Integrated Care Systems (ICS) became fully operational in England on July 01, 2022

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) have been changing the organizational landscape of the healthcare system for several years by developing new geographically-based partnerships called Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), bringing together providers and commissioners of NHS services with local authorities and other local partners to plan, coordinate and commission health and care services.

ICSs aimed to strengthen existing partnerships between local health and care organizations and their work to deliver more joined-up care, reduce bureaucracy and improve the health of their population.

A total of 42 ICSs covering every part of England were established in April 2021. Since that, each ICS has been developing its structure according to the multiple supporting guidance by NHSE/I. Each ICS comprises two key statutory bodies and four partnership and delivery structures:

• Integrated Care Board (ICB) takes functions and duties from dissolved Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), including their commissioning responsibilities and contracts, and will likely take some planning roles from NHS England;
• Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) operates as a statutory committee;

• Four partnership and delivery structures: provider collaboratives, place-based partnerships, health and wellbeing boards (HWBs), and primary care networks (PCN).

In late April 2022, the Health and Care Bill (Act) completed the parliamentary process and received Royal Assent that put ICSs on a statutory footing.

On June 01, 2022, NHSEI published the ICB constitution separately for each of the 42 ICBs. These documents provide details of each ICB's organizational, administrative structure, functions, and decision-making process.

See more general overview here; ICS guidance here; more details on ICBs here.

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