Ageing well

Wessex has a growing ageing population, leading to rising levels of frailty and increasing pressure on health and social care services. Within Dorset alone 24% of residents are at pensionable age, while Southampton is expecting an 18.2% increase in people aged over 65 between 2023 and 2030.

The Wessex approach to Ageing Well innovation responds directly to these needs, supporting healthier ageing and reducing avoidable pressure on health and care services across the Wessex region.

We work with our integrated care system partners across Dorset and Hampshire and Isle of Wight to develop discrete innovation projects focused on ageing well. To support this programme, we are building on foundations of our legacy Healthy Ageing Programme which ran between 2007 and 2023, where we created a frailty fundamentals toolbox to support system partners to generate the conditions to identify and adopt ageing well innovations.