The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss the NHS 10 year plan, the progress of dementia services, and the Health & Wellbeing portfolio performance. The meeting was also scheduled to include an update from the Chair, and a discussion of the committee's work programme.

NHS 10 Year Plan and Buckinghamshire Strategies

The committee was scheduled to discuss the NHS's 10 year plan, alongside the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust's (BHT) strategy, and the Buckinghamshire Health & Wellbeing Board's strategy. The meeting agenda indicated that contributors would consider how these strategies align and affect Buckinghamshire residents.

The NHS 10 year plan set out three shifts:

• giving people more control over their own health
• focusing on prevention and proactive care
• making the NHS more efficient

The plan also identified several 'key enablers' including:

• an operating model
• responsive and transparent care
• workforce improvements
• innovation and technology
• finance and productivity

The Buckinghamshire Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2035 aimed to help people live healthier and more independent lives. It identified several priorities:

• Empowering communities, by working with people to help them live active and fulfilling lives, and focusing on wider determinants of health such as housing, employment and education.
• Prevention, with a greater emphasis on preventing illness and encouraging independence so people can live healthier and more independent lives.
• Proactive care, by working to proactively identify and support people with needs to prevent escalation of their condition or decline of their overall health and wellbeing.

The Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) set out three strategic objectives in its commissioning intentions:

• Commissioning to maximise value
• Commissioning for neighbourhood health
• Commissioning to prioritise prevention

The Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Strategy: 2025–35 aimed to help people live healthier and more independent lives through:

• reducing health inequalities
• improving the health of the local population
• ensuring services are value for money

The strategy focused on integrated neighbourhood care, delivering excellence in core services, reducing health inequalities, and focusing on prevention.

Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INT) were described as teams of professionals from health, the council, and the voluntary sector, working within a specific area to provide coordinated and preventative care.

Dementia Services

The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee were scheduled to receive an update on the progress made in implementing the recommendations from a 2023 review of dementia services in Buckinghamshire.

The 2023 review made 18 recommendations, aligned to the NHS England Dementia Well Pathway¹:

• Preventing Well
• Diagnosing Well
• Supporting Well
• Living Well
• Dying Well

As of September 2025, 4,546 adults over the age of 65 had a formal dementia diagnosis in Buckinghamshire, a Dementia Diagnostic Rate (DDR) of 58.4%.

The report pack noted that since August 2025, there had been progress with the evolution of the BOB ICB Dementia oversight group, whose priority is to develop a strategy.

The report pack also noted that the NHS Health Check specification applied in Buckinghamshire, includes a memory section for individuals over 65.

The Dementia Support Service, provided by Age UK, now provides Dementia Support Workers to offer post-diagnosis information sessions.

The Memory Assessment Service had reportedly taken steps to improve waiting times, including recruitment of additional staff.

The report pack stated that Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) have advised that the This is Me tool is now used as part of care planning to enhance personalised care for people with dementia.

Health & Wellbeing Portfolio Performance

The Health & Wellbeing Portfolio Q2 performance report was scheduled for review. The report included updates on several performance indicators, including:

• Percentage of young people whose Adult Social Care Assessment was completed before they turned 18 years old
• Percentage of people who have set a quit smoking date and have successfully quit at 4 weeks
• Percentage of safeguarding enquiries where personal outcomes were fully or partially achieved (where expressed)
• Number of younger people (aged 18-64) admitted to permanent residential or nursing care homes per head of 100,000 population
• Number of older people (65+) admitted to permanent residential or nursing care homes per 100,000 population
• Percentage of service users due an annual review that receive their review
• Number of Carers Assessments
• Percentage of people that live independently after receiving re-ablement
• Percentage of births that receive a face-to-face New Birth Visit within 14 days by a health visitor
• Percentage of adults who have successfully completed alcohol treatment of all those receiving treatment