Clinical Commissioning Policies

Integrated Care Boards (ICB) have a legal duty to provide health services for patients registered with NHS GPs within their geographical area. The amount of money received from the Government is fixed and cannot be exceeded. It is the ICBs’ job is to get the best value for this money by spending it wisely on your behalf.

NHS organisations nationally and across the country have developed Clinical Commissioning Policies for many common healthcare interventions with the following key principles:

• Improve the quality of care for everyone
• Reduce the risk of harm to patients
• Minimise unwarranted variation in service provision
• Optimise the use of finite resources and ensure any money saved is spent on effective treatments.

This means that only treatments with good evidence-base will be funded by the NHS and only when the clinical needs of the patient require so as described in the Clinical Commissioning Policies.

As part of wider NHS reforms, the boundaries of some Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) changed on 1 April 2026. This resulted in the dissolvement of NHS Frimley ICB and NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. The new configuration required a three-way adjustment to the previous Frimley footprint:

• East Berkshire joined Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West in the creation of the new Thames Valley ICB;
• Surrey Heath, Ash and Farnham have aligned to the new Surrey and Sussex ICB; and
• North East Hampshire has aligned to Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

For patients registered with a GP in East Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Slough), Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire or Berkshire West your lead commissioner is now Thames Valley Integrated Care Board.

For patients registered with a GP in Surrey Heath, Ash or Farnham your lead commissioner is now Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board. Please visit their website for more information on the clinical commissioning policies applicable for your area.

For patients registered with a GP in North East Hampshire (Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet or Yateley) your lead commissioner is now Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board. Please visit their website for more information on the clinical commissioning policies applicable for your area.