Integrated Care Systems (ICSs): What are they and what do they mean for healthcare?
The NHS Long Term Plan was published in January 2019 with the aim of integrating care to meet the needs of the population. A key part of the plan is for all parts of England to be served by Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). ICSs will bring about changes to the way that health and care services are planned and delivered across England. Changes to structure can be confusing and can cause problems in knowing what actions to take to make it a smooth and successful transition. So, what are ICSs and why do we need them? In this blog we’ll aim to answer these questions and explain how Healthcare Gateway can support.
What are ICSs?
ICSs are partnerships bringing together organisations, bridging the gap between providers of NHS services, local authorities and partners. They’ll plan health and care services together to meet the needs of a certain geographic location.
Their main purpose is to:
- Drive improvements in the health of the population
- Tackle health inequalities across geographic areas
- Enhance productivity and value for money
- Help the NHS support broader social and economic development.
ICS map
As of April 2022, there are 42 ICSs across England:
As you can see, ICSs will cover large geographic areas. Because the areas are so large, they won’t be suitable for delivering change within services to meet the needs of local populations. NHS England and NHS Improvement have set out a three-tier system to allow functions at different levels to support each other in integrating health and social care.
- Neighbourhoods are based on natural geographies. They’re made up of groups of GP surgeries which form Primary Care Networks (PCNs). PCNs share resources and work closely with other local services, such as community and social care to provide a wider range of services than a single GP surgery.
- Places may match local council boundaries or natural geographies where services are delivered. Their aim is to connect PCNs to other services such as those provided by local councils or community hospitals to make the best use of resources.
- Systems are the level at which strategic leadership is provided across the whole of the ICS. They’re responsible for providing high quality services and addressing health inequalities.
NHS England’s Designing Integrated Care Systems in England has a great explanation of the three-tiered system if you would like to find out more. For an animated explanation, visit Kings Fund.
Features of an ICS
Each ICS is made up of two parts:
How will ICSs benefit healthcare?
Now that the Health and Care Act has been published, it has put in place a legal framework that means health and care services must work more closely together to provide more joined up care. This will make it easier for patients to receive the care required, when and where it is needed. The end goal is for the health and care system within England to better meet the health needs of the population, now and in the future.
How Healthcare Gateway can support ICS aims
We offer a fully managed service which supports ICSs through their digital transformation journey. The Medical Interoperability Gateway (MIG) allows for two-way exchange of real-time patient information between health and social care organisations, joining up health and care services, improving the health and quality of life for all.
- The MIG supports data sharing cross-border, helping to unite what used to be individual Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The whole ICS can provide joined up care, helping to tackle health inequalities across geographic areas.
- Solutions we offer to improve interoperability increase efficiency in clinical settings, saving time and money. By providing clinicians with access to real-time patient data, it eradicates the need to contact other health and social care settings to gain a full picture of the patient improving the quality of care.
- The MIG Managed Service supports all organisations in their digital transformation journey. For ICSs, it can assist new organisations or organisations that are finding their feet in their transition into the new structure.
- The solutions improve patient care by providing clinicians with accurate, up to date information so they can make faster, more informed decisions. This helps to drive improvements in the health of the population.
How Healthcare Gateway have helped ICSs achieve interoperability goals
At Healthcare Gateway, we are interoperability specialists. We support health and care organisations all over the country to achieve their interoperability goals, and over 60% of ICSs in England are using the MIG. Watch our video showing how the MIG and the managed service is supporting interoperability across Nottinghamshire.
Find out more
Offering sophisticated and flexible integration technology, the MIG currently connects 5,200 health and social care providers in the UK, sharing a total of 30 million patient records.
If you would like to find out more about the MIG and get in touch with a member of our team, please get in touch here.
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