Earlier this year, the Government announced a restructuring of the NHS including the abolition of NHS England and the requirement that all Integrated Care Boards (ICB) reduce their running costs by 50 per cent.

In early April, NHS England published its ‘Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform’ letter to ICBs and NHS Trusts giving more detail on the role of ICBs and the approach and timeline for implementing cost reductions. 

This was followed by the publication of NHS England’s ‘Model ICB Blueprint’ which reinforces our role as strategic commissioners, with a strong focus on improving population health, reducing inequalities, and ensuring access to high-quality care.

The preferred way forward is the establishment of four South East ICBs instead of the current six; geographical boundaries should pay due regard to local government devolution, with local authorities only having one ICB in their area; and populations should be no smaller than 1 million.

In this context, we have been working closely with colleagues across the South East region and NHS Frimley ICB to align our plans for the future. The direction of travel is to form a new ICB that brings together the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West population and the Berkshire East population currently served by Frimley ICB.

These plans are still at an early stage of development and the ICB will work closely with system partners  to ensure that these changes deliver better outcomes for our communities.

You can still book an appointment for the Spring  booster; the jab is available until 17 June for those in  the following groups:

• Aged 75 and over.
• Anyone aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system due to a health condition or medical treatment. 
• Residents in care homes for older adults. 

You can book on the NHS.UK website, use the NHS app or call 119 for free. The jab will be given at GP practices, pharamacies and local walk-in sites across BOB until 17 June 2025. More details here.

BOB ICB had a great response to its work helping patients with conditions like chronic respiratory disease, diabetes or hypertension to stay well and healthy.

The ICB’s long term conditions team showcased their latest innovations (pictured) alongside other NHS teams from across the South East of England in May.

Examples of the work the team displayed included:

• Cardiovascular champions who manage hypertension and cholesterol levels in patients to reduce their risk of stroke and heart attacks.
• T2Day which supports patients who have early onset Type 2 diabetes to help to improve their blood glucose levels.
• A breathlessness scheme which is reducing the number of outpatient appointments at local hospitals and GP practices and also helping patients to use their inhalers less often.
• Beat Better app which is being rolled out in local hospitals across BOB to support patients recover from heart attacks or heart surgery.

Shairoz Claridge, director of clinical programmes at BOB ICB, said: “We were delighted with the response from our NHS colleagues around the innovative work we are commissioning to support patients manage their chronic conditions and help prevent these from getting worse. At the same time, we also saw projects being used by other teams in the NHS which has given us fresh ideas to support patients.”

You can watch a short video here about baby Luna who had an amazing start in life after her mum Rebecca unexpectedly went into labour not much more than halfway through her pregnancy.

NHS maternity and neonatal staff across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire worked together to make sure both baby and mum got the right care in the right place at the right time.

They joined the BOB ICB Board in May to tell their remarkable story about how baby Luna arrived safely.

The picture shows Rebecca, Alan and Luna with Rachael Corser, BOB ICB chief nursing officer (holding Luna), and Eileen Dudley (far right) Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley maternity/neonatal patient safety lead.

If you are experiencing mental distress call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. The service offers 24/7 advice and support if you are: 

• Experiencing worry, anxiety or fear you can't control. 
• Hearing voices or seeing things that others can't. 
• Considering harming yourself.
• Find yourself withdrawing from your friends or family. 

For more information on mental health support visit the NHS website here.

Cervical screening is important, even if you have had the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, as it protects against all types of HPV. 

Cervical screening tests can detect abnormal cell changes in the cervix, which can be treated before they develop into cancer. Regular screening can prevent up to 75 per cent of cervical cancer cases. 

If you are eligible for cervical screening (women and people with a cervix who are aged between 25 and 64), you should:

• Attend your screening when invited: The NHS will send you an invitation when it's time for your test. 
• Book an appointment: Contact your GP practice or local sexual health clinic to schedule your screening. 
• Don't hesitate to ask questions: You can speak to a nurse or healthcare professional about any concerns. 

More info at: Cervical Cancer - thamesvalleycanceralliance.nhs.uk.

You are welcome to join an online talk on 'Falls and Frailty – understanding and preventing falls in later life' organised by South Central Ambulance Service NHS FoundationTrust (SCAS). 

The event is being held on Thursday 19 June (6pm-7pm) with: 

• Mark Ainsworth-Smith, consultant pre-hospital care practitioner at SCAS. 
• Harry Pun, occupational therapist, proportionate care / medicine for older people team, University Hospital Southampton.
• Hannah Foxley, advanced specialist occupational therapist, proportionate care team at University Hospital Southampton. 

More details are available on the SCAS website - to register your place and receive a link to join contact membership@scas.nhs.uk.

Local residents can share their views on five draft ‘Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments’ (PNAs) from across BOB. 

These are detailed reports on pharmaceutical services in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Berkshire, Wokingham and Reading. They each look at the needs of local residents and the availability of local pharmacy services in their area over the next three years.

You can view and comment on the following draft PNA consultations: 

• Buckinghamshire open until 13 July 2025
• West Berkshire open until 13 July 2025
• Wokingham open until 27 July 2025 
• Reading open until 13 July 2025
• Oxfordshire open until 3 August 2025 

The Safe Birth project brings together midwives at the Luisa Guidotti Hospital at Mutoko in Zimbabwe with their counterparts at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

It aims to train 90 midwives in Zimbabwe to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in the African country by at least five per cent.

Three local midwives Mary, Eva and Corina (pictured) who work for the Trust, delivered hands-on training in Zimbabwe earlier this year to improve the midwifery skills of young trainees around labour care and neonatal resuscitation.

The project is ongoing and has already ensured 14 ‘cascade trainers’ are in place to spread midwifery skills across the country. More details here.

Staff at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust unveiled a newly refurbished 'teenage and young adults cancer care room' at Stoke Mandeville Hospital located near Aylesbury.

It is dedicated to the memory of Courtney, a former patient who was known for his humour, kindness, and love of travel.

His family and friends raised funds to create a space that reflects the spirit of adventure he showed. More details here. 

The ‘room to breathe hospital garden’, created by Amersham Hospital garden volunteers, Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon (pictured) won a prestigious Gold Medal at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

The garden was inspired by Jen as a heartfelt tribute to families navigating the emotional challenges of hospital life. It will now be relocated to the hospital which is run by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. More details here. 

Staff on the unit located at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury went green to mark the day - they also held a ‘Kangaroo-a-thon’ to highlight the benefits and importance of skin-to-skin contact for premature and newborn babies.

Just one hour of kangaroo care a day can significantly improve brain development and parent-baby bonding.

For more details visit the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust website.

Aylesbury UTC is running a post-16 Level 2 diploma from September 2025. 

Sixth form students can choose to study either the NCFE CACHE Level 2 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care or T-Level qualification in Health.

The courses are suitable for students who wish to progress into allied health professional careers such as a paramedic, physiotherapist, dietitian or care work. 

For more information and to apply visit aylesburyutc.co.uk - application deadline closes towards the end of  August. 

BOB ICB’s priority is to reduce health inequalities and ensure people living in all our communities stay well.  

As part of this work, the ICB funds the ‘Well Together Programme’ and helps manage community health development officers across Oxfordshire.

Both initiatives aim to reduce health inequalities in 10 of Oxfordshire’s priority wards and their work has now been reviewed by the University of Oxford.

The review shows their success in:

• Effectively engaging with local communities.
• Linking residents to existing public health and medical provision in the wards.
• Ensuring that vital health infrastructure is accessible and trusted.
• The quality of social relationships they provide… an essential foundation for the success of overarching health programmes such as NHS screening and medical provision.

You can read the full review here

An app developed by NHS staff to tackle blood clots has been praised as an ‘outstanding patient resource'.

The Let’s Talk Clots app provides information to patients about clots and how to reduce the risk of developing one.

The app was launched by the venous thromboembolism (VTE) team at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust two years ago.

Their work in creating the app was recognised at the Thrombosis UK VTE Awards in May 2025 when they won top prize in the ‘outstanding patient resource’ category.

Pictured with the award are Sarah Havord (VTE prevention specialist nurse practitioner - centre) with colleagues Dr Dalia Khan (consultant haematologist – left) and Gurpreet Bahra (anticoagulation pharmacist – right).

The hubs are located in various parts of Oxfordshire to support local residents get expert NHS mental health advice and support. 

Eight hubs are now open across the county after people said they would like to see more specialist mental health care in their communities. 

The hubs, which are run by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, work closely with local GP practices and are located in Banbury, Abingdon, Kidlington, Cowley Road (Oxford), Blackbird Leys & East Oxford, Wantage, Witney, and Wallingford. 

For more details visit the Trust website here.

A vision of making Oxfordshire a fairer and healthier place was launched by world-renowned academic and campaigner, Professor Sir Michael Marmot (pictured) in December 2024.  

Local Marmot projects now include the following:

• Identifying gaps and proposals around health equity in childhood, focusing on leadership and partnerships.
• Forging links with the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership and local businesses around social value, education, and employment.
• Engaging with local groups and communities in rural areas of Oxfordshire to understand inequalities beyond the 10 most deprived wards.
• Exploring the roll out of a system to support GPs and other primary care colleagues in understanding patient needs through a health inequality lens.
• Developing policy research projects focusing on inequalities through the Local Policy Lab, an alliance between the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, and Oxfordshire County Council.

For further information, please contact marmot@oxfordshire.gov.uk - you can also subscribe to the Marmot newsletter

Brain tumour patients being treated at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford are the first in the UK to benefit from more precise scans to help with radiotherapy treatment.

New upgraded equipment for CT and MRI scans at the hospital ensures more accurate images of patients' heads for precise and targeted treatment of tumours. 

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust expects 250 patients each year will benefit from this new equipment. More details here.

You are welcome to join Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s webinar on Tuesday 10 June  (12 noon-1pm) to explore experiences of menopause in local communities and to highlight the support available. 

Speakers will include an Oxford community champion talking about her experience of menopause, and Dr Katie Barber, clinical lead at Oxfordshire’s Community Gynaecology Service. For more details and a Zoom joining link see Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s website.

The first 'biologic drug' to treat patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis (inflamation of the lungs or lymph nodes) is now being used at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Infliximab, which is made from living organisms, has been approved by NHS England for use on patients with this condition.

The drug is also used to treat inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Pictured is Simone Hunter (centre), who was the first patient to receive this drug, with clinical staff at the hospital. Visit the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's website for more details 

Primary schools across Oxfordshire took part in this year’s 'Walk to School Week' challenge, delivered by Living Streets.

The theme was ‘The Great Space Walk’, with a focus on mental health, physical health, sustainability, road safety and community.

Schools that take part in the event have experienced an average 23 per cent increase in active travel journeys to school and a 30 per cent reduction in private car journeys.

YouMove is an Oxfordshire wide programme for families on lower incomes or those facing barriers to being active.

There are now nearly 14,000 residents signed up to YouMove, with a wide range of activities on offer with 116 partners offering tennis to circus skills, Boogie Bounce and rugby clubs.

And the results have been amazing - over the past year 48 per cent of YouMove children increased their activity levels by an average of 153 minutes per week.

One YouMove family said: “YouMove helps in lots of ways. Just ask my 8-year-old son who asks me daily ‘how many sleeps until tennis’ and the soft play that my boys went to last half term. And swimming lessons are also helping to improve their health and fitness and mental health. We love activities as a family.”

Find out more here.

Researchers at the Oxford Brain Clinic, which tackles dementia and cognitive health, have surpassed national targets for getting people involved in research into memory loss, using a patient-centred approach.

The clinic, located at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, has achieved a 90 per cent public participation rate this year against a Government target of nearly 13 per cent. 

For more details visit the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust website.

A new birthing pool, complete with a renovated birthing room, is now open at the hospital in Banbury which is part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

It has innovative features, including a new water filling system which allows better control of the water temperature and is designed to be easier and more efficient to clean. More details here.

A free sports festival for people with a learning disability in Oxfordshire takes place in early July. 

It will feature a variety of workshops and sessions, ranging from creative arts to physical activities, designed to promote well-being and personal growth.

The 'Have a Go' festival is being run by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Active Oxfordshire on Thursday 3 July (10am to 2pm) at Horspath Athletics Track, Oxford.

For more details see here.

Residents and visitors to Carterton can review and comment on a draft plan to improve walking, wheeling, and cycling around the town.

The draft plan is available to view alongside a survey on Oxfordshire County Council’s 'Let’s talk Oxfordshire'.

The deadline for feedback is 16 June. 

The new hub for community physical health teams saw its first patients arrive in early May 2025.

Located on the Jordan Hill Business Park close to Cutteslowe, Murray House is home for district nurses, health visitors, podiatrists and specialist community dentists.

The service is provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and for more details visit its website.

The Reading Urgent Care Centre, currently in Broad Street Mall, Reading, is moving to the Royal Berkshire Hospital from 1 July 2025.

For urgent medical and health advice, patients are asked to contact NHS 111 by phone or online at 111.nhs.uk. The service will direct them to the best care for their needs, which could be a community pharmacy, their GP practice or other healthcare setting.

The Broad Street Health Centre GP Practice, which is also in the shopping centre, will remain open as usual for its registered patients.  

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, visited the hospital in Reading last month to see some of the innovative work being done in radiology, ensuring teams provide efficient and outstanding care to patients and help reduce waiting lists.

As part of the visit, Mr Streeting also saw the nearly completed facilities at the hospital's South Block, which will house neurology services. You can view a video of the visit here.

This is celebrated around the world in May to raise awareness of the importance of clinical trials for advances in research and healthcare.

To mark this year’s event, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust supported the ‘Be Part of Research’ campaign – a national register to let people take part in research studies that may be relevant to them.

The platform also explains the range of health and care research taking place across the UK. Find out more about how to take part in the Trust research

Pictured are Trust staff promoting the campaign last month. 

Staff on the unit hosted a VE Day celebration at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading blending history, fun and a strong sense of community.

This event was held to support the rehabilitation of patients on the unit by encouraging them to engage in everyday activities.

You can watch a video of Ceri, an occupational therapist, who explains why this event was so meaningful for patients.

National data continues to highlight a stark inequality in mental health care: black people are three and a half times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than white people.

In response, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust launched the Mental Health Act Detention Project to understand and address longstanding racial inequalities, with a particular focus on disproportionate detention rates under the act. 

As part of this, the project team hosted the Mental Health Act Detentions All Partnership Conference in April to discuss this issue alongside colleagues from NHS Race and Health Observatory​, police, Slough Council, Council for Voluntary Service – Slough (CVS), Mind in Berkshire and Alliance of Cohesion and Racial Equality –Reading (ACRE) - all pictured. More details here

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has created three short videos for health advice on the following topics: 

• Liver health checks 
  Deb, a liver health check specialist nurse, explains about liver health checks and what you can expect - watch here 
• All you need to know about sunscreen
  Kate, a skin cancer nurse, shares four key things about sunscreen - watch here.
• Differences between a stroke and a transient ischemic attack (TIA)
  Rachel (pictured) a stroke lead nurse, explains the differences between a stroke and TIA - watch here.

People with severe mental health challenges face significant barriers to finding and staying in employment. While many would like to have paid work, only eight per cent achieve this. 

However, the IPS service at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust supports people with severe mental health to find and stay in paid work.

Over the past decade the service has supported 824 people get into work, with an average of over 80 new service users supported into paid employment each year. Pictured are the Trust's service staff.  Find out more

Staff and volunteers came together to celebrate excellence in innovation, compassion in care, research and more at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust’s CARE Awards.

This year, the Trust received more than 600 nominations for individuals, projects and teams and you can view the list of winners here.

The directory is a free online service guide bringing together information about local support, community groups, organisations and activities taking place in West Berkshire. 

It is run by West Berkshire Council connecting people to information and advice to help them stay well, active and independent, increases resident self-service and self-care, and supports wellbeing. View the Directory here