The first few years of the BOB Integrated Care Board which manages the NHS in our area (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West) have been marked by instability in leadership. Now we have both a permanent Chief Executive and Chair.

Nick Broughton, formerly chief executive of Oxford Health, the mental health and community NHS trust for Oxfordshire, is chief executive of BOB, while Dr Priya Singh has been appointed chair of the BOB board. Dr Singh is also chair of the Frimley Integrated Care Board, giving at least some coherence between Berkshire West and Berkshire East.

Reading Patient Voice Group will meet at 6pm on Wednesday 16th October 2024 in Room 4b at the Reading Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading and online via Teams.

We will hear reports on meetings of the Integrated Care Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Royal Berks AGM, a meeting with Sarah Wise, commissioner of primary care services in the BOB area, reports from trust governors and Healthwatch Reading and discuss our observations of the current NHS. 

The board of the BOB (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West) Integrated Care Board meets from 10am to 12.30pm online and in person in the Council Chamber, Wokingham Borough Council offices at Shute End, Wokingham.

To find the link to join the meeting please click here .

Questions relating to the agenda may be sent to bobicb.enquiries@nhs.net

Reading Patient Voice Group will meet in room 4b at the Civic Office and online via Teams at 6pm on Wednesday, 18th September 2024.

We will hear a talk on the South Central Ambulance Trust from a governor's point of view from Tony Jones and reports about other providers and events in the local NHS.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will hold its Annual General Meeting online only via Microsoft Teams, from 2pm to 3.15pm on Wednesday 25 September 2024.

The link for joining the meeting will be published on the trust website a week before the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting is:

The Annual General Meeting of the Royal Berkshire Hospital Trust will take place on Monday 7th October 2024 at 5.30pm in the Meadow Suite, Park House, University of Reading.

Please see the meeting information guide below.

Please click here to register for the 2024 RBH AGM online attendance

The Reading Health and Wellbeing Board will meet at 2pm on Friday 11th October in the Council Chamber at the Civic Offices.

The agenda should include the presentation of the Public Health Consultant's annual report which was put off from the last meeting for lack of time.

Public questions for the meeting should be sent to

With the General Medical Council subject to legal action by the BMA and a coalition of Anausthetists (Amaesthetists United) about the role and supervision of medical associates, and with 1,500 GPs seeking employment, the quesion has never been so current. See this informative article in "The New Statesman" for an overview.

University Medical Group is consulting on the closure of its Whitley Villa Surgery next year. If you wish to express a view please email Fiona Mullin at the practice.

Minister Andrew Gwynne has accepted the advice of the JCVI, the government's advisory body for vaccinations, to off er a COVID-19 booster vaccination to all over-65s, to all those in care homes and to those over 6 months in clinically vulnerable groups.

Please see the advice for the range of vaccines recommended.