Produced by the Thames Valley Mental Health Provider Collaborative, the statement sets out shared priorities for improving mental health services across the region. It aims to bring partners together to identify common challenges, develop solutions across organisational boundaries and improve outcomes for local people.

Oxford Health’s Chief Executive Grant Macdonald said

“I am immensely proud of what the Thames Valley Mental Health Provider Collaborative has achieved through a shared commitment to partnership, innovation and improving outcomes for the people we serve. Together, we have built strong relationships across organisational boundaries, delivering shared solutions that improve care and make the best use of our collective resources.

“As I hand over to Michael Holland as Chief Executive for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, I do so with great confidence in the Mental Health Provider Collaborative’s future. Strong provider partnership will remain vital as the health and care system evolves, and I am excited to see the collaborative build on its strong foundations and continue to make a meaningful difference for the people and communities of Thames Valley.”

Priorities for 2026/27

The Collaborative will focus on a small number of priority programmes designed to improve access to care, reduce variation between services, strengthen care pathways and make the best use of resources.

The shared priorities ahead include:

Female psychiatric intensive care

Reviewing current provision, care standards, costs and future commissioning arrangements.

Secure transport

Developing a single Thames Valley approach to secure mental health transport, with consistent standards for quality, pricing and oversight.

Adult ADHD

Transforming the adult ADHD pathway to reduce waiting times, improve consistency of care and support the safe reopening of paused waiting lists.

Mental Health Investment Standard

Developing proposals for future mental health investment and improving transparency around funding decisions.

Mental health rehabilitation

Reviewing rehabilitation pathways and developing a future model of care that helps more people receive care closer to home.

The statement also outlines the key milestones and planned activity for each programme during 2026/27.

A more joined-up approach

The Collaborative’s long-term ambition is to create a more joined-up mental health system across the Thames Valley. By sharing learning, adopting best practice and working collectively to improve services, partners aim to provide more consistent, high-quality care for everyone who uses mental health services across the region.

 

Read the full Thames Valley Mental Health Provider Collaborative Executive Position Statement