Today, Friday 1 July 2022 marks the establishment of the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), which has replaced the now dissolved NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

As one of 42 new Integrated Care Boards in England, the BOB ICB will bring together GP teams, hospitals, local authorities, the voluntary sector and other partners to plan and deliver health and care services for more than 1.9 million people across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

These changes are part of the 2022 Health and Care Act which aims to make it easier for NHS and social care organisations to work better together in Integrated Care Systems (ICSs).  

While health and care organisations, CCGs, hospitals and community trusts, councils and others, have been working together in different ways for several years and while there has been lots of great collaboration already, previous laws have prevented services becoming properly joined-up. 

Javed Khan, Chair of BOB ICB, said: “Today is a milestone for the NHS. We can now create a fully integrated care system across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, so that people can get the care and support they need, joined up across local councils, the NHS, the voluntary sector and other partners".

Dr James Kent, Chief Executive, BOB ICB, said: “The collaborative working between the NHS and local authorities has strengthened over recent years and as part of our collective pandemic response. The creation of the integrated care system gives us a great opportunity to build on that collaborative working for the benefit of the population we serve.”