Earlier this year, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin engaged with nearly 1,000 local people and health and care professionals to hear about their experiences of ageing and frailty. The response has been fantastic, with rich and valuable insights that will directly shape the Healthy Ageing Strategy 2025–2028.

Frailty a medical term to describe a reduced ability to bounce back from illness, injury, or stress, increasing the risk of falls, disability, hospitalisation, and earlier death. While more common with age, frailty can also affect younger people, particularly those with long-term conditions such as heart problems or dementia. Factors like loneliness or bereavement can worsen frailty, but it is not inevitable, a healthy, active lifestyle can prevent or delay it.

In response to the professional and public feedback, we are reviewing the draft Healthy Ageing Strategy 2025–2028, designed to help people live longer, healthier lives by preventing or managing frailty before it becomes severe. With 118,000 residents over 65, projected to rise to 162,000 by 2035, this strategy is crucial for improving quality of life of our community and reducing pressure on health and care services.

Key emerging themes from this engagement include involvement in care decisions, perceptions of frailty, the impact of support, accessibility, and first points of contact. These insights are invaluable and will be used to refine and redraft the strategy so that it better meets the needs of local communities and professionals, ensuring services are effective, accessible, and responsive.

By working closely with local people and professionals, we aim to support healthier, more independent lives across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, helping everyone to age well and live life to the fullest. The second draft of the Healthy Ageing Strategy 2025–2026 is expected to be published by the end of September 2025.