Thames Valley Commissioning Intentions 2026 - 2030

Thames Valley Commissioning Intentions 2026 - 2030

Help shape the future of NHS Services in Thames Valley

We are developing NHS Thames Valley to better meet the needs of our communities across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. The new commissioning intentions are a chance to refresh and reset our aims to make sure we can deliver the best healthcare service possible. To do this well, we need your views.

Tell us what matters most to you about NHS services. Your feedback will be valuable as we plan services for the future.

What is NHS Thames Valley?

From 1 October 2025, NHS Frimley ICB and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) ICB entered into a new ‘clustering’ arrangement under a joint Chair, Dr Priya Singh, and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nick Broughton.

This marks an important step towards the creation of the new NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, which will be formally established on 1 April 2026. The new ICB will serve around 2.5 million people across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, commissioning health and care services and working to:

  • strengthen partnership working across health and social care,
  • tackle health inequalities,
  • make the best use of financial resources and workforce, and ensure services are shaped around the needs of diverse communities.

What are commissioning intentions?

Commissioning intentions are the NHS’s early plans for how health and care services will be developed, improved, and funded in the future. Our commissioning intentions describe the priorities and ambitions that we will aim to achieve in the Thames Valley over the next three to five years. A summary version is also available.

For NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB), these intentions set out:

  • What health services we want to focus on
  • How we aim to improve care for local people
  • Where we plan to invest resources to make the biggest difference

These plans are shaped by what we know about our communities and by what you tell us matters most. Your feedback helps us make sure services are fair, effective, and meet real needs.

Our commissioning intentions have been informed by insight from our residents as well as other evidence including demographics, population health trends, inequalities, our financial position and our current performance. This information has been gathered over the past few years and includes more than 3,800 survey responses, more than 50 focus groups and workshops involving over 2,000 people (from various backgrounds, including different age groups, socio-economic status, and cultural communities).

Through this work several themes were repeated:

  • Accessing services: people across our communities continue to face challenges accessing timely care, whether it is long waits for GP and dental appointments, urgent and planned hospital care or navigating complex systems
  • Preventative health: there is consistent and strong support for shifting the health system from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.
  • Integrated services: Integration needs to address wider determinants of health; integration should go beyond clinical care to include housing, transport, mental health and social care.
  • Digitally enabled care: people appreciate the convenience of booking appointments, ordering prescriptions, and accessing test results online, especially when platforms work across devices. However, they have asked for better integration between GP, hospital, and pharmacy systems

What next:

We are committed to ensuring that the voice of our population is central to the development of our commissioning plans. Our approach will be rooted in the insight we already hold, including:

  1. Feedback from our own engagement activities
  2. Healthwatch reports and those from partner and community organisations
  3. Intelligence from the community and voluntary sector
  4. Patient experience data from service providers

We want to ensure that the views of our communities are reflected in our planning and will continue to seek views and input to help shape future plans over the coming year.

To hear about opportunities to give feedback and get involved in our work please register with us.

If you are interested in letting us know your thoughts on our commissioning intentions and health and care in the Thames Valley please leave your feedback in the discussion forum below. Your feedback will be recorded and help us to refine our plans to shape healthcare locally. This forum will be open to receive feedback, in this first phase, until 4 January 2026.

Thames Valley Commissioning Intentions 2026 - 2030

Help shape the future of NHS Services in Thames Valley

We are developing NHS Thames Valley to better meet the needs of our communities across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. The new commissioning intentions are a chance to refresh and reset our aims to make sure we can deliver the best healthcare service possible. To do this well, we need your views.

Tell us what matters most to you about NHS services. Your feedback will be valuable as we plan services for the future.

What is NHS Thames Valley?

From 1 October 2025, NHS Frimley ICB and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) ICB entered into a new ‘clustering’ arrangement under a joint Chair, Dr Priya Singh, and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nick Broughton.

This marks an important step towards the creation of the new NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, which will be formally established on 1 April 2026. The new ICB will serve around 2.5 million people across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, commissioning health and care services and working to:

  • strengthen partnership working across health and social care,
  • tackle health inequalities,
  • make the best use of financial resources and workforce, and ensure services are shaped around the needs of diverse communities.

What are commissioning intentions?

Commissioning intentions are the NHS’s early plans for how health and care services will be developed, improved, and funded in the future. Our commissioning intentions describe the priorities and ambitions that we will aim to achieve in the Thames Valley over the next three to five years. A summary version is also available.

For NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB), these intentions set out:

  • What health services we want to focus on
  • How we aim to improve care for local people
  • Where we plan to invest resources to make the biggest difference

These plans are shaped by what we know about our communities and by what you tell us matters most. Your feedback helps us make sure services are fair, effective, and meet real needs.

Our commissioning intentions have been informed by insight from our residents as well as other evidence including demographics, population health trends, inequalities, our financial position and our current performance. This information has been gathered over the past few years and includes more than 3,800 survey responses, more than 50 focus groups and workshops involving over 2,000 people (from various backgrounds, including different age groups, socio-economic status, and cultural communities).

Through this work several themes were repeated:

  • Accessing services: people across our communities continue to face challenges accessing timely care, whether it is long waits for GP and dental appointments, urgent and planned hospital care or navigating complex systems
  • Preventative health: there is consistent and strong support for shifting the health system from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.
  • Integrated services: Integration needs to address wider determinants of health; integration should go beyond clinical care to include housing, transport, mental health and social care.
  • Digitally enabled care: people appreciate the convenience of booking appointments, ordering prescriptions, and accessing test results online, especially when platforms work across devices. However, they have asked for better integration between GP, hospital, and pharmacy systems

What next:

We are committed to ensuring that the voice of our population is central to the development of our commissioning plans. Our approach will be rooted in the insight we already hold, including:

  1. Feedback from our own engagement activities
  2. Healthwatch reports and those from partner and community organisations
  3. Intelligence from the community and voluntary sector
  4. Patient experience data from service providers

We want to ensure that the views of our communities are reflected in our planning and will continue to seek views and input to help shape future plans over the coming year.

To hear about opportunities to give feedback and get involved in our work please register with us.

If you are interested in letting us know your thoughts on our commissioning intentions and health and care in the Thames Valley please leave your feedback in the discussion forum below. Your feedback will be recorded and help us to refine our plans to shape healthcare locally. This forum will be open to receive feedback, in this first phase, until 4 January 2026.

Discussions: All (1) Open (1)

  • Discussion space - let us know your thoughts

    7 days ago

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    We would like to hear from your about your views on local healthcare and how we can make our commissioning intentions a reality locally. 

    Go to discussion
Page published: 06 Nov 2025, 03:24 PM