Integrated Care Systems
Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services to improve the lives of people in their area.
The Health and Care Act 2022 has established 42 ICSs across England.
Each Integrated Care System has two statutory elements, an Integrated Care Partnership (sometimes known as an ICP) and an NHS Integrated Care Board (sometimes referred to an ICB) – in Surrey Heartlands our ICB is known as NHS Surrey Heartlands.
Integrated Care Partnership
An Integrated Care Partnership is a statutory committee jointly formed between the NHS Integrated Care Board and all upper-tier local authorities that fall within the ICS area (in Surrey this is Surrey County Council). This committee brings together a broad alliance of partners concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population, with membership determined locally – read more about the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Partnership committee.
Integrated Care Board
An Integrated Care Board is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the local NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area. With the creation of Integrated Care Boards the previous Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have been abolished, with the majority of their statutory duties taken on by the new ICB. Read more about NHS Surrey Heartlands (our ICB).
Other features of the Integrated Care System
Place based partnerships
Place based partnerships will lead the detailed design and delivery of integrated services at a more local level. These partnerships involve the local NHS, local councils, community and voluntary organisations and other community partners with a role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the population, working closely with local people and communities.
Read more about our Place-based partnerships in Surrey Heartlands.
Provider collaboratives
Provider collaboratives bring NHS providers together to achieve the benefits of working at scale across multiple places and one or more ICSs, to improve quality, efficiency and outcomes and address unwarranted variation and inequalities in access and experience across different providers.
Working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector
The VCSE sector is a key strategic partner in helping local systems shape, improve and deliver services. The sector also has a crucial role in developing and implementing plans to tackle the wider determinants of health – factors that play a key role in the root causes of poor health, such as pollution, poverty, education and housing.
Further information
You can read more about the creation of ICSs.
You might also be interested in watching this short video created by The King’s Fund which explains the new health and care landscape from 1st July 2022.