NHS England has published further guidance on steps to be taken to develop Integrated Care Systems as statutory organisations.  This builds on the Government's White Paper on Health and Care Reform, published in February.   

The latest guidance – the ICS Design Framework – builds an additional layer on previous knowledge, as we seek to join up health and care services and embed lessons learned from the pandemic. In Derbyshire, these proposals continue to be welcomed and are in line with the direction of travel being planned by the Joined Up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System.

In Derbyshire we have continued to make really good progress and the existing guidance has been broadly in line with our local thinking. We have been anticipating further guidance from NHS England on the further development of our partnership, including some of the rules around governance, and this has now arrived.   There is a summary of the ICS Design Framework included with this brief. 

Key points:

  • The ICS Design Framework sets out NHS England and NHS Improvement's (NHSEI) expectations for the next stage of system development.
  • The framework outlines the core features of integrated care systems (ICS) and the expectations/minimum standards NHSEI has in terms of membership of ICS bodies, their roles and accountabilities, governance and management arrangements, financial allocations, models for clinical and professional leadership, working with people and communities and managing data. It provides indicative outputs expected in every ICS over the course of the transition period in 2021/22.
  • The framework sets out the core features of every ICS, while emphasising the need for local flexibility and determination.
  • Some aspects of system development – including all content referring to new statutory arrangements and duties, and/or which is dependent on the implementation of such arrangements and duties – will depend on changes to the government’s legislation on integration and its parliamentary process.
  • In due course, NHSEI will provide further guidance on the membership and governance of ICS NHS bodies; the composition and operation of the board; how to support ICS NHS bodies to manage conflicting roles and interests of board members; provider collaboratives; provider governance; and supporting people transition planning and implementation. 

You can read a summary of the ICS Design Framework here. We continue to welcome these proposals as reflective of the position taken by the Joined Up Care Derbyshire Board.  There is much work to do in the coming months to ensure Derbyshire can continue develop at pace, ensuring full involvement of all our partners long the way.​​​​​