The Chair introduced Lucy Barrow (Head of Strategy) who was in attendance to present, and answer questions on, the topic of Ageing Well in Wirral and to provide an update on the delivery of the Strategy. Annette Roberts, Chief Executive, Community Action Wirral and Jamie Anderson, Chief Executive, Age UK Wirral were also in attendance to answer any questions arising from the report / presentation

Ms Barrow introduced the report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing that set out the shared partnership vision to improve outcomes for Wirral residents in line with the Wirral Plan 2020 Vision.

The People Overview and Scrutiny Committee were informed that the Ageing Well in Wirral strategy was a 5-year, partnership strategy document, published in January 2016 which articulated the ambitions of the Wirral Plan People Priority and more specifically the ‘Older people live well’ pledge i.e. “We will support older people to live independently in their homes and help prevent social isolation. We will seek ways to show we value the experience and knowledge of older people and encourage more volunteering and mentoring opportunities within our communities.”

The report informed that the strategy had been led by Annette Roberts, Chief Executive of Community Action Wirral and that organisations from the public, private, voluntary, community and faith sector had been fully engaged and involved in shaping its development and that the production of the strategy was a fantastic example of what can be achieved in partnership.

Members were informed that, since publication, partners had worked together in new and innovative ways across Wirral to deliver the strategy. The key areas of focus for 2016-17 being to reduce social isolation and improve financial resilience.

The Head of Strategy’s presentation provided information on the five key priorities included in the Wirral Plan: Ageing Well in Wirral, with a summary of examples of actions delivered arising, namely:

Priority One – Being an active part in strong, thriving, local communities. Impact – Wirral Council and partners had knocked on over 2000 doors, spoken to over 500 residents, referred 174 people for further advice or support, prevented at least 6 people from being alone on Christmas day and set up a bereavement peer support group.

Priority Two – Enjoying a happy home life. Impact – By October 2016, 1529 adaptations had been fitted to homes, improving access and enabling residents to stay independent for longer.

Priority Three – Being emotionally and physically healthy. Impact – Active Wirral was successfully launched in Summer 2016. In February 2017 the campaign would focus on the Active Ageing strand.

Priority Four – Being financially secure. Impact – A set of Financial Tips for those 50+ was to be published in the Wirral View to increase awareness across Wirral of simple ways of maximising income and savings.

Priority Five –Having better access to the right information and support. Impact – Through the Wirral View the Council and partners are now able to reach households and businesses across Wirral. Working with partners the Council has included a variety of articles that relate to the Ageing Well in Wirral Strategy.

Following the presentation, Members questioned the Head of Strategy, the Chief Executive, Community Action Wirral and the Chief Executive, Age UK Wirral on matters relating to the report and presentation that included the variety of home adaptations available, composition of the core member steering group, limited progress on ‘digital inclusion’ and tackling social pressures by targeting the 50+ age group in early preparation for retirement.

The Chair thanked Ms Barrow, Ms Roberts and Mr Anderson for their attendance, and contributions to the report, presentation and meeting.

Resolved - That the report be noted.