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People Scrutiny Committee
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Date of meeting:
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12 March 2026 |
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By: |
Director of Public Health
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Title: |
Healthy Ageing
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Purpose: |
To provide the Committee with a 12-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.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The People Scrutiny Committee is recommended to consider the progress made against the agreed actions at Appendix 1.
1. Background Information
1.1 In February 2025, Full Council approved the report of the Scrutiny Review Board on Healthy Ageing in Public Health. 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. Good progress has been made with all recommendations completed. There is some ongoing work with Human Resources and Communications to progress some items of Recommendation 5 (R5) and R6. 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 the East Sussex Healthy Ageing Partnership Group (HAPG) (R8). This partnership has been meeting for just over a year and provides a good alliance to collaborate on action to address important healthy ageing issues. For example, at the most recent meeting, we considered the opportunities to encourage volunteering with older adults (R7). HAPG reports to the East Sussex Health Outcomes Improvement Oversight Board in the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
2.2 The learning from this review on the importance of encouraging active lifestyles, tackling ageism, and creating more positive narratives that help 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 Great progress has been made since the last 6-month update with implementing several new projects. These include the ‘Stay Strong, Stay Steady, Stay Independent’ falls prevention campaign, developed in partnership with HAPG members. The campaign engaged over 300 older adults across five events in Hastings and Rother, where emergency admission rates from falls are highest (R1). The campaign raised awareness of strength and balance activities for older adults, a gap noted in the scrutiny review, and received over 10,000 unique web visits to the campaign page that shared details of strength and balance activities.
2.4 The care home and physical activity review has helped secure additional resource to pilot a care home activator programme that will aim to test out opportunities to encourage care homes to actively support adults living in their care to move more, and be less sedentary, to help them age well (R2).
2.5 A new toolkit for encouraging intergenerational activities has been developed and launched. A new micro-grant is in development for launch in April, during Global Intergenerational Week, in partnership with Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and Rother District Council (RDC)’s Age Friendly Programmes to encourage new intergenerational activities (R4).
2.6 Public Health has continued to identify ‘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.
2.7 Partnerships with Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council’s Age Friendly Programmes are progressing well (R8), with new programme lead roles driving early changes. Rother District Council has committed to pledge to become an Age Friendly Employer, and Hastings Borough Council is also considering this. Both organisations will be implementing micro-grants programmes to encourage additional intergenerational activity. Their plans also aim to continue to find creative ways to celebrate and encourage a positive narrative on ageing, including provision of ageism awareness training (R6).
3. Future priorities and next steps
3.1 The work on healthy ageing will continue to support the ageing population in East Sussex to live well. Key priority areas for work moving forward include:
· Intergenerational activity – Launching the micro-grants programme in Age Friendly Hastings and Rother programmes. Continuing to seek additional investment to seed fund new intergenerational activities across East Sussex.
· Identifying additional funding opportunities to support ageism awareness training; ageing well ambassador programmes; and extending the scope of Age Friendly Communities and Healthy Ageing work across East Sussex over the longer term.
· Continuing to improve our communications and narrative on ageing and older people within the Council, and with our partners through the HAPG.
· Supporting ESCC to embed Age Friendly Employer principles in recruitment and retention policies and continue to support wider employers to sign up to the Age Friendly Employer Pledge.
· Continue to work with Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council to develop their plans for being Age Friendly Communities and explore opportunities for wider East Sussex sign-up to be an Age Friendly Community.
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 People Committee Scrutiny Review have been embedded within the ongoing mainstream work of the department and the HAPG, and we will continue to progress this within Healthy Ageing workstreams.
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
Contact Officer
Hayley Martin, Health Improvement Principal
Email:hayley.martin@eastsussex.gov.uk
Appendix 1: Healthy Ageing Action Plan