Changes to NHS organisations
On 1 July, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Care Board was established and the eight Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Lancashire and South Cumbria were closed down. The functions of the CCGs were transferred to NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria. The new organisation is responsible for NHS spend and the day-to-day running of the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Alongside the set-up of the new NHS organisation, we, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership, operate as a statutory committee consisting of health and care partners across the region. The individual organisations within the partnership will remain as separate bodies that will work more closely together with deeper levels of integration, for example by agreeing joint priorities and a joint health and care strategy.
These changes took place under the new Health and Care Act 2022, which amongst other things aims to tackle health inequalities and create safer, more joined-up services that will put the health and care system on a more sustainable footing.
At its heart, integrated care is designed to make sure we coordinate services and plan in a way that improves population health and reduces inequalities between different groups within our population.
There will be no changes to how local residents access NHS frontline services in Lancashire and South Cumbria as part of these changes.
The King's Fund: How does the NHS in England work and how is it changing?
Award of contracts
With regards to the award of contracts, the Health and Care Act 2022 removes the requirement for the NHS to be bound by current competition laws and use collaborative approaches to work with individual and groups of providers. New guidance is expected later this year which we expect will provide further information on the processes to be used to award contracts to new and existing providers.
Terminology explained
Health and Care Act 2022: A new law regarding health and social care provision which originated in the House of Commons in July 2021 and completed the parliamentary process in April 2022. Amongst other things, the new legislation aims to tackle health inequalities and create safer, more joined-up services that will put the health and care system on a more sustainable footing.
Integrated care system (ICS): Refers to the health and care system across Lancashire and South Cumbria. There are 42 ICSs across the country. Within each ICS there is an integrated care partnership and an integrated care board.
Integrated care partnership (ICP): The broad alliance of organisations and representatives concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population, jointly convened by local authorities and the NHS.
Integrated care board (ICB): Under the Health and Care Act 2022, new NHS organisations known as ICBs were established on 1 July 2022. Locally, the integrated care board will be known publicly as NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria. The functions of the old CCGs transferred to the new organisation, which is responsible for NHS spend and the day-to-day running of the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria.