The creation of a new NHS integrated care board covering about 2.5m people has moved closer, with two existing bodies set to partially merge.
Integrated care boards decide how to spend the NHS budget in the areas they cover.
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) has absorbed East Berkshire in a move towards the creation of a Thames Valley ICB, which is expected to happen on 1 April 2026.
A new “clustering” agreement between BOB ICB and Frimley ICB – which had previously been responsible for East Berkshire – began on Wednesday.
The restructuring comes after the government told integrated care boards across the country to reduce their running costs by 50%.