14 Suffolk and North East Essex ICS | ‘Our Journey Together’ Also in 2024, the ICS hosted cultural safety training, the first of its kind nationally. An ICS People and Communities Assembly was launched in November 2024. The new Government published the ‘Darzi Review’xxii into the NHS which recommended a shift from hospital to community care, transition from analogue to digital technology, and a shift from treating illnesses to preventing them. Local authority reform began with the English Devolution White Paperxxiii proposing extending Strategic Combined Authorities and new mayoralties. Suffolk and North East Essex ICP began to publish a series of reports on progress by local Anchors organisations in their estates, sustainability, procurement and community work. Following extensive engagement with stakeholders throughout the year, towards the end of 2024 the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS Integrated Care Strategy was updated and relaunched as ‘Future Shift’xxiv, closely reflecting the Darzi recommendations. 2.6 A new direction for Integrated Care Systems – 2025-2026 In March 2025 the Government announced their intention to abolish NHS England and to reduce the running costs of NHS England and NHS Integrated Care Boards by 50%. A national Blueprint document described that in the future the role of NHS Integrated Care Boards should focus on strategic commissioning and that certain functions could in time transfer to other organisations. NHS trusts were also asked to significantly reduce their ‘back office’ costs. ‘Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England’xxv was launched in July 2025, focusing on shifts from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. The government announced that in the future ICPs would no longer have a statutory basis. Local authorities held consultations on proposed mayoralties and developed business cases for new unitary authorities; in the meantime, local elections were postponed to May 2026. A radical restructure of all ICBs commenced reducing the number of ICBs nationally from 42 to 26. New ICB footprints in the East of England were agreed creating a Norfolk & Suffolk ICB and Essex ICB from 1 April 2026. Executive Directors and Chairs were appointed to these new organisations. Consultation began on reducing the combined ICB workforce by more than half. In April 2025 NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB was rated in Category 1 – the highest performing category of NHS England’s Oversight Framework Segmentation. Suffolk and North East Essex was the only ICB in the country to be placed in category 1 - outstanding. Feedback from NHS England stated that the rating reflected: • Strong system leadership • Established and effective partnership working that had embraced the ‘Future Shift’ agenda • Commitment to continual improvement • High performance on health equality and access • Delivery of a breakeven financial plan • Recognition as a national exemplar for improving population health • Well developed, cross-system working with anchor institutions Picture – Suffolk and North East Essex ICS ‘Future Shift’ Strategy, December 2024 Future Shift Our collective vision for a more viable future using our ‘untapped potential’ in Suffolk and North East Essex ICS Suffolk and North East Essex ICS Integrated Care Strategy
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