In a letter to all health and care systems, NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that, in order to allow sufficient time for the remaining parliamentary stages of the Health and Care Bill, a revised target date of 1 July 2022 has been agreed for ICS arrangements to take effect and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to be legally and operationally established.

This replaces the previous target date of 1 April 2022 and means that current statutory arrangements will now remain in place until 1 July. Preparations are continuing in Northamptonshire to be ready for full Integrated Care System status, formalising the joint working arrangements already established for health and care in our county and simplifying partnership working and decision making.

Subject to the passage of the Health and Care Bill through Parliament, NHS Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be disestablished at the end of June 2022 and two new statutory bodies will come into effect: an Integrated Care Board (ICB) to oversee local NHS functions and working closely with an Integrated Care Partnership of wider health and care organisations.

The current CCG Chief Executive Toby Sanders has been confirmed as the Designate Chief Executive of the new Northamptonshire ICB, with NHCP Chair Naomi Eisenstadt installed as the ICB Chair Designate. Three designated Non-Executive Directors and a Chief Finance Officer have also been appointed to the ICB, which is our aim to begin operating as a shadow arrangement from 1 April.