Helping people in B&NES to stay healthy and independent in old age will be a top priority for local health and care leaders over the next five years, along with offering more help for people with learning disabilities and improving access to mental health services.

A list of priorities has been published by health and care leaders as part of a plan detailing how they will spend money and organise services across the region between now and 2024.

The priorities have been drawn up by local NHS clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, hospitals, other care providers and voluntary organisations and include feedback collected from an extensive public engagement exercise carried out last summer.

The priorities set out to:

• Help people to age well, stay well at home and improve how community services can help.

• Help to improve the quality of life for people with learning disabilities and autism and their families by improving access to services.

• Help to deliver the best mental health support for people, regardless of circumstances, age or individual need.

The document also sets out plans for helping people to improve their own health, helping GP surgeries to work closely together and reducing variation in care and services offered by hospitals. Dr Robin Fackrell, Associate Medical Director for Ageing Well and Frailty for the BSW STP, said: “By 2024 our population aged over 75 will have grown by 40 per cent.

“Our focus will be on helping individuals to stay well at home, improving the responsiveness of community services and encouraging the community to draw on its strengths and resources to help older frail people to keep well, stay out of hospital and remain active members of society.”