Health report warns of ageing population in Oxfordshire

More needs to be done to prepare Oxfordshire for an increasingly ageing population, according to a new report.

Oxfordshire's director of public health estimates that by 2029, the number of people aged 85 and older will increase by about 150% in parts of the county.

Dr Jonathan McWilliam made similar claims in the 2009 public health report and said some progress had been made in the past 12 months.

He said a strategy for housing and transport had been drawn up.

But he warned the progress "was tempered by the growing realisation of the sheer size and complexity of older peoples' issues in the county."

He added: "We need in particular to have a clear sense of where we are going. This can be achieved through defining clear results to be achieved in the future."

Dr McWilliam believes some services available for younger people may become unaffordable, as the number of elderly people increases.

The report also says more young people are becoming overweight or obese in the county, a problem that is getting worse.

"The stark fact is that the 2009 cohort of Oxfordshire children are more overweight and obese than 2008's cohort.

"This is also the first time that our local data is worse than the national figures," the report said.