Report to:	People Scrutiny Committee
Date of meeting:	14th July 2025
By:	Director of Public Health
Title:	Healthy Ageing
Purpose:	To provide the Committee with a six-month update in respect of the action plan agreed upon the publication of the original Scrutiny review of Healthy Ageing in Adult Social Care and Health.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The People Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

 

1.    Background Information

 

1.1  In February 2025, Full council approved the report of the Scrutiny Review Board on Healthy Ageing in Public Health, ASCH. There were eight recommendations in the report and an accompanying action plan.

 

1.2  This report brings an update on steps taken in implementing the recommendations. Progress is being made across all recommendations, with R1-4, R7-8 on track. Good progress is also being made against R5 and R6. Some areas of work within these recommendations to tackle ageism and celebrate ageing have been a little slower to progress and will require further work over the next 6 months, hence rated Amber. More details can be found in appendix 1.

 

2.    Progressing Action

 

2.1  We have shared information and key learning from the scrutiny report on Healthy Ageing with stakeholders of our newly established East Sussex Healthy Ageing Partnership Group (HAPG) (R8). This partnership is maturing and provides a good alliance to collaborate on action to address important healthy ageing issues. It reports to the East Sussex Health Outcomes Improvement Oversight Board.

 

2.2  The learning from this review on the importance of encouraging active lifestyles, tackling ageism and creating more positive narratives that helps celebrate ageing, has informed both the Terms of Reference of the new HAPG group and key workstreams including campaigning, intergenerational activities and falls prevention.

 

2.3  HAPG members and partners have responded positively to the learning and exploring these key priorities to support Healthy Ageing. The active lifestyles workstreams build on strong historical collaborations with our Active Partnerships and will help to address key priorities to prevent falls. The priorities around tackling ageism and celebrating ageing are much newer topics for partners, and as such will require more work to help people understand the challenges and what we can do together to address them.

2.4  Public Health has proactively and creatively identified ‘learner’ opportunities to progress key actions in the scrutiny action plan to date. For example, our Foundation Year 2 doctors have helped with the care home review of physical activity, and graduate Public Health Practitioners have helped progress the Age Without Limits campaign, Falls Prevention Awareness campaign and intergenerational activity plans.

 

2.5   We actively encourage employers to adopt the Age Friendly Employer (AFE) Pledge using the free support provided by the Centre for Ageing Better. This supports local employers to embed good practice for the recruitment and retention of older workers. This is an important local priority for East Sussex to support the wellbeing of older adults by maintaining an income through ‘good work’ and supporting economic development. To date ESCC has chosen not to sign the pledge but rather explore how the principes within the Pledge can be applied to existing ESCC policies.

 

3.      Future priorities and next steps

 

3.1.  We will continue to make progress on the action plan to address the recommendations of the review, within available resources. Key areas of work to enhance our plans include:

·         identifying additional funding opportunities to support an intergenerational grants programme, ageism awareness training and ageing well ambassador programmes, extending the scope of Age Friendly Communities and Healthy Ageing work across East Sussex over the longer term;

·         improving our communications and narrative on ageing and older people within the council, and with our partners through the HAPG;

·         working with Hasting Borough Council and Rother District Council to develop their plans for being Age Friendly Communities;

·         implementing a new communications plan for volunteering; and

·         supporting the Council in its journey towards adopting the Age Friendly Employer pledge.

 

 

4.      Conclusion  

4.1 Tackling ageism, celebrating ageing and encouraging the uptake of active lifestyles into older age are important healthy ageing wellbeing priorities to ensure our ageing population can thrive and live a good and fulfilling life into older age. This will also contribute to reducing the need for welfare, health and social services.

4.2 The recommendations from the scrutiny review have been embedded within the ongoing mainstream work of the department and the HAPG, and we will continue to provide updates on progress.

 

4.3 A full update of the progress made on the review recommendations are outlined in the Action Plan at appendix 1.

 

Darrell Gale

Director of Public Health

Officer Contact: Hayley Martin, Health Improvement Principal. Email:hayley.martin@eastsussex.gov.uk