Islington Council has officially launched a new review into healthy and independent ageing, aiming to assess how effectively partners are working together to support older residents.
The Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to approve the initiation document for this review, which will examine preventative and early intervention strategies.
Robin Stevenson, Public Health Strategist for Islington Council, presented an overview of ageing in the borough, highlighting that while Islington has a relatively small older adult population (10%), this group is projected to grow by 46% by 2045. A significant concern raised was that for both men and women aged 65 in Islington, more than half of their remaining life expectancy is spent in poor health.
This stark reality is attributed not solely to individual behaviours, but to environmental and social determinants of health, including poverty, loneliness, and ageism. Environmental factors such as the quality of homes and neighbourhoods, access to healthy food, opportunities for physical activity, and support for smoking cessation or reduced alcohol consumption also play a significant role. Age discrimination, in particular, is linked to increased risks of heart disease, stroke, and depression, while loneliness is associated with declining brain health, frailty, and early death.
The review will focus on how partners identify and support residents at risk of frailty, loneliness, social isolation, or worsening long-term conditions. It will also consider how services help residents maintain independence and prevent avoidable hospital admissions or entry into long-term care.
Key areas to be explored include social isolation, falls prevention, frailty, cardiovascular and cognitive health, and the effectiveness of neighbourhood working. The review will examine the current preventative and early intervention strategies being employed, such as healthy ageing and prevention,
maintaining independence,
addressing social isolation and loneliness and community connection,
falls frailty and dementia,
and neighbourhood working and partnership integration.
Specifically, it will consider the availability and reach of preventative interventions before needs escalate, how partners identify and support at-risk residents, and how services foster independence, daily living skills, and community connection.
Collaboration with partners such as the NHS, the voluntary and community sector, and others is central to this review. The committee aims to examine the effectiveness of this collaboration at a neighbourhood level, including referral pathways and shared prevention priorities. Evidence will be heard from the Council, NHS, and voluntary and community sector partners.
The review will also consider the current rates of avoidable hospital admissions and entry into long-term care for older residents. While specific rates are not detailed, the Adult Social Care Quarter 4 2025/26 Performance Report indicates that 83% of residents receiving short-term support did not require ongoing long-term care, exceeding the target of 75%. However, new admissions to residential and nursing care homes increased to 197, exceeding the target of 190, highlighting an area for further investigation.
To assess the effectiveness of support, the committee agreed to explicitly add metrics and outcomes to the scrutiny initiation document, focusing on what are the metrics, what are the outcomes that we're looking for, how do we know that we're making progress.
The aim is to identify indicators that show positive progress, even for outcomes that take years or decades to manifest.
The committee agreed to receive evidence on these topics over the coming months. The review's focus areas include social isolation, loneliness and social connection, preventing falls, frailty, and cardiovascular and cognitive health, often referred to as hearts and minds.
Public reports pack 22nd-Sep-2026 19.30 Health Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee