The NHS is changing from July

ICSs are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and to improve the lives of people who live and work in their area.

Please see a short video here.

Each ICS will include:

• an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) – a statutory committee jointly formed between the NHS Integrated Care Board and all upper-tier local authorities that fall within the ICS area. The ICP will bring together a broad alliance of partners concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population, with membership determined locally. The ICP is responsible for producing an integrated care strategy on how to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population in the ICS area.
• an Integrated Care Board (ICB) – a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area. When ICBs are legally established, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will be abolished
• local authorities in the ICS area, which are responsible for social care and public health functions as well as other vital services for local people and businesses
• within each ICS, place-based partnerships will lead the detailed design and delivery of integrated services across their localities and neighbourhoods. The partnerships will involve the NHS, local councils, community and voluntary organisations, local residents, people who use services, their carers and representatives and other community partners with a role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the population.
• provider collaboratives will bring 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

The purpose of ICSs is to bring partner organisations together to:

• improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
• tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
• enhance productivity and value for money
• help the NHS support broader social and economic development.

Collaborating as ICSs will help health and care organisations tackle complex challenges, including:

• improving the health of children and young people
• supporting people to stay well and independent
• acting sooner to help those with preventable conditions
• supporting those with long-term conditions or mental health issues
• caring for those with multiple needs as populations age
• getting the best from collective resources so people get care as quickly as possible.

South West London Health and Care Partnership

Our Integrated Care System (ICS) is called the South West London Health and Care Partnership. It brings together NHS organisations, local councils, Healthwatch, charities and community voluntary organisations to improve local health and care services and to improve the health and wellbeing of local people.

Our ICS is made up of six places – Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.

Since we were set up in 2018, it has developed better and more convenient services, invested in keeping people healthy and out of hospital and set shared priorities for the future through local health and care plans for each borough.

Find out how partnership working is improving patient outcomes, experience and safety and reducing health inequalities.

Members of our Health and Care Partnership are:

• South West London Clinical Commissioning Group – bringing together Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth
• Our six local authorities: Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth
• Our acute and community providers: Central London Community Healthcare, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust, St George’s NHS Foundation Trust, and Your Healthcare
• Our Trust and South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• GP Federations in each of the six boroughs
• London Ambulance Service
• Six Healthwatchs
• Key borough voluntary sector organisation

Find out more about the ICS and its priorities here.