Age Friendly Leeds Strategy and Action Plan 2022 - 2025

Context

The ambition for Age Friendly Leeds is to be the best city to grow old in: a place where people age well - where older people are valued, feel respected and appreciated, and are seen as the assets they are.

‘Age Friendly Leeds’ is a key priority of the health and wellbeing pillar of the Best City Ambition and was formerly one of the eight interconnected priority areas of work set out in the Best Council Plan 2020-2025, that flow in particular from Leeds’ three main cross cutting strategies: Inclusive Growth, Health and Wellbeing, and Zero Carbon.

Our Inclusive Growth Strategy sets out how Leeds City Council, the private sector, universities, colleges and schools, the third sector and social enterprises in the city will work together to grow the Leeds economy ensuring that everyone in the city contributes to, and benefits from, growth to their full potential. It recognises the need to support older workers to remain or return to fulfilling work and make work better for people to do so.

Our refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy provides a framework to improving health. It is driven by a vision to be a healthy and caring city for all ages and improving the health of the poorest the fastest. The Strategy is about how we put in place the best conditions in Leeds for people to live fulfilling lives in a healthy city with high quality services. Everyone in Leeds has a stake in creating a city which does the very best for its people. This strategy is our blueprint for how we will achieve that. It is led by the partners on the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board and it belongs to everyone.

Leeds has a plan to tackle climate change as an important part of our best city ambition. This includes plans to reduce our own carbon footprint; reduce pollution and noise; reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings in the city; promote cycling, walking and the use of public transport; promote a less wasteful, low carbon economy; reduce flooding and other risks from the impact of climate change; build sustainable infrastructure; to help residents reduce their own carbon footprints.

The Joint Strategic Assessment 2021 brings together data and intelligence to look at the current and future health and social care needs of people living in Leeds. Its purpose is to shape priorities and guide health commissioning, wellbeing and social care services and service strategies. It helps us to better understand the wider determinants of health and ‘post’ pandemic needs and opportunities enabling planning for the future.

The Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan builds on previous work and is shaped by a long history of consultation and engagement going back to 1994 when Leeds Older People’s Forum came into existence. Ensuring Leeds is an age friendly city has been identified as a priority area by older people themselves. Consultation and engagement over the years includes:

  • March 2015 - a workshop to engage older people and stakeholders from a wide range of organisations across the public, private and third sector in the development of the Best City to Grow Old in breakthrough project using outcome-based accountability methodology as a framework for discussion. The outcomes from these workshops formed the basis of the Best City to Grow Old in action plan, 2015 – 2019
  • June/July 2016 – A workshop and follow up questionnaire to ask older people and housing providers to think broadly about housing and housing support needs for today and for future generations of older people to support the development of an older person’s housing strategy
  • June - September 2016 - consultation with 176 older people around Leeds (via focus groups and written questionnaires) using questions relating to each of the World Health Organisations domains. This was undertaken by Time to Shine in preparation for a new Age Friendly Charter for Leeds
  • June 2017 – A workshop with older people to explore older persons housing requirements to feed into the Strategic Housing Market Assessment and complement the household survey and stakeholder consultation
  • June/July 2017 – A series of workshops with older people to identify the different challenges and aspirations around travel for people in later life in Leeds to inform the scoping of new community transport and volunteer driver options
  • October/November 2019 – A series of engagement events with older people across the city to understand what matters to older people and their understanding of frailty and healthy ageing
  • December 2021 – Publication of: The State of Aging in Leeds: What life is like for people aged 50 and over in Leeds. This report sets out data and stories about what it's like to grow older in Leeds. The report supports individuals and organisations across Leeds to consider priorities for change to make Leeds Best City to grow old in
  • December 2021 – Consultation with 44 Leeds residents aged between 50 and 102 (via online, telephone and focus groups) with a range of questions to understand people’s experiences and priorities around ageing in Leeds. The consultation also looked to gather views on the State of Ageing in Leeds report findings. The findings of the consultation supported the development of the Age Friendly action plan objectives

Why is it important?

The State of Ageing in Leeds (2021) report has highlighted some of the key data in Leeds demonstrating what life is like for people aged 50 and above living in the city and comparing this to the national data. The report shows that around one in three people living in Leeds is aged 50 and above. We have a growing older population where in the next twenty years the number of people aged 80 and above living in the city will increase by 50%. A number of key aspects related to our age friendly framework are explored:

  • life expectancy for males in the city is 78 and females can expect to live to age 82
  • around 70% of people aged over 50 live in owner occupied homes, with the remaining living in social housing and private rented sector. The majority of people aged 65 and above would like to stay in their own home
  • one in four workers in Leeds are aged 50 and above
  • data shows in West Yorkshire more than 50% of people aged 65 and above will use the bus services at least once a week. Uptake of bus passes in Leeds is 80% but can drop to 60% or less in some of the most deprived areas
  • around one in eight households will have a person aged 65 or above living in them or living alone
  • 8,500 people aged 65 and above live with dementia
  • people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds living in the most deprived parts of Leeds become frail 11 years earlier than white counter parts living in the least deprived areas

The opportunities and challenges presented by an ageing population are well rehearsed. Older people contribute in countless ways to Leeds’ rich and vibrant communities – through the skills and knowledge that they bring to their local communities, high levels of volunteering, acting formally and informally as community connectors, intergenerational interactions, unpaid caring roles, and through the skills and experience they bring to their workplaces.

However, we also know that many older people are also more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions with inequalities disproportionately affecting the poorest in our city. Inequalities in older age are cumulative and have a significant impact on a person’s health, wellbeing and independence. As the baby-boomer generation grows older, there will be a range of implications for public sector service provision.

Our ambition requires a ‘Team Leeds’ approach.

Our approach

Our approach to achieving our ambition to be the best city to grow old in is a citizenship approach, applying to the entire population. This approach:

  • places older people at the heart of the strategy
  • ensures that there is a strong focus on social networks within neighbourhoods and the city
  • promotes social capital and participation
  • age-proofs and develops universal services
  • tackles inequalities and reduces social exclusion
  • aims to change social structure and attitudes
  • responds to data, intelligence and recommendations made in relevant local and national reports such as the State of Ageing in Leeds report to ensure actions are evidence based and respond to new and emerging needs of what matters to older people
  • recognises the impact that Covid has had on older people and the support that is needed for physical and mental wellbeing as we recover from the pandemic
  • ensures the views and needs of older people are accounted for across the city
  • links with the ‘Marmot City – Fairer Leeds programme’ which provides a framework for embedding health equity and reducing health inequalities
Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2023 - 2025

Age Friendly Board  

  • strategic leadership chaired by Deputy Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health & Active lifestyles
  • Leeds City Council
  • Leeds Older Peoples Forum

Age Friendly Leeds Partnership  

  • co-chaired by Leeds City Council and Leeds Older People’s Forum
  • partnership working with voluntary, statutory and academic sector

Reporting into:  

  • Leeds City Council Executive Board
  • Health & Wellbeing Board

With links to:  

  • Best City Ambition - Health & Wellbeing: Age Friendly Leeds
  • Health & Wellbeing Strategy - An Age Friendly City where people age well
  

Governance – The Age Friendly Leeds Board (AFLB)

The board is chaired by the Deputy Executive Member for Adults Social Care, Public Health and Active Lifestyles. Its role is to:

  • provide the political leadership and set the strategic direction for the Age Friendly Leeds work programme
  • undertake the role and responsibilities set out in the MoU signed with the Centre for Ageing Better, take the learning over the past five years and build upon these
  • build on existing work around older people
  • co-produce services with older people to ensure they are involved at every stage including design and delivery
  • ensure the objectives of the Age Friendly Action Plan are being met
  • provide strategic direction and guidance to domain leads to ensure the needs of older people are being met
  • respond to data, intelligence and recommendations made in relevant local and national reports such as the State of Ageing in Leeds report to ensure actions are evidence based and responding to new and emerging needs
  • actively promote and support the need of an Older People’s Commissioner in England

Membership includes the representatives from the council, Leeds Older People’s Forum, the Centre for Ageing Better and West Yorkshire Combined Authority and reports to both the Executive Board and the Health and Well Being Board where appropriate. This work is also part of the Leeds Health and Care programme on improving population level outcomes for people living with frailty.

The Age Friendly Leeds Partnership (AFLP)

The partnership is co-chaired by Head of Public Health (Older People), Leeds City Council and the Chair of Leeds Older People’s Forum. It brings together statutory, voluntary and private sectors to:

  • hear the voices of older people and identify priorities in local data in relation to making Leeds an Age Friendly City
  • address the identified priorities from older people and local data in order to make Leeds an Age Friendly City
  • build awareness of Age Friendly priorities and actions and how this supports other priorities/programmes of work in the city
  • use evidence to assess how Age Friendly the city and evaluate impact on priorities
  • support Age Friendly initiatives in our communities and other broader initiatives which help us to work towards Leeds becoming an Age friendly City
  • empower partnership members to develop and put actions in place
  • develop and put actions in place in relation to identified themes/priorities, working individually, as an organisation and collectively

The AFLP is made up of members each with their own functions and responsibilities. It provides a focus for the agreement of shared action and constructive challenge to make sure that there are improved outcomes for developing a systems-wide approach to becoming an age friendly city. The AFLP meets quarterly and reports on key successes and challenges to the Age Friendly Leeds Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board. Each meeting is themed around a topic from this action plan.

Membership is open to any organisation that has an interest in and is committed to making Leeds an age friendly city.

National and International Partnerships

The Centre for Ageing Better selected Leeds as a partner and in October 2017 to 2022 entered into a five-year partnership agreement with the Council and Leeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF). At the end of the partnership Leeds continues to take the learning over the past five years and build upon these.

The partnership enabled Leeds:

  • to adopt evidence-based practice
  • to pilot innovative approaches and
  • to generate new evidence of ‘what works’ for ageing well that can be disseminated locally, regionally, nationally and internationally by Ageing Better, LCC, LOPF and other stakeholders

The initial priorities for this partnership were transport, housing and communities and neighbourhoods. Since then, partners have worked on system wide work such as the State of Ageing in Leeds. Outputs from the partnership can be found at https://ageing-better.org.uk/leeds

The partnership was governed by an annual Memorandum of Understanding Review and managed by a quarterly steering group. It is one of only three partnerships that Ageing Better has established with local areas, with the others being in Greater Manchester and Lincolnshire.

Leeds is a member of:

  • UK Network of Age Friendly Communities - a group of communities from across the UK that are collaborating to bring about change in the way that we respond to population ageing. Managed by the Centre for Ageing Better
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) Age Friendly Cities - established to foster the exchange of experience and mutual learning between cities and communities worldwide

Want to find out more?

Contact us:

Leeds Older Peoples Forum

Email: Info@opforum.org.uk

Telephone: (0113) 2441697

Website: http://www.opforum.org.uk/

Twitter: @LeedsOPF

Leeds City Council

Email: agefriendly@leeds.gov.uk

Telephone: 0113 3783831

Website: www.leeds.gov.uk/age-friendly-leeds

Twitter: @AgeFriendlyLDS

Centre for Ageing Better

Email: natalie.turner@ageing-better.org.uk

Telephone: 0113 3786242

Website: https://www.ageing-better.org.uk/

Twitter: @ageing_better

Get involved

Think about what you can do as an individual at home or at work, or what your organisation can do to make Leeds an age friendly city. Everyone can contribute to making Leeds the best city to grow old in.

Strategy and Action Plan 2022 – 2025: Summary

The action plan is structured around 6 topic areas adapted for Leeds from the Age Friendly City domains developed by the World Health Organisation:

  • housing
  • public and civic Spaces
  • travel and road safety
  • active, included and respected
  • healthy and independent ageing
  • employment and learning

For each topic area we have:

  • outcomes – what we want our end result to be
  • objectives – what we are focusing on to achieve our outcomes
  • older people’s expectations – what older people have told us they expect from an Age Friendly Leeds

The action plan has been informed but the State of Ageing in Leeds report, insight from engagement with older people and a number of Leeds strategies. Cross cutting themes across all the topic areas are:

  • effective communications – providing information about services and activities in a range of formats that older people can easily access, and which suit their needs
  • access to digital technology – help and support for people who want to use digital technology to make their life better
  • engagement and co-production with older people – involving and consulting with older people on the development, delivery, management and evaluation of services and projects which affect them
  • inequalities – recognising the barriers faced by older people who are, or are at risk of, being vulnerable or disadvantaged, and putting interventions in place to remove or reduce these barriers. Including protected characteristics and the intersection with age e.g. age, gender, ethnically diverse communities
  • climate change and the impact it can have on people as they age
  • financial inclusion – recognising the barriers faced by older people who are, or are at risk of, being vulnerable or disadvantaged, and putting interventions in place to support older people

Officers from across the council and their partners contribute to a quarterly highlight report and flash update to the Age Friendly Leeds Board on how their services are contributing to the action plan and addressing the cross-cutting themes. The update is shared with the Age Friendly Leeds Partnership.

Key performance indictors

A framework to measure the impact of the action plan was developed with support from the Centre for Ageing Better. These measures have been incorporated into the Best City Ambition and reported on annually to the corporate leadership team and executive board. These indicators are:

  • indices of deprivation affecting older people
  • disability free life expectancy by gender at birth and at 65
  • healthy life expectancy by gender at birth and at 65
  • the number of new build properties built to accessible standards M4 (2) and M4 (3) (reported to the Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth Scrutiny Board twice a year)

Age friendly objectives, expectations and outcomes

Public and civic spaces

Support older people to access and enjoy outdoor spaces in Leeds by:

  • ensuring that parks and green spaces are accessible for everyone who wants to use them
  • providing and promoting a wide range of opportunities for people to get the health benefits of spending time in green spaces
  • having a collaborative approach to delivering the Parks and Countryside service

Healthy and independent ageing

Supporting older people to live healthy and independent lives in the community by:

  • promoting healthy ageing that focuses on active and independent living
  • promoting healthy ageing that as a focus on, nutrition and hydration
  • promoting healthy ageing that focuses on mental health and wellbeing
  • promote healthy ageing that focuses on the broader determinants of health and health protection
  • facilitate community inclusion to enhance wellbeing, heathier life choices and independence

Active, included and respected

Covers several key areas to support people to live fulfilled lives within the community. Key services have come together to achieve the following by:

  • maximising the opportunities to reduce loneliness and social isolation
  • working with artists, practitioners, and cultural organisations to actively engage older people in the city’s arts and cultural offer
  • offering a range of volunteering opportunities which older people can actively participate in
  • undertaking work with partners and the media to raise the profile of Age Friendly Leeds, intergenerational work, and positive ageing
  • actively engaging older people in the city’s wider cultural and reading offer
  • digital inclusion: older People in Leeds have equal opportunity to use digital tools,technology, and services in the right way for them

Employment and learning

Supporting older workers in the workplace and to improve access to the workplace, to stay in work by:

  • supporting people aged 50+ back into the workplace; to stay in work; explore career change and upskilling; to have access education and learning opportunities
  • hiring and developing 50+ workforce within LCC
  • supporting the health, wellbeing and benefits of the 50+ workforce
  • promoting an age positive culture and flexible working

Travel and road safety

Providing a range of accessible travel options to older people across the city by:

  • ensuring older people have a choice of transport options and can choose a mode that is most appropriate for their journey
  • ensuring transport is affordable and accessible to everyone
  • eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by adopting a Vision Zero
  • supporting and motivating people to make healthy travel choices

Housing

Ensuring housing is suitable for older people as they grow older by:

  • improving housing quality/adaptations to support independence
  • increasing public and agency awareness of information and advice on housing options with a preventative focus
  • increasing provision of Age Friendly housing options including accessible new housing and specialist housing with support

There are a number of actions associated with each objective:

Public and civic spaces

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Access for all: Ensuring that parks and green spaces are accessible for everyone who wants to use them.

Short-term:    

  • Install a Changing Places toilet as part of new developments at Tropical World.
  • New city centre park (Aire park) will include accessible public toilets.
  • Get correct, up to date information about all our city parks and the Arium on Euan's Guide website.
  • To develop a process for auditing the accessibility of our sites.

Long-term:    

  • Develop ‘a plan on a page’ for all 65 community parks which will include an accessibility audit for each site.
  • Review number of disabled parking bays in parks and bench numbers and locations when putting together plans on a page.

Objective B: Health and Wellbeing: Providing and promoting a wide range of opportunities for people to get the health benefits of spending time in green spaces.

Short-term:    

  • Where possible and appropriate, prioritise investment in green spaces in areas of deprivation.

Medium-term:    

  • Where possible and appropriate, prioritise investment in green spaces in areas of deprivation.
  • (With partners) promote the mental and physical benefits of spending time in parks and green spaces.

Long-term:    

  • Where possible and appropriate, prioritise investment in green spaces in areas of deprivation.
  • (With partners) promote the mental and physical benefits of spending time in parks and green spaces.
  • To create a measured and signposted walking route in every suitable community and city park.
  • Develop and promote walking routes connecting green spaces and communities across the city, prioritising areas of deprivation where the public health benefits of accessing green space will be greater.

Objective C: Working with communities: Having a positive, open, helpful and collaborative approach to delivering the Parks and Countryside service.

Short, medium & long-term:    

  • Ensure all Friends, In Bloom, outdoor sports clubs, allotment associations and other community groups with an interest in our green spaces have a contact in the Parks & Countryside Service who can support them to achieve shared goals.
  • Continue to organise and support the following city-wide volunteer groups: Leeds Wildlife Volunteers, Leeds Cemetery Volunteers, Volunteer Rangers and Leeds Voluntary Footpath Rangers.
  • Consulting with users and non-users when creating ‘A plan on a page’ for all 65 community parks.

Older people’s expectations

  • Public and green spaces in Leeds are safe, clean and accessible to me
  • I can comfortably access toilets and seating when I go out in public
  • When I go out, I feel that public spaces are welcoming to older people

Outcomes

Leeds is a welcoming city, accessible to all where older people feel, and are, safe.    

Travel and road safety

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Ensure older people have a choice of transport options and can chose a mode that is most appropriate for their journey

Short-term:    

  • Complete Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme.
  • Pilot Streets for People/ Active Travel Neighbourhood schemes.
  • Develop Leeds Streetscape Space allocation policy.
  • Develop and sign a Street Charter for Leeds.

Mid-term:    

  • Deliver electric bike hire scheme for Leeds.
  • Continue to deliver dropped kerbs and disabled parking bays.
  • Continue to identify and help overcome barriers to walking through the demand responsive provision of pedestrian crossings (ongoing).
  • Deliver cycling infrastructure improvements as part of TCF and Active Travel Fund.

Long-term:    

  • Deliver bus priority measures, walking and cycling improvements as part of Corridor Improvement Programme (CIP)/ City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS).
  • Develop infrastructure that enables people to continue cycling into older age, including safe segregated routes, a range of adapted bikes and electric bikes, cycle training.
  • Progress the development of Local Area Transport Plans.

Objective B: Lower the cost of mobility, ensuring transport is affordable and accessible to everyone

Short-term:    

  • Work with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and bus operators to deliver improvements to the bus fleet, including audio announcements.
  • Improve accessibility of information at bus stops through electronic displays and audio-announcements.
  • Pilot the demand responsive community bus service in East End Park.
  • Improve walking and cycling links from Pudsey to New Pudsey railway station to help overcome barriers.
  • Deliver improvements to pus stops and infrastructure in Cottingley, Middleton and Bramley.

Mid-term:    

  • Deliver improvements to Leeds Railway Station.
  • Deliver access improvements to Morley Railway Station.
  • Deliver Leeds Bike Hub at the railway station, including parking for adapted cycles and power assisted parking.

Long-term:    

  • Work with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to identify actions.
  • Progress mobility hubs.

Objective C: Eliminate Road deaths and serious injuries by adopting a Vision Zero

Short-term actions (yr1):    

  • Continue working in partnership with LCC and external partners.
  • Provide comms outlining changes to the Highway Code and how driving behaviour will need to change.
  • Carry out in-depth analysis of victim data to understand who is causing the harm, the factors contributing to KSI collisions and to identify emerging issues that cause death and serious injury on our roads.
  • Set up a Vision Zero Expert Panel to share information, guide the development of the strategy and action plan.
  • Identify local and regional organisations to engage with including road users who are more vulnerable to traffic injury, drivers and people ensuring diversity and equality in our approach (ongoing).
  • Develop and deliver data-led police operations to tackle speeding, dangerous driving behaviour, anti-social vehicle behaviour and stolen vehicle offences.

Mid-term actions (yr2):    

  • Update the Vision Zero 2040 Action/Delivery Plan biennially with a short, medium, long term prioritised programme of actions and works.
  • Develop Vision Zero kitemark or rewards programme to recognise best practice in safer behaviours and design.
  • Launch a Leeds Safer Roads website to outline responsibilities for addressing road danger in Leeds, share headline CRaSH data and provide a facility for people to suggest road safety improvements.
  • Promote alternatives to driving, such as taxis, rideshare services, designated drivers, and public transport and explore new ways to spread the message.

Long-term actions (yr3):    

  • We will try to identify ways to engage with older drivers and find out more about how to prevent KSI crashes involving older people.

Objective D: Support and motivate people to make healthy travel choices

Short-term:    

  • Promote and enable access to adapted bikes and electric bikes.
  • Work with older people, disabled people and their organisations on identifying and removing barriers on greenways and quietways.
  • Work with Community Committees to develop community led local transport plans that help identify and remove barriers.
  • Deliver the Streets for People project in Holbeck.

Mid-term:    

  • Develop signage strategy for Leeds, improving legibility and reflecting the dementia friendly aspiration.
  • Work with partners such as Active Leeds and Older People's Forum on developing programmes that enable and support older people to undertake short local journeys without a car.

Long-term:    

  • Continue ensuring new developments conform to the Supplementary Planning Document and create accessible, attractive neighbourhoods enabling walking and cycling at all ages.

Older people’s expectations

  • I can access a range of safe, reliable and affordable public transport options
  • My needs are supported by age friendly public transport facilities and staff
  • If I need to travel by car, safe roads and parking are easily accessible to me
  • I feel safe and confident enough to make active travel choices if I am able

Outcomes

Older people are able to access a broad range of affordable and accessible transport options to get about the city easily and safely    

Active, included and respected

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Maximise the opportunities created by the Time to Shine Programme to reduce loneliness and social isolation

Short, mid and long-term:    

  • Ensuring businesses, services, communities, and spaces are Age & Dementia Friendly through utilising the Friendly Communities sign up scheme.
  • Listening to the voices (active voices) of local older people through Leeds Older People’s Forum, Age Friendly Steering Group,Age Friendly Ambassadors, Equalities Hub, Trending Elders Survey,DEEP and member organisations.
  • Sharing information for services for older people in the Age Friendly newsletters, social media, LOPF, events and through wider networks.
  • Developing & sharing a Manifesto for older people.

Objective B: Work with artists, practitioners and cultural organisations to actively engage older people in the city’s arts and cultural offer

Short-term:    

  • Age friendly updates in arts@leeds newsletter.
  • Ensure age friendly considerations are taken during grant funding review to assess whether targeted project funding might be useful.
  • Support LEEDS2023 to engage and promote all their events in an age friendly way, and via age friendly means (wider marketing than purely digital).
  • Collect case studies and showcase age friendly creative projects citywide – including highlighting projects funded by Leeds Inspired.
  • Age friendly images utilised in Culture Programmes presentations, reports and/or website.
  • Dementia Friendly performances offered as part of LCC venue programming (pantomimes at Carriageworks Theatre).

Mid-term:    

  • Provide opportunities for older adults to engage with culture through programmes such as 1152 Club, Social History Club, Community Choir, Meet and Make, and Lotherton History Group and Tea and Talk group.
  • Provide opportunities for older adults to engage with culture through partnerships with Leeds City Council Adult Social Care, Peer Support Cultural Partnership, Crossgates Good Neighbours, and others (including outreach sessions, and Wellbeing Wednesday sessions for those who cannot visit in person).
  • Provide a Reminiscence box service for use with groups for older adults (relaunched in 2023).
  • Dementia Friendly performances offered as part of LCC venue programming (pantomimes at Carriageworks Theatre).
  • Review for 2023/2024 funding period for Cultural Investment Programme.

Long-term:    

  • Leeds Museums Arts & Galleries will explore sites becoming Age and/or Dementia Friendly sites.
  • Carriageworks will continue to programme dementia friendly performances as part of their pantomime season.
  • Deliver Creative Healthy Ageing Programme use creative approaches to engage with people in later life and support ageing well.
  • Culture Programmes will support older artists and creative activities that benefit older people through the Leeds Cultural Investment Programme.

Objective C: Offer a range of volunteering opportunities which older people can actively participate in.

Short-term:    

  • Recruit additional Age Friendly Ambassadors to expand current number.

Mid-term:    

  • Recruit additional Age Friendly Ambassadors to expand current number.
  • Establish a stronger data set around volunteering, including numbers of older people volunteering across the city and details of roles.
  • Identify any possible demographic gaps highlighted through monitoring to support targeted recruitment of volunteers.
  • Work with our third sector partners to build capacity to recruit, train and upskill volunteers to maximise the health and wellbeing benefits.
  • Long Term
  • Development of a Volunteering Strategy that reflects the needs of older people – as volunteers and in terms of support received by volunteers.
  • Use available data and engage with providers to enhance and develop volunteering opportunities in Leeds.
  • Develop links between LOPF and VAL website page promoting the volunteering offer for older people across the city.
  • Grow volunteer numbers, volunteer hours and their contribution to community-based support in Neighbourhood Networks year on year.
  • Promote volunteering opportunities to all ages highlighting the health benefits and potential to expand skills and build confidence.
  • Use available volunteer data to celebrate their contribution to age friendly volunteering.

Objective D: Undertake work with partners and the media to raise the profile of Age Friendly Leeds, intergenerational work and positive ageing

Short-term:    

  • Recruitment of AF Ambassadors.
  • Role out of Wise up to Ageism training.
  • Identify a Comms expertise.

Medium-term:    

  • Development & promotion of image library.
  • Widen the work of Age Proud across other sectors.

Long-term:    

  • Develop & deliver a communications plan across all partners of Age Friendly Leeds.
  • To add once AP have developed Action Plan.

Objective E: Actively engage older people in the city's wider cultural and reading offer

Short-term:    

  • Providing inspiration to find new cultural and reading experiences in safe, free indoor spaces alongside a remote offer and streamed events.
  • Access to key collections of healthcare books (Books on Prescription) through libraries.
  • Providing digital skills support and device lending, enabling people to take part in a wider range of opportunities.

Mid-term:    

  • Access to volunteering opportunities, reading, social and culture-sharing groups.

Long-term:    

  • Wise Up to Ageism and Dementia Friendly training for Leeds Libraries front line staff.
  • Dementia memory drop-in to convert to a shared reading group at the central library.
  • Continue with the Dementia peer-to-peer support Cultural Partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries, and the Leeds Playhouse.
  • Implementation of a partnership offer with LCC Care Homes and Recovery hubs.
  • Work with area-based 3rd sector 'befriending schemes' to deliver books to people unable to visit their local library.

Objective F: Digital Inclusion: Older People in Leeds have equal opportunity to use digital tools, technology, and services in the right way for them

Short-term:    

  • Continue delivering and developing the city-wide Older People’s Digital Inclusion Network in partnership with Leeds Older People’s Forum.
  • Organisations supporting older people work in partnership to share best practice, resources, and tools to best support older people with digital inclusion.
  • Device gifting schemes within organisations support older people with connectivity and access to digital.
  • Digital Inclusion awareness training delivered with organisations supporting older people.

Mid-term:    

  • Increase the capacity of organisations across the city to deliver digital inclusion in a sustainable way.
  • Work with organisations that support older people to help them understand the benefits of digital inclusion and their role in delivering digital inclusion interventions. Building their confidence and skills using a stepped approach in line with their capacity.
  • Target digital inclusion activities to improve outcomes for people living in care homes across Leeds.
  • Develop Digital Health Hubs across the city to support older people to have support and opportunity to engage with Health services digitally in the right way for them.

Long-term:    

  • Continue to build a sustainable infrastructure of support that older people can be referred into.
  • Working with organisations who support older people to ensure digital inclusion is embedded into their service provision.
  • Increasing choice and opportunities for older people to access digital equipment and connectivity.
  • Increase community capacity to build sustainable digital inclusion interventions to support older people.

Older people’s expectations

  • I volunteer some of my time to helping my community, friends and family
  • I have access to range of social activities and don’t feel lonely
  • I feel supported and respected by my community, and can ask for help when I need it
  • I can easily find out about events, groups and opportunities in my community

Outcomes

No-one is lonely; there are a range of opportunities people can participate in to help them live healthy, active and fulfilling lives.    

Ageing is promoted positively and older people feel worthwhile and valued as citizens of Leeds.    

Healthy and independent ageing

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Deliver a plan to promote healthy ageing that focusses on; Active and Independent Living

Short-term:    

  • To reduce the impact of deconditioning and support independence in the home by commissioning services and activity which is evidence-based work.
  • Ensure data, intelligence and insight informs the development and allocation of funding by LOPF for the hospital discharge wrap around care programme.

Mid-term    

  • Support the development and delivery of the Leeds Physical Activity Ambition with a focus on both the priorities of Deconditioning and Active Environments.
  • Develop and deliver a training programme aimed at the wider workforce to support the identification of and support for reducing deconditioning and improving reconditioning.
  • Ensure services meets the needs of older people at risk of poor health due to falls risk.

Long-term:    

  • Develop and deliver a multi-agency programme of work recognising the broad range of actions to support people in later life to stay active and be more active.

Objective B: Deliver a plan to promote healthy ageing that focusses on; nutrition and hydration

Short-term:    

  • Commission services for older people to access hot and nutritious meals with a focus on reducing health inequalities, tackling social isolation and loneliness and improving nutrition for older people.
  • Ensure age friendly principles and the needs of older people are fed into the development of the Food Strategy for Leeds.
  • Develop and deliver a programme of activity to increase vitamin D supplement uptake in those most at risk.

Mid-term:    

  • Review delivery of lunch clubs and amend as necessary to ensure the provision of grants continue to focus on reducing inequalities, tackling social isolation and loneliness and improving nutrition for older people.
  • Lead a programme of work to support in the wider workforce capability to identify and support the nutritional needs of older people.
  • Facilitate multiagency partnership working to lead relevant actions as identified in the Food Strategy for Leeds.

Long-term:    

  • Develop and deliver a programme of work to address the nutritional needs of people in later life. Supporting multiagency partnership working to lead relevant actions as identified in the Food Strategy for Leeds, promoting good nutrition and hydration as part of a life-course approach to healthy ageing
  • Delivery of lunch clubs for older people to access hot and nutritious meals with a focus on reducing health inequalities, tackling social isolation and loneliness and improving nutrition for older people.

Objective C: Deliver a plan to promote healthy ageing that focusses on; Mental Health and Wellbeing

Short-term:    

  • Understand data, intelligence and insight to inform the development and delivery of priorities in the Mental Health Strategy relating to older people.
  • Map current provision of services, resources and support available to older people to support their mental wellbeing to identify gaps to inform the development and delivery of the Mental Health Strategy related to older people.

Mid-term:    

  • Develop Age Friendly principles with mental health services in Leeds and support the implementation of these.
  • Identify and map appropriate training offers and bespoke opportunities for frontline staff (clinical and third sector) to be able to access around older people and mental health.

Long-term:    

  • Develop and deliver a programme of work to ensure mental health and wellbeing support and services are age friendly.

Objective D: Deliver a plan to promote healthy ageing that focusses on; the Broader determinants of health and health protection.

Short-term:    

  • Lead the development and delivery plan of the older people’s aspects of the Public Health Weather and Health Impact Group.
  • Coordinate the Leeds (placed based) ICS funded Fuel poverty programme increasing access to home adaptations, financial support and energy efficiency measures to those identified through clinical pathways.
  • Develop and deliver a programme of work to ensure people have greater financial security in later life initially focussing on pension credit take up.
  • Ensure evidence based and appropriate key messages and proactive support around COVID are targeted to older people including support for testing, vaccinations and staying safe OP using trusted channels.

Mid-term:    

  • Ensure evidence and learning from the ICS funded Fuel poverty Programme is fed into regional and local plans for Y2 and 3.
  • Continue to work with partners to support home improvements and adaptations to meet the needs of older people at risk of poor health due to the impacts of cold weather.
  • Evaluate and share learnings from the ICS funded fuel poverty work to ensure learning is built into service design and delivery. 
  • Continue to develop and implement a coordinated plan to protect those most at risk from cold weather through the Public Health Weather and Health Impact Group.
  • Further development of the financial security project with a focus on those older people hardest hit by the increases in the cost of living and energy prices.

Long-term:    

  • Continue to develop and implement a coordinated plan to protect those most at risk from hot or cold weather through the Public Health Weather and Health Impact Group.

Objective E: Facilitate community inclusion to enhance wellbeing, healthier life choices and independence

Mid-term:    

  • Working with commissioned older people’s services to ensure that they are open and accessible to all community groups, including updating monitoring requirements.
  • Working with Neighbourhood Networks to strengthen their city-wide activity offer and provide greater choice and control for older people.

Long-term:    

  • Working with academic partners to understand the impact on loneliness and isolation, and the role of the third sector.
  • Working with Neighbourhood Networks to develop their preventative role within the wider Leeds context.

Older people’s expectations

  • I enjoy a good quality of life, living independently as far as possible
  • I can access health-related appointments in a simple and timely manner
  • I feel listened to and respected in a healthcare setting
  • My holistic needs are taken into account when I access healthcare services
  • As a carer I am acknowledged, valued and supported in my caring role. 

Outcomes

Older people are able to live healthy lives and remain independent for longer.    

Employment and learning

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Develop an approach to Age Friendly working practices to Support 50+ back into work; to stay in work; explore career change and upskilling and to access education and learning opportunities

Short-term

  • Developing a better understanding of the 50+ priority group.

Mid-term

  • Develop corresponding gaps in provision and map progression routes.
  • Monitoring the Future Talent Plan to ensure it reflects the importance of age-inclusive employment.

Long-term

  • Evaluate the impact from the work undertaken in years 1 & 2. 
  • Ensure age-friendly focus is maintained within work & health agenda.

Objective B: Hire and Develop the over 50 workforce within Leeds City Council

  • To complete a practice review – recruitment/adopt best practice re age-positive hiring; especially to address labour shortages.
  • To review offer and relevance of learning for older workers, identify gaps and options to support career change and alignment with future needs and workforce plans.

Objective C: To support the Health, Wellbeing and Benefits of the 50+ workforce

Actions

  • Review impact of the Appraisals and Supporting Staff at Work Charter – ensure this considers an employee's future needs/orientation and career opportunities, stressing both short- and longer-term ambitions. To also address areas where health/age is most likely to affect staff e.g., in front-line roles and manual jobs.
  • Pension – Consider impact pending legislative changes to the LGPS in terms of policy and future practices in relation to staff of all age. Review levels of membership and work to address areas where staff opt-out.

Objective D:

To promote an Age Positive Culture and flexible working

  • Promotion of age-friendly practices – develop materials and briefings for managers.
  • Work with partners to promote adoption of age friendly charter e.g. Anchors and Centre for Ageing Better.
  • Maintain and develop links with staff networks.
  • Review feedback from older workers in surveys – set baselines regarding this.
  • Practice review – Flexible working policy and flexible retirement – consider use amongst older workers; especially those in front-line roles.

Older people’s expectations

  • I feel my life skills and experience are valued by my employer
  • I have continued opportunities to learn and develop at work
  • I have the option to work flexibly or in a way that suits my living situation
  • I have easy access to support on career change, upskilling or other learning opportunities
  • I am able to make positive and fulfilling retirement plans 

Outcomes

Older people in Leeds actively participate in the city through fulfilling employment and learning    

Housing

Objectives & Actions

Objective A: Improving housing quality / adaptations to support independence.

Short-term    

  • Initiate options appraisal of good homes agency approach, considering options at city and West Yorkshire level.
  • Review of hospital discharge and prevention pathways / partnership working to ensure earlier consideration of housing needs.
  • Evaluate outcomes of Govtech project / other projects to identify digital technologies for monitoring housing quality / supporting independence.

Mid-term:    

  • Embed Hospital Discharge project and undertake monitoring / analysis of health and housing impacts
  • Mobilise Home Plus contract and undertake monitoring / evaluation of health and housing impacts

Long-term:    

  • Complete and consider options appraisal of good homes agency approach.
  • Embed, monitor and undertake evaluation of Hospital Discharge project to understand health and housing impacts.
  • Complete Home Plus evaluation and use evaluation to work with partners to determine future strategic plans for the Home Plus Project.
  • Understand digital projects underway in the city / region and review impacts on supporting independence, e.g. monitoring air quality. Determine future digital project plans based on review.

Objective B: Increasing public and agency awareness of information and advice on housing options with preventative focus

Short-term:    

  • Continue to develop Leeds Directory as a public source of information and advice on housing options and contribute to the Directory discovery work.
  • Complete survey of housing and health professionals to identify training needs / awareness of referral pathways. Begin to deliver cross sector training.
  • Contribute to West Yorkshire campaign to encourage social housing tenants to 'rightsize'.
  • Develop and deliver pilots to encourage early consideration of age friendly housing options – retirement planning in anchor organisations, self-assessment toolkit.
  • Undertake equality impact assessment of information and advice objective to ensure that actions are inclusive.

Mid-term:    

  • Support delivery of updated Leeds Directory website solution to provide improved information and advice, including user feedback, with effective communications plan.
  • Further develop the housing self-assessment toolkit.
  • Support delivery of cross housing and health sector training and partnership working.
  • Support launch, monitoring and evaluation of West Yorkshire Rightsizing campaign.
  • Continue to monitor equality impacts of actions / pilots.

Long-term:    

  • Embed and promote housing information and advice pages on Leeds Directory to public and agencies.
  • Complete development of housing self-assessment toolkit to be included on Leeds Directory.
  • Work with HR to seek to incorporate housing into retirement planning material used by LCC.
  • Support delivery of cross housing and health sector training and partnership working and evaluate cross housing and health sector working.
  • Embed preventative approaches of age friendly housing options.
  • Ongoing promotion of West Yorkshire Rightsizing campaign by housing partners.
  • Continue to monitor equality impacts of actions / pilots.

Objective C: Increasing provision of age friendly housing options including accessible new housing and specialist housing with support

Short-term:    

  • Monitor delivery of current accessible housing targets for new developments via Core Strategy and maximise uptake through proactive work with developers.
  • Monitor outcome of government consultation on accessible housing targets.
  • Continue to deliver extra care programme via Home Group and LCC, maximising effectiveness of how developments are meeting need.
  • Undertake equality impact assessment of age friendly housing options objective to ensure that actions are inclusive.

Mid-term and long-terms:    

  • Monitor and evaluate current accessible housing targets in Core Strategy taking into account outcome of government consultation.
  • Continue to deliver extra care programme via Home Group and LCC monitoring health and housing impacts. Continue to undertake evaluation of extra care programme to ilientify impacts and opportunities
  • Contribute towards national reviews of older persons housing provision – e.g. Older People's Housing Taskforce, APPG enquiry of Sheltered Housing.
  • Undertake a review of the Council's Retirement Life Service.
  • Contribute towards the West Yorkshire Dementia Friendly Housing work.
  • Continue to monitor equality impacts of actions / pilots.

Older people’s expectations

  • I am supported to live safely and comfortably in my own home
  • I am confident and well-informed about my future housing options
  • A variety of age friendly housing options are available to me
  • I feel able to plan ahead and make positive and proactive decisions about my housing situation

Outcomes

Older people can access the help, support and housing options they need to live independently in their place of choice.