This sets out a bold, long-term approach to improving cancer outcomes, experience and equity over the next decade.

The central ambition is that by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after five years, delivering the fastest improvement in cancer survival this century. 

Shaped by lived experience, the government's plan focuses on earlier diagnosis, improved performance, better quality of life and reducing inequalities, embedding the three shifts and new care model from the 10 Year Health Plan into cancer pathways. More details here.

There is still time to have an NHS flu jab to help protect against the virus which can cause serious illness. 

The flu vaccine is available for eligible patients including adults and children until the end of March 2026; it's safe, effective, and the best way to protect yourself and loved ones this winter. Children aged 2 and 3 can get the flu vaccine via a nasal spray at some community pharmacies.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination is also available for eligible patients. This virus can cause serious breathing problems in babies, older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immunity.

For details on how to access the vaccines visit the Stay Well website.

Community pharmacists can provide treatment or some prescription medicine, if needed, for seven common conditions, without the need to see a GP. These include: 

• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• urinary tract infections (UTIs) (women aged 16 to 64 years)

Pharmacists can also provide free oral contraception and emergency contraception (morning after pill) and discuss long-term contraception options at the same time.

Think pharmacy first  - more details on the Stay Well website.

By taking part in a Digital Café, local residents can find out how to use the NHS App, including downloading and registering their details.

Using the app can help people order only the NHS prescription medications they need, and support the campaign to reduce medicines waste. The campaign highlights simple steps everyone can take such as checking what medicines they have at home, expiry dates and how to dispose of medicines safely - more details are on the campaign website here

For more information on joining a free Digital Café at various locations across BOB each week see here

Thames Valley Cancer Alliance (TVPA) has made available a toolkit so local stakeholders can help promote the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

HPV can cause of a range of serious diseases, including cervical and mouth cancer. 

Download the 'HPV Inform' toolkit here.

A new poster highlights common barriers experienced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities around accessing local health services. The poster is free to download and suitable for display or for use in meetings and presentations. Download poster here.

NHS England (NHSE) has launched a public consultation on plans to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to a new site next to Watford General Hospital, and open a new chemotherapy unit at Hillingdon Hospital. The consultation will run until Sunday 29 March 2026.

The proposals are particularly relevant to people living in parts of South Buckinghamshire who may get cancer care at Mount Vernon.

Please share details of the consultation through your networks as appropriate https://mvccreview.nhs.uk/get-involved

NHSE is inviting voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to reach people whose voices are often unheard in formal consultations. Small grants of £750 are available to VCSE organisations to host one structured community conversation about proposed changes to cancer services.

To find out more: Fill in the Expression of Interest Form

For questions, contact: mountvernoncentre.microgrants@olovus.co.uk

Construction work to redevelop the Wycombe hospital site is underway. As part of this work, Car Park B at the hospital is now closed. To view current parking arrangements at the hospital visit the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust website.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has officially launched its second 'Health on the High Street' at High Wycombe Library. 

The service is a welcoming space for local people to access health and wellbeing support and includes a wide range of community health services.

Free health checks are also available, including blood pressure checks. More details here.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has been given funding to expand its ‘Lipid Accelerator Programme’ to tackle high cholesterol in some patients – this is one of the biggest causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as heart attacks and strokes.

The Trust will identify eligible patients with raised cholesterol levels and a history of CVD; they will be offered a treatment plan to reduce their cholesterol levels and risk of having a further heart attack or stroke. More details here. 

Healthwatch Bucks wants the views of local people from rural communities to find out how well they can access health or social care services.

For more details visit the Healthwatch Bucks website.

People living in these areas can face challenges such as longer distances to services, limited public transport, fewer local services and digital barriers.

Congratulations to Dr Samford Wong, lead dietitian for the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital near Aylesbury after being presented with the 'British Dietetic Association Professional Achievement Award'.

The award recognises Dr Wong's hard work focusing on the role of nutrition in the health and recovery of people living with spinal cord injuries and associated disorders.

More details on the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust website. 

The Cancer Care and Haematology Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury has undergone a £30,000 upgrade, with improvements to the rest area for staff and patients. 

The work has been funded by the Cancer Care and Haematology Fund, the charity that supports the Trust’s cancer and haematology service with additional funding support from local charity The Clare Foundation. 

A consultation about local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire has now begun. It's an opportunity for local people to have a say on the three proposals for the county and is open until Thursday 26 March 2026.

See here for more details and to share your views.

Grant Macdonald, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, will leave his post later this year and retire from the NHS.

Grant (pictured) has worked for the NHS for nearly four decades, training as a mental health nurse in the late 1980s and later holding senior executive positions across London and the South East for over two decades. More details here.

The first patient has been treated in Oxford as part of new gene therapy for Stargardt disease, a rare inherited eye condition that leads to progressive vision loss and blindness.

The ASTRA trial is evaluating a pioneering treatment which uses two harmless viruses to deliver a healthy version of the affected gene into the eye. 

More details on the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website. 

An event to support people following cancer treatment is being held in Oxford on Monday 9 March. The day includes talks on wellbeing, fatigue, physical activity and nutrition, and opportunities to connect with local support services. To reserve a free place and view more details here

One-day retreat:
This is being offered for people diagnosed with cancer in their 20s, 30s or 40s. The free event is being held in Oxford on Saturday 28 March to deliver peer support, facilitated group sessions and practical coping tools in a relaxed setting. Friends, partners and carers are welcome to attend. Please register in advance. More details here.

The bicenterary of the Warneford Hospital in Oxford is being marked by a year-long programme of events.

Oxford Health Charity and partners have organised a touring exhibition, a new therapy garden in the hospital grounds, theatre performances, workshops and talks for the public. More details here.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has increased the number of staff vaccinated against flu this winter to help protect themselves, their friends and family, and patients. 

The Trust's current flu vaccination programme has resulted in 6,342 frontline healthcare workers (nearly 53%) having the vaccine, compared with about 41% in winter 2024.

The Trust's staff vaccination uptake rate is also better than the national average and one of the best among other large acute NHS Trusts.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust's research teams enjoyed a year of progress for patients, staff, and the wider NHS.

Highlights included meeting recruitment targets in major trials, progressing with new studies, improving patient access to research opportunities and shaping the future of mental health care. More details here.

The Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025–2035 sets out a10‑year vision to help adults with learning disabilities live fulfilling, independent lives.

The Oxfordshire County Council initiative has been shaped by people with learning disabilities, their families, carers, and professionals, with over 160 contributors, including more than 95 people with lived experience. 

The Learning Disability Improvement Board will monitor its progress around four themes: having a good life, health and wellbeing, having a place to live, and homes not hospitals. View the learning disability plan here.

The gap between some of the most deprived and least deprived communities in Oxfordshire has narrowed, according to the latest data.

In 2019, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data showed that there were 10 communities in the county that had small areas identified as being in the 20 per cent most deprived nationally.

However, in October 2025, IMD data showed this has reduced to eight communities. 

It reflects the work Oxfordshire County Council, city and district councils, BOB ICB, and the voluntary and community sector have been doing together to tackle inequalities and improve health outcomes.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire and Community First Oxfordshire want to hear from rural residents about what helps them stay healthy and well, and the barriers that prevent this. 

They are particularly keen to hear from people in Deddington, Cropredy, Heyfords, Yarnton, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Long Hanborough, Freeland, Chalgrove, Sonning Common, Faringdon, Stanford in the Vale, Shrivenham and Watchfield.

Anyone aged 15 and over living in a rural area of Oxfordshire is welcome to take part. For more details see here. Picture courtesy of Wirestock. 

Congratulations to three local healthcare support workers who were presented with NHS England's Chief Nursing Officer Awards for their hard work and dedication around patient care.

Christina Abarno, Cyril Mathew and Martha Stepney (pictured) each received this national recognition for their work at the Neurosciences Department at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

The award celebrates nurses and healthcare support workers who consistently go above and beyond, demonstrating exceptional care, leadership, and commitment to NHS values. More details here.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has launched its refreshed strategy with 2,400 patients, community members, colleagues, volunteers, and partners contributing to this vision.

The new 'Our Trust Strategy: 2025-2030' focuses on:

• Delivering care and improve the health and wellbeing of its community by empowering patients.
• Supporting preventative health programmes across communities.
• Delivering more care closer to home and embracing innovation.

View the strategy on the Trust website.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is inviting its members and local residents to a free online heart health talk on Friday 13 February (12 midday –1pm) focused on practical steps to improve heart health and recognise the signs of heart failure.

The session will be led by the Trust’s Heart Function Team and includes time for questions. Find out more and sign up.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is working with young people to help shape the future of its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

A new participation group gives young people a voice in service design and improvement across Berkshire.

The first meeting of the group is on Wednesday 25 February and anyone aged 13–25 who has accessed a CAMHS service in Berkshire is welcome to join. More details here.

Congratulations to Cecily Mwaniki who was presented with the award by the University of Reading. Cecily (pictured) is the community engagement and health inequalities officer at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The award recognises her leadership in strengthening community partnerships and advancing the Trust’s work around tackling health inequalities. More details here.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new website https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/, shaped through close co-production with services, staff, partners and local communities.

The new site is designed to give patients, families, carers, partners and communities a clearer, easier and more accessible way to find the information and support they need.

It offers improved navigation, stronger accessibility, higher-quality content and a better overall experience for the people who rely on its services.

Healthwatch Reading's report on dental care of children aged under 10 living across Reading has appeared in the British Dental Journal. 

This national recognition highlights the positive impact of Healthwatch Reading’s work to address oral health inequalities affecting children and families in the area. 

You can read the British Dental Journal report here.