Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies have been received from Cllr Robin Jones, with Cllr Emma Garnett substituting.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Gareth Epps, Judith Edwards, and Paul-Austin Sargent, with Cllr Roz Smith substituting for Cllr Epps and Cllr Liam Walker substituting for Cllr Sargent.

Apologies had been received from Cllr Mathers, with Cllr Beth Rowland substituting for Cllr Mathers

Apologies have been received from Cllrs Shade Adoh, Dominic Pinkney, and Simon Rouse.

Apologies had also been received from Cllr Rachel Eden and Cllr Paul Gittings.  Councillor Ruth McEwan attended as a substitute to represent Reading Borough Council.

See guidance note on the back page.

Cllr Hanna declared her interest as an employee of SUDEP Action.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2025 and to receive information arising from them.

The Committee considered the minutes of the previous meeting on 16 October 2025.

The Chair raised some concern about the level of detail contained in the draft minutes,particularly in relation to the substantive discussion held at that meeting. It was important that the minutes clearly recorded specific requests made by the Committee, as well as commitments and assurances given by the ICB in response.

The Chair reminded members that, at the previous meeting, the Committee had reached clear and unanimous positions on a number of matters, including the need for greater transparency, detailed information on organisational changes, and engagement with the Committee ahead of the establishment of the new ICB. This included specific requests for sight of, and engagement on, the draft ICB constitution. The Chair expressed concern that these points were not sufficiently reflected in the draft minutes.

The Health Scrutiny Officer confirmed that recommendations arising from the previous meeting had been submitted to the ICB.

The Committee NOTED that a formal response had not yet been received and asked that this be followed up.

The Committee AGREED that the Chair and officer would review the recording of the previous meeting and amend the minutes to ensure an accurate and detailed record of the Committee’s requests and the responses given. The Health Scrutiny Officer would continue to pursue responses to outstanding recommendations.

Subject to the requested amendments, the Committee AGREED that the Chair should sign the minutes as a true and accurate record.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting, or present a petition, can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting, i.e. Thursday 12^th March 2026.

Requests should be submitted to the Health Scrutiny Officer at omid.nouri@oxfordshire.gov.uk AND scrutiny@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

There were none.

Cllr Jane Hanna (Chair) will provide a verbal update on relevant developments since the previous meeting.

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the Chair’s Update.

The Chair provided a detailed update on developments since the previous meeting and the context for the current meeting.

The Chair explained that there had been a change in ICB personnel engaging with the Committee, which had contributed to delays in agreeing a date for a scoping meeting. As a result, the scoping meeting for this BOB JHOSC public meeting had not taken place until February. This had inevitably delayed confirmation of the meeting date and made it more difficult to secure a venue.

The Chair noted that, because of these delays, there had been no effective working time between receipt of the ICB’s presentation and the publication of the agenda. The Chair expressed concern that this limited the Committee’s ability to scrutinise effectively.

The Chair explained that, during the scoping meeting, there had been discussion about what information could be shared and when, given the statutory consultation with staff on proposed organisational changes. The Chair and scrutiny officer had understood that detailed information could be shared with the Committee once ICB staff had received that detail.

The Chair reminded the Committee that assurances about the provision of detail had been given as far back as July 2025, reinforced during a briefing with the ICB Chief Executive in August 2025. The Chair also reminded members that the 16 October 2025 BOB JHOSC meeting had clearly set out the Committee’s concerns and made specific requests regarding the level and nature of information expected.

The Chair emphasised that this meeting had been arranged because the Committee had been seeking transparency for many months and had been clear that scrutiny was particularly important given the scale of organisational change and the financial context.

The Chair reiterated concerns that the PowerPoint presentation provided did not give the level of assurance or detail the Committee had been requesting, particularly in relation to governance, capacity and impacts on services.

The Committee NOTED the chair’s update.

Sam Burrows (Chief System Development & Engagement Officer,Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB & Frimley ICB), and Caroline Corrigan (Chief Transition Officer, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB & Frimley ICB have been invited to present the Integrated Care Board Update.

The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the following developments in relation to the establishment of a Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB):

Ø  The national picture – why are these changes happening.

Ø  Dissolution of Frimley ICB and BOB ICB.

Ø  Establishment of the Thames Valley ICB.

Ø  The changing role of the ICB as a “strategic commissioning” organization.

Ø  The ICB’s commissioning intentions.

Ø  The ICB’s future operating model and the design choices.

Ø  What the above developments mean for ICB staff and partners.

The Committee is invited to consider the report, raise any questions and AGREE any recommendations arising it may wish to make.

The Chair introduced the item, noting that the Committee had been seeking clarity and transparency since July 2025 and expected a detailed and open discussion.

Introduction by the ICB

Sam Burrows (Managing Director, NHS Frimley ICB) and Caroline Corrigan (Chief Transition Officer) were invited to present the BOB ICB update.

Consultation, Public Engagement and the Draft Constitution

The Committee drew attention to the fact that the previous transition from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to the BOB ICB had involved statutory public consultation, as well as engagement on the draft constitution.

The Chair stated that the Committee was therefore seeking to understand why a similar approach was not being taken on this occasion.

Members expressed concern that councillors were accustomed to extensive consultation in respect of local authority structural reforms, and that these changes were particularly significant because they encompassed a broad agenda, including neighbourhood working, place-based arrangements and prevention.

The Committee was informed that the decision not to undertake public consultation was a national one, based on the view that the changes were organisational and would not directly impact services.

In relation to the draft constitution, the ICB explained that there was not expected to be significant scope for change, and that the approach would therefore focus on engagement with partners rather than formal consultation.

The Chair asked explicitly whether this engagement would include the Committee, given that the Chair of the ICB had previously confirmed that they were keen to engage with scrutiny.

The Committee reiterated that there had been engagement on the previous draft constitution and asked whether the Committee would have sight of and engagement on the new constitution prior to its adoption. The ICB confirmed that the draft constitution could be shared and that engagement with scrutiny was welcomed, albeit within national constraints.

Local Authority Representation and Partnership Working

The Committee drew attention to the importance of improved local authority representation within the new arrangements. The Committee clarified that the proposed local authority roles on the ICB Board were intended to provide expertise, rather than formal representation of individual councils.

The ICB gave a commitment to working in partnership with local authorities. The Chief Executive had previously assured the Committee that there were, and would continue to be, regular meetings with chief executives of local authorities, recognising the significant challenges they faced.

The ICB acknowledged that some local authorities were experiencing population growth of 30–40%, which would drive increased demand for health services, estate and workforce.

The ICB recognised the importance of working with local authorities to ensure access to the best available data and to support strong place-based conversations.

Healthwatch and the Patient Voice

The Committee highlighted the very important role played by Healthwatch, noting that it had been extremely helpful to scrutiny and acted as a vital bridge between the public and the NHS.

The Committee reiterated its unanimous view, previously agreed in its public meeting on 16 October 2025, that the Healthwatch function must be retained as an independent local voice.

The Managing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7/26

PLEASE NOTE: There are no further meeting dates set owing to uncertainty around the timing of the launch of a new Thames Valley JHOSC.

The Committee NOTED that this was expected to be the final meeting of the BOB JHOSC, subject to the establishment of the Thames Valley ICB. This JHOSC was expected to be dissolved, and a new Thames Valley JHOSC was to be established which included additional Local Authorities that would fall within the new Thames Valley ICB boundaries.