighted that while rural areas have higher life expectancy, Chipping Norton was identified as an outlier with significantly lower life expectancy and higher mortality rates. The qualitative engagement, involving 850 people, revealed that residents valued community spirit but faced barriers related to transport, access to services, and cost of living. Michael Holland, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, welcomed the reports and proposed using neighbourhood health to support conversations between community health services and primary care. The Chair requested that the developing rural inequalities action plan include clearly identified actions, named owners, deadlines, and monitoring arrangements.

The Board resolved to:

• Note the findings of the Oxfordshire Rural Areas Data Pack and the Health and wellbeing in rural towns and villages in Oxfordshire report, and their alignment with the Board's prevention and inequalities priorities.
• Support dissemination of both reports and encourage partners to work with rural communities to develop locally-led responses, building on existing community assets.
• Use the quantitative data and community insight to inform system-wide place-based planning, including the development of neighbourhood approaches, with particular attention to transport and connectivity, access to health and care, young people, housing and infrastructure, and the sustainability of community and voluntary action.

Report from Healthwatch Oxfordshire

Katharine Howell, Senior Research and Projects Officer at Healthwatch Oxfordshire, presented an update on the organisation's activities. This included participation in various partnership and governance meetings, the publication of its annual report, and a report on people's experiences of hospital services provided by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital report highlighted positive feedback on staff communication and care, but also areas for improvement such as service coordination, administrative processes, and waiting times. Healthwatch also reported on its direct engagement across the county, with a substantial proportion of outreach focusing on experiences of maternity services.

The Board resolved to:

• Note the Healthwatch Oxfordshire update.

Reports from Partnership Boards

Updates were received from the Oxfordshire Place-Based Partnership, the Health Improvement Board, and the Children's Trust Board. Chris Wright, Associate Director for Oxfordshire Place at the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, provided an update on the Oxfordshire Place-Based Partnership, noting ongoing work related to NHS organisational changes. District Councillor Georgina Heritage presented the Health Improvement Board update, highlighting work on prevention, reducing health inequalities, and a focus on gambling-related harms and social prescribing. Councillor Sean Gaul provided the Children's Trust Board update, noting that no new substantive information was available since the last report.

The Board resolved to:

• Note the reports from partnership Boards.

Forward Work Plan

The Board noted the forward work plan and agreed to delegate to the Chair, Health Scrutiny Officer, and Deputy Director of Public Health the authority to make any necessary amendments to the work plan offline.

The Board resolved to:

• Note the forward work plan.
• Agree to delegate to the Chair, Health Scrutiny Officer and Deputy Director of Public Health to make any necessary amendments to the work plan offline if need be.