Adding extra A&E department in Wycombe would 'destabilise' other NHS units ICB says
Reopening an accident and emergency department in High Wycombe could “destabilise other units” and “see too few patients to operate safely”, according to the area’s NHS commissioning body.
The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) said there are no current plans to reintroduce a full A&E at Wycombe Hospital, despite the town’s population growth since its emergency department closed in 2005.
A spokesperson for the ICB said decisions about urgent and emergency care are made based on “clinical evidence, patient safety, and the sustainability of services across the system.”
They added: “A new A&E at Wycombe would see too few patients to operate safely and would risk destabilising other units.”
The board said it continues to monitor local population changes alongside hospital and community trusts, but the original case for consolidating emergency services remains strong.
Instead, the ICB emphasised its current focus on care “closer to home,” including improved community services, access to GPs, and digital options to help people stay well and reduce the need for hospital emergency care.
It comes as a petition calling for the A&E to return to the town has reached over 10,000 signatures. In October, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed that Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust had no plans to reinstate the service, almost two decades after the department closed.
The trust has since confirmed its position, saying reopening a full A&E would not be clinically or financially viable, amid ongoing demands from people living in and around Wycombe. Currently, patients requiring emergency treatment must travel to Stoke Mandeville, Wexham Park or Oxford hospitals – journeys which can take between 30 and 45 minutes.
A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust previously said Wycombe Hospital already provides “outstanding” specialist emergency care for cardiac and stroke patients, as well as housing an intensive care unit and an Urgent Treatment Centre for minor injuries and illnesses.
The discussion comes as Buckinghamshire Council’s health and adult social care select committee begins a rapid review of urgent and emergency care across the county, examining how services have changed between 2005 and 2025.
Independent Buckinghamshire Councillor for Marsh and Micklefield, Khalil Ahmed, who founded the petition calling for the return of Wycombe’s A&E department, said the strong public response “clearly shows how strongly people in our community feel about access to emergency care.”
He added: “We will continue to push for the concerns of Wycombe residents to be heard as the rapid review of urgent and emergency care takes place.”