Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships
Prior to this Act, CCGs were responsible for the planning and commissioning of health services in local areas. Since 2016, health and care organisations increasingly worked together in every part of England to coordinate services and to plan in a way that improves population health and reduces inequalities between different groups. The formation of non-statutory integrated care systems accelerated this change.
	The Act provides for the establishment of statutory integrated care boards and statutory integrated care partnerships.
	The integrated care board takes on the commissioning functions of CCGs as well as some of NHS England’s commissioning functions. However, an integrated care board is not simply a larger CCG but is expected to work differently in practice – its governance model reflects the need for integration and collaboration across the system. It has the ability to exercise its functions through place-based committees (while remaining accountable for them) and is directly accountable for NHS spend and performance within the system.
	The integrated care board, as a minimum, includes a Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and representatives from NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts, general practice, and Local Authorities. Beyond that, local areas will have the flexibility to determine any further representation in their area. Integrated care boards will also need to ensure they have appropriate clinical advice when making decisions and that at least one ordinary member has knowledge and experience in connection with services relating to mental illness.
	Each integrated care board and its partner Local Authorities will be required to establish an integrated care partnerships. The integrated care partnership can bring together health, social care, public health and representatives from the wider public space where appropriate, such as social care providers or housing providers.
	An integrated care partnership is tasked with developing a strategy to address the needs assessed by Health and Wellbeing Boards under section 116 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 in respect of the relevant integrated care board area. The integrated care board, NHS England and local authorities will have to have regard to that plan when making decisions.