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Casey Review - Big Conversation on Care comms collateral

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Dear Partners,

As a valued partner in Oxfordshire’s adult social care system, we wanted to share an important opportunity for you to help shape the future of care nationally and ensure that local voices, experiences and perspectives are heard.

Last week, Baroness Casey of Blackstock launched The Big Conversation on Care, which has been described as the most ambitious public conversation in a generation. It gives the public a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care in England.

This is an opportunity for you to contribute your unique perspective from Oxfordshire.

Between now and April 2027, you have the opportunity to share your views on what you want and expect from a future National Care Service, including answering challenging questions about who it should support, what families and service users should reasonably be expected to do, and how the country should pay for care in a fair and sustainable way.

Baroness Casey has warned that the adult social care system is "broken" and that previous attempts to reform social care have too often failed because they have tried to resolve fundamental questions without first building public understanding and consent.

The Big Conversation aims to engage one million people across England by asking:

"When we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?"

Baroness Casey said:

"For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt

“Social care affects every family in this country, whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for through our taxes.

“That's why I am launching The Big Conversation on Care today. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service.

“It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform."

The first phase of the conversation, running from July to November, will focus on the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support. The second phase will focus on how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered.

The results of The Big Conversation will be presented to the Independent Commission and will inform its recommendations, which are due by summer 2027.

I encourage you to share your views through The Big Conversation on Care.

Best Wishes

Karen Fuller
Victoria Baran
Ian Bottomley
Dear Partners,

As a valued partner in Oxfordshire’s adult social care system, we wanted to share an important opportunity for you to help shape the future of care nationally and ensure that local voices, experiences and perspectives are heard.

Last week, Baroness Casey of Blackstock launched The Big Conversation on Care, which has been described as the most ambitious public conversation in a generation. It gives the public a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care in England.

This is an opportunity for you to contribute your unique perspective from Oxfordshire.

Between now and April 2027, you have the opportunity to share your views on what you want and expect from a future National Care Service, including answering challenging questions about who it should support, what families and service users should reasonably be expected to do, and how the country should pay for care in a fair and sustainable way.

Baroness Casey has warned that the adult social care system is "broken" and that previous attempts to reform social care have too often failed because they have tried to resolve fundamental questions without first building public understanding and consent.

The Big Conversation aims to engage one million people across England by asking:

"When we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?"

Baroness Casey said:

"For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt

“Social care affects every family in this country, whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for through our taxes.

“That's why I am launching The Big Conversation on Care today. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service.

“It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform."

The first phase of the conversation, running from July to November, will focus on the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support. The second phase will focus on how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered.

The results of The Big Conversation will be presented to the Independent Commission and will inform its recommendations, which are due by summer 2027.

I encourage you to share your views through The Big Conversation on Care.

Best Wishes

Karen Fuller
Victoria Baran
Ian Bottomley
Scam call alert

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Dear Providers,

We have recently been made aware of two incidents in Oxfordshire where vulnerable adults were targeted by scam phone calls, with attempts made to obtain money from their bank accounts.

In one case, a care worker was present and intervened, preventing any loss. In the second, the individual's bank identified the suspicious transaction, stopped the payment, and issued a replacement bank card.

Please remind staff to remain vigilant and, where appropriate, encourage people receiving support to:

Avoid making payments over the phone unless they are certain of the caller's identity.
Be cautious of unexpected calls requesting money or personal banking information.
Contact a trusted family member, representative, or organisation directly if they are unsure.
Consider using call screening or call-blocking technology where appropriate.
Report any concerns regarding potential financial abuse in line with safeguarding procedures.

Please share this message with relevant staff and continue supporting people to stay safe from financial scams.

Quality Improvement Team
Oxfordshire County Council”

Thank you,

Krisztina Britton
Quality Improvement Officer (Age Well)
Dear Providers,

We have recently been made aware of two incidents in Oxfordshire where vulnerable adults were targeted by scam phone calls, with attempts made to obtain money from their bank accounts.

In one case, a care worker was present and intervened, preventing any loss. In the second, the individual's bank identified the suspicious transaction, stopped the payment, and issued a replacement bank card.

Please remind staff to remain vigilant and, where appropriate, encourage people receiving support to:

Avoid making payments over the phone unless they are certain of the caller's identity.
Be cautious of unexpected calls requesting money or personal banking information.
Contact a trusted family member, representative, or organisation directly if they are unsure.
Consider using call screening or call-blocking technology where appropriate.
Report any concerns regarding potential financial abuse in line with safeguarding procedures.

Please share this message with relevant staff and continue supporting people to stay safe from financial scams.

Quality Improvement Team
Oxfordshire County Council”

Thank you,

Krisztina Britton
Quality Improvement Officer (Age Well)
Reducing The Risks of Extreme Heat

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Oxfordshire County Council's Retrofit Team is working with researchers from Oxford Brookes University, University College London, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on three UKRI-funded research projects: ARCADE, HEARTH, and THERM-UK.

Together, these studies aim to improve understanding of how hot weather affects the health and wellbeing of people living and working in vulnerable settings, including care homes, extra care housing, retirement villages, and social housing. As the UK experiences warmer weather, these research projects are becoming increasingly important to help ensure that vulnerable settings remain cool, comfortable, and safe for residents and staff.

The Council is keen to hear from retirement villages, care homes, extra care schemes, and social housing providers that may be interested in supporting this important research.

What’s involved?

Participation is entirely voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time.

Depending on the project, activities may include:
The installation of a small discrete sensor in the bedroom, living room, communal areas, and staff rooms to monitor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 levels (the sensors don’t have any audio or video recording capabilities)
Short surveys taking approximately 10-15 minutes to complete to capture perceptions and experiences of extreme heat in the home/ place of work

Additionally, the researchers will model the buildings, taking into consideration future climate scenarios, and test low to zero cost adaptation measures to help reduce overheating risks.

The research has been designed to minimise disruption to day-to-day operations while contributing valuable insight that can help inform future guidance and policy and reduce health risks associated with extreme heat for residents and staff.

Next steps
If you would like to learn more about the research projects or discuss opportunities to get involved, please contact Oxfordshire County Council's Retrofit Team at retrofit@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Oxfordshire County Council's Retrofit Team is working with researchers from Oxford Brookes University, University College London, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on three UKRI-funded research projects: ARCADE, HEARTH, and THERM-UK.

Together, these studies aim to improve understanding of how hot weather affects the health and wellbeing of people living and working in vulnerable settings, including care homes, extra care housing, retirement villages, and social housing. As the UK experiences warmer weather, these research projects are becoming increasingly important to help ensure that vulnerable settings remain cool, comfortable, and safe for residents and staff.

The Council is keen to hear from retirement villages, care homes, extra care schemes, and social housing providers that may be interested in supporting this important research.

What’s involved?

Participation is entirely voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time.

Depending on the project, activities may include:
The installation of a small discrete sensor in the bedroom, living room, communal areas, and staff rooms to monitor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 levels (the sensors don’t have any audio or video recording capabilities)
Short surveys taking approximately 10-15 minutes to complete to capture perceptions and experiences of extreme heat in the home/ place of work

Additionally, the researchers will model the buildings, taking into consideration future climate scenarios, and test low to zero cost adaptation measures to help reduce overheating risks.

The research has been designed to minimise disruption to day-to-day operations while contributing valuable insight that can help inform future guidance and policy and reduce health risks associated with extreme heat for residents and staff.

Next steps
If you would like to learn more about the research projects or discuss opportunities to get involved, please contact Oxfordshire County Council's Retrofit Team at retrofit@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Botley Road to reopen on 20 September

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Network Rail has confirmed Botley Road in Oxford will reopen to traffic on Sunday 20 September 2026. This follows additional work needed to replace part of the gas network beneath the road after three minor gas leaks were discovered during excavation works.
The road had previously been due to reopen at the end of August. Network Rail agreed to accommodate essential work by SGN to replace a section of ageing gas infrastructure alongside the completion of the remaining construction work. SGN’s work is due to finish on 8 August, after which Network Rail will complete the final stages of the project.
Councillor Gareth Epps, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Residents and businesses have endured the closure of Botley Road for far too long, so we welcome the clarity on reopening. We will now consider our programme for the traffic filter trial and will announce the start date at the earliest opportunity once we have absolute certainty.”
Network Rail has said it will continue to provide updates as work progresses towards the reopening date. Further information is available on the Network Rail website.
Network Rail has confirmed Botley Road in Oxford will reopen to traffic on Sunday 20 September 2026. This follows additional work needed to replace part of the gas network beneath the road after three minor gas leaks were discovered during excavation works.
The road had previously been due to reopen at the end of August. Network Rail agreed to accommodate essential work by SGN to replace a section of ageing gas infrastructure alongside the completion of the remaining construction work. SGN’s work is due to finish on 8 August, after which Network Rail will complete the final stages of the project.
Councillor Gareth Epps, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Residents and businesses have endured the closure of Botley Road for far too long, so we welcome the clarity on reopening. We will now consider our programme for the traffic filter trial and will announce the start date at the earliest opportunity once we have absolute certainty.”
Network Rail has said it will continue to provide updates as work progresses towards the reopening date. Further information is available on the Network Rail website.

YELLOW heat health alert issued for the South East

Please note the forwarded heat health alert for your information and action. Please share with key partners/stakeholders. Other useful guidance includes the following:

Heat summary - supporting vulnerable people: social care managers - GOV.UK

Heat-Health Alert action card for health and social care providers - GOV.UK

Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather - GOV.UK

How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather – UK Health Security Agency

Keeping cool in heat waves | Oxfordshire County Council

Heat health alert issued for the South East

The yellow heat health alert is in effect from 9AM on 24/07/2026 until 9AM on 26/07/2026 across the South East. The yellow alert has a matrix score of 8. This means:

Minor impacts are expected across health and social care services, including:

increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people
greater risk to life of vulnerable people
increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm
water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

How to take action if you have a duty to respond

Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.

We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, voluntary and community sector, and national government. Summary action cards are also available below:

· commissioners

· voluntary and community sector

· care homes and other residential settings

· services delivering care to people in their homes

· hospitals and other healthcare settings

For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, extreme heat) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.

You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.

How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable

While exposure to hot weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during hot weather.

Planning for adverse weather

All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a heat health alert is in place.

To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums.

About heat health alerts

Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive heat health alerts:

· health trust providers of NHS commissioned care

· local authorities

· social care organisations

The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when high temperatures are likely to occur.

If we observe high temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary heat health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.

You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details.

Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription. You can also unsubscribe from this service.

UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact.

	Very low impacts	Low impacts	Medium impacts	High impacts
High likelihood	4 (green)	8 (yellow)	13 (amber)	16 (red)
Medium likelihood	3 (green)	7 (yellow)	12 (amber)	15 (amber)
Low likelihood	2 (green)	6 (green)	10 (yellow)	14 (amber)
Very low likelihood	1 (green)	5 (green)	9 (yellow)	11 (yellow)

Updates to heat health alerts

UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change.

Further Advice and guidance

Flood Alerts and Warnings

UKHSA Privacy Notice

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