OXFORDSHIRE’S senior public health official will today warn the county’s ageing population will put severe pressure on NHS services.

The county’s annual public health report, which is out today, has pointed to a series of ongoing threats to the county’s health and also the problems which could stretch services.

Dr Jonathan McWilliam, Oxfordshire’s health director and author of the report, is concerned about the impact as people live longer.

By 2029 the number of people who are over 85 will have increased by 150 per cent in Cherwell, Vale and West Oxfordshire, by about 125 per cent in South Oxfordshire, and about 70 per cent in Oxford City.

Dr McWilliam warned that demand for care for older people is predicted to exceed supply within the next 10 years.

He said: “The impact on services will be severe. The current range of services we provide will simply not be affordable.

“There is increasing concern at both national and local levels about the challenges posed by the growing number of people with dementia in an ageing population.”

Dr McWilliam said alcohol abuse and dementia had emerged as two growing major threats to the health of people in Oxfordshire.

According to his report, children are getting fatter, people are living longer and the gap between rich and poor is growing in our county.

A study of 11,256 Oxfordshire schoolchildren revealed youngsters’ waistlines are increasing, with the percentage of year six children classed as either overweight or obese, rising from 11 per cent to just below 15 per cent. The national average is 14 per cent.

But, Dr McWilliam also highlighted the importance of tackling alcohol abuse, as well as a 20 per cent rise in dementia.

Dr McWilliam said alcohol-related admissions to hospitals in Oxfordshire has risen from 6,000 in 2005 to almost 7,500 in 2009.

He said: “Despite good, innovative work in the county over recent years, this issue is not yet sufficiently in the mainstream of Oxfordshire’s policy making.”

He said 3,500 A&E attendances were related to alcohol in 2009-10.

“The predominance of young people and young adults, especially young men, is simply a reflection of the drinking culture society permits, aided by liberal licensing laws for opening times, ” he added.