Integrated Care Systems (ICS) have been designed to enable health and care organisations to join forces in improving resident health, tackling variation in care, preventing illnesses and ensuring that each pound is maximised.
Below, we provide a little more detail on how ICSs will be integrated into the NHS and the key things you need to know.
1.Goodbye CCG, Hello ICS
As of the 1st of April 2021, all 135 Clinical Commissioning Groups across England were replaced by just 42 Integrated Care Systems.
2. Changing responsibilities
Most treatment guidelines are developed regionally. With fewer regional commissioning bodies, expect to see less variation in treatment guidelines as CCG guidelines are replaced by ICS guidelines.
3. New budget planning
Under ICSs, hospitals are predicted to transition to block funding, no longer passing through costs of high-cost drugs to commissioners. However, with hospitals still under COVID funding, this hasn’t played out yet.