From Friday 1 July 2022, the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) will include a new statutory organisation within it called the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). The new Board is part of new legislation set out in the Health and Care Act 2022, which focuses on improving outcomes for people by addressing health inequalities, the difference in care received and effective use of budgets across the area.
Established in 2016, WY HCP sees the Health and Care Act as the next step in organisations working much more closely together as they join up care around people’s needs and focus on better access to care and much greater emphasis on preventing illness and public health.
Over the last six years, the WY HCP has been successful in developing positive work before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These new arrangements are designed to help the delivery of care where many people face multiple long term health conditions, are living in poorer communities, and waiting longer for health treatments alongside the impact of ‘living with COVID’.
The Integrated Care Board will have a broad scope and pick up the functions of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) when they are abolished on the 1 July. It will lead on some functions that previously sat in NHS England, Health Education England and elsewhere. This brings greater coherence and resources to local partnerships and provides an opportunity to build on the successful work of WY HCP.
WY HCP has strong local place partnerships in Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield District. It has effective care provider collaboratives, such as The West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Collaborative, Community Care Collaborative and hospices working together. The Integrated Care Board will work alongside all of these and will employ former CCG staff who work for the NHS locally or on West Yorkshire Programmes such as cancer, mental health, urgent emergency care and health inequalities.
The organisation will be led by Chief Executive Rob Webster CBE and an independent Chair, Cathy Elliott.
The Board of the Integrated Care Board will have four non-executive members. Together with Healthwatch, these members will ensure a strong independent voice and help to make sure the views of local people are heard.
The Board also includes members from WY HCP’s five local places and includes ICB Directors for Finance, Nursing, People, a Medical Director and a Director of Strategy and Partnerships. Board members also include representation from:
- NHS acute hospitals
- Mental health, learning disability and autism providers
- Community health service providers
- Directors of public health
- Local councils
- Primary care providers
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises.
The Board will be tasked with delivering a strategy that is built from local Health and Wellbeing Board Plans, and consolidated at the Partnership Board, which will be Chaired by Cllr Tim Swift , Leader of Calderdale Council. This Partnership Board brings all partners across West Yorkshire.
The Integrated Care Board will agree a plan for health and care services in West Yorkshire that delivers the strategy and most decisions about circa £5billion budget and services delivered will be made locally in the five local places.
Cathy Elliott, Chair of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said:
‘Working together as equal partners is extremely important to achieve integrated care and seamless access to services for the people of West Yorkshire. I’m looking forward to chairing the Board and building on the Partnership’s work to date on issues as diverse as learning disability, autism, cancer, mental health, and unpaid carers support. The Board will always focus on the difference we are making to local people’s lives now and in the future. That’s what really matters to me’.
Cllr Swift Chair of West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership Board said:
‘Many factors determine whether someone leads a long and healthy life, including good housing, access to green space, and building an inclusive economy that creates more good jobs, reduces health inequalities, and promotes opportunity for all. These important factors are at the heart of the Partnership Board. I’m looking forward to working alongside the Integrated Care Board to improve health and care services across West Yorkshire, whilst delivering our five-year plan ambitions for all living across the area’.
Rob Webster CBE, Chief Executive for WY HCP said:
‘These arrangements are designed to drive collaboration between all of the partners in health and care. They recognise that the NHS can only succeed if it works with citizens, councils, charities, and other organisations in pursuit of improved outcomes, particularly for those in our poorer communities. This Partnership has already shown it can make a difference and the ICB is another step towards cementing this way of working in collaboration as we address the impact of the last two years on staff, services and citizens’.
The Integrated Care Board will be held in public virtually via Microsoft Teams for the first time on Friday 1 July from 9.00am to 11.30am.
People are asked to email their questions to [email protected] before 9am on Thursday 30 June 2022. They can also call 01924 317659 to submit questions. They will then receive a Microsoft Teams link so they can join the meeting for their question-and-answer item.
People can read the papers, find out how to ask a question, and watch live online by visiting www.wypartnership.co.uk/meetings/integrated-care-board