Community Insight Profiles

Background

Oxfordshire is often seen as an affluent county, but this can hide significant inequalities experienced by some communities.

The 2019/20 Director of Public Health Annual Report identified areas of Oxfordshire with neighbourhoods among the most deprived in England, according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019. People living in these areas are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes and wider inequalities. In response, Oxfordshire County Council’s Public Health team worked with local communities and partners to develop Community Insight Profiles for priority areas across the county.

Each profile brings together local data, community insight, and information about local assets and strengths to build a richer understanding of health and wellbeing in each area. Profiles have now been completed for 14 areas across Oxfordshire and the programme has moved into its legacy phase. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2025 provide the latest national and local picture of deprivation and inequality. Partners continue to use the profiles, local data and community insight to support action in priority communities and other areas across Oxfordshire.

This work continues through local partnerships, Community Health Development Officers, grant-funded community activity, the Community Insight Profiles Dashboard and the Community Insight Profiles Toolkit.The 2025 Director of Public Health Annual Report highlights the progress made through this countywide partnership work and how local insight is being turned into practical action for communities.

This page brings together the Community Insight Profiles, the interactive dashboard, information about Community Health Development Officers, and the toolkit to help partners use local insight to plan, prioritise and take action to improve health and wellbeing.

Please note that the profiles and related tools may be updated as new information becomes available. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact jsna@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Community Insight Profiles Dashboard

The dashboard below is an interactive tool which brings together key information for 14 priority areas across Oxfordshire. These areas contain neighbourhoods that fall within the 20–40% most deprived nationally and/or are more likely to experience inequalities in health and wellbeing. Each area has an associated Community Insight Profile.

The dashboard was developed as part of the legacy of the Community Insight Profiles programme, to make local data more accessible and  to support ongoing work to understand community needs, strengths and opportunities.

The areas covered by each Community Insight Profile were defined with input from local steering groups, using local knowledge, data and intelligence about community needs.

The dashboard is updated as new data becomes available to provide the most current picture possible for partners, communities and decision-makers.

Community Insight Profiles reports

Community Health Development Officers (CHDOs)

Our Community Health Development Officers (CHDOs) play an important role in supporting community health and wellbeing across Oxfordshire. The role is directly linked to the Community Insight Profile programme of work, which provides comprehensive snapshots of the health and wellbeing of communities most at risk of poorer health outcomes. Detailed profiles for a selection of areas across the county can be found above.

In this section, you will find reports and documents relating to the CHDO role. These resources highlight the significant contributions of CHDOs in fostering community engagement, supporting local health initiatives, and implementing action plans based on the recommendations from the Community Insight Profiles.

We are also excited to introduce the combined evaluation of the CHDO and Well Together programme conducted by the University of Oxford in 2024. This evaluation, part of the Oxfordshire Health Humanities Project, provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of the CHDOs and their impact on community health and wellbeing. The report can also be found on the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities website.

We invite you to explore these resources to learn more about the vital work of our Community Health Development Officers and their ongoing efforts to improve health outcomes in our communities.

• Heathy Communities Phase 2 Full Report
• Healthy Communities: Phase 1 Full report
• Healthy Communities: Phase 1 summary

Please click below to view the latest CHDO newsletter. Each edition will include inspiring stories, updates on how CHDOs are taking forward work from the Community Insight Profiles, and opportunities for collaborative work.

Previous editions

CHDO Newsletter  – Autumn 2025 

Community Insight Profile Development Framework

The Community Insight Profile Development Framework (Toolkit) is a practical guide to help local areas understand what matters most to their communities. It brings together learning from five years of Community Insight Profile work across Oxfordshire and sets out a simple, step‑by‑step approach for gathering local insight, mapping community strengths, and turning this evidence into meaningful local action. The Toolkit focuses on listening to community voices, using local data, and building on what already works to help reduce health inequalities and improve wellbeing.

This Toolkit can be used by anyone involved in improving health and wellbeing at a local level. This includes local authorities, health partners, voluntary and community organisations, parish and town councils, and community or resident groups. It is designed to be flexible, so it can be adapted to different places and levels of experience, and supports people to work together to create locally owned Community Insight Profiles and action plans that reflect real community priorities.

Community Insight Development Framework

• Annex 1 – Sources of Data
• Annex 2 – Sample Terms of Reference
• Annex 3 – Sample Questions for Community Engagement
• Annex 4 – Using the ABCD Model
• Annex 5 – Sample Expression of Interest (EOI) for Community Engagement
• Annex 6 – Structure of content of Community Insight Profile Reports
• Annex 7 – Sample Action Plan
• Annex 8 – Grant Funding EOI Scoring Matrix Template

Archive

Below is an archive of Oxfordshire County Council’s Community Profiles. These profiles were created using various data sets compiled on request for different areas, without direct input from community members and are a separate programme of work from the Community Insight Profiles above. 

Abingdon (Oct 2020)	Eynsham (Nov 2020)
Banbury (Nov 2019)	Henley (Feb 2021)
Berinsfield (Nov 2020)	Kidlington (July 2021)
Blackbird Leys (Nov 2020)	Thame (March 2021)
Bicester (Dec 2020)	Wallingford (Oct 2020)
Carterton (March 2020)	Wantage and Grove (Nov 2020)
Charlbury (June 2021)	Witney (Feb 2021)
Chipping Norton (Aug 2021)	Woodstock (Dec 2020)
Didcot (Sept 2021)