The way healthcare is planned and provided across a huge area including Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire has changed.

Previously, health and care services were managed, organised and bought by clinical commissioning groups (CCG).

But all that changed in July 2022, when the Berkshire West CCGs were abolished in favour of Integrated Care Systems (ICS).

According to the NHS website, an ICS’s are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services.

The ICS that Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire is part of also encompasses Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, in a geographical grouping that has been called ‘bizzare’ by one councillor.

It has two core parts: an integrated care board (ICB), which is an NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, and an integrated care partnership (ICP).

The ICS for the area is called the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board or the BOB ICB.

The system has four aims:

(a) To improve population health and healthcare

(b) Tackle inequalities in outcome, experience and access

(c) Enhance productivity and value for money

(d) Help the NHS to support broader social and economic development

The five councils which make up the ICP have now appointed councillors to serve on a joint committee, which will conduct oversight and make decisions in votes.

Recently, Reading Borough Council appointed Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote), the leader of the council, and cllr Liz Terry (Labour, Coley) to serve on the board.

The decision was made on Monday, January 23.

Cllr Brock has also been appointed as the chairman of the board for this year.

Cllr Brock said: “It’s worth noting that the geography of the BOB ICS is particularly bizarre.

“[It’s] no surprise that it was the last of the ICS’s to be announced and commissioned.

“The sheer scale of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West and the difference between the areas covered there does make it especially challenging so it’s important for us that we need to emphasise that place based decision making and leadership.

“So it’s good then I would think that I’ve managed to somehow accidentally end up as chair of the ICP for this year and I’m sure I’ll have a lot fun in so doing.”

Wokingham Borough Council appointed cllr David Hare (Liberal Democrats, Hawkedon) the executive member for health wellbeing and adult services to the partnership with leader cllr Clive Jones (Liberal Democrats, Hawkedon) as a substitute member.

Meanwhile, cllr Graham Bridgman (Conservative, Burghfield & Mortimer), the executive portfolio holder for health and wellbeing  at West Berkshire Council was selected to serve on the ICP joint committee, with all remaining executive members being substitutes.