June 30, 2022 1.18 pm

Lincolnshire healthcare shakeup promises ‘greater clarity’ for patients

Replacing CCGs with ICPs
Clinical Commissioning Groups will be replaced with an Integrated Care Partnership
By Local Democracy Reporter

A shake-up of healthcare organisations in Lincolnshire will offer patients greater clarity, councillors say.

New NHS bodies called Integrated Care Partnerships are being set up under a recent law. The “nonsensical” cluster of CCGs which currently cover Lincolnshire will be abolished.

Councillor Susan Woolley, who will be appointed the new head of the partnership, said she hopes it will offer more early intervention and preventative measures.

The new statutory bodies will include leaders of NHS organisations and members of Lincolnshire County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board.

However, there was some scepticism over how long the latest healthcare shake-up will last.

Councillor Woolley said: “Anything that makes it easier for patients to understand what they should be entitled to is a step in the right direction. This should allow for greater clarity.

“Often public health teams will have information but it will be the health bodies which need it. This partnership should allow us to use that information at a much earlier stage to benefit the public.”

County councillors and NHS bosses will sit on the new partnership | Photo: Daniel Jaines

She added that Lincolnshire was fortunate that the council and ICP have the same overlapping boundaries, unlike many areas, which “will make life much easier.”

Councillor Tom Smith said the set-up would be an improvement from the current system, where Lincolnshire’s CCG is split into four regions.

“People have no idea whether they’re living under the East or West CCG – it’s nonsensical. One body will be an improvement,” he said.

Councillor Robert Kendrick said he supported the change, but wasn’t confident how long it would last.

“If this brings people who are working in separate NHS silos together and improves co-ordination, that would certainly be welcome. Hopefully it will be more than just administrative change,” he said.

“However, we all know that the NHS has been in a constant state of reorganisation for the last 40 years.”

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Board approved the recommendations, which will go before the Executive next week.