5 Suffolk and North East Essex ICS | ‘Our Journey Together’ 1. Introduction 1.1 Context for this report Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) became a significant feature in the local health and care landscape over the last decade. The ICS was one of 42 Integrated Care Systems across England which aimed to bring together local partners responsible for planning and delivering local health and care. The Health and Care Act 2022 formed a statutory basis for Integrated Care Systems by creating a statutory Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and an NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) for each ICS. The ICB commissions and monitors NHS services across the local area. The ICP brings together the NHS, local authorities, social care providers, voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises, and other key stakeholders as equal partners to explore ways to improve outcomes and experience through the integration of health and care. Every ICS across England has worked in slightly different ways. Suffolk and North East Essex ICS has often been said to have been different to other ICSs – standing out in particular for the strength of its cross-sector partnership working. This included place-based working through three local Alliances, and integrated teams in neighbourhoods. There was a ‘boosted role’ for its ICP to facilitate system development, co-chaired by both NHS and local government leaders and supported by a dedicated team and Director. The value of this approach was recognised in April 2025 with NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB being rated within the NHS England NHS Oversight Framework (NOF)i as being in segment 1 – the only ICB in the country at the time to achieve the highest NOF 1 performance rating. NHS England highlighted its strong system leadership and established and effective cross sector partnership working. In 2025 the Government announced a series of significant changes to both the NHS and Local Government that will, subject to new legislation, reshape the way that health and care is organised locally and nationally. NHS England will be abolished, with a new emerging role for regions. ICBs will refocus to strategic commissioning, and NHS foundation trusts will have the potential to become Integrated Health Organisations to provide care for local people in new ways. Healthwatch will be abolished and its functions moved into statutory organisations. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Billii will form new unitary local authorities, strategic combined authorities and mayoralties. Collectively all these changes mean that not only will many of the key statutory partners that have worked together in Suffolk and North East Essex be replaced by new organisations with new leadership, but will also involve changes to the geographical and population footprints, ways of working and partner networks. This will bring the way that we have worked together as a Suffolk and North East Essex ICS over the last decade to an end in April 2026. Following publication of the NHS 10 Year Planiii in July 2025, the government confirmed that “ICPs will no longer be a statutory requirement and therefore abolished” but also signalled its continuing commitment to partnership working across health and care. “As we remove the statutory prescription, we are keen that the learning, energy, partnership and leadership that many of you have sought to bring to ICPs continues to play a strong role in supporting partnership working, particularly in the development of neighbourhood health and in supporting ICBs to become effective strategic commissioners. The abolition of ICPs is not intended to diminish partnership arrangements between the NHS, local government and wider system partners. Instead, it is intended to allow these partnerships to flourish in more impactful ways. Our 10 Year Plan sets out the importance of partnership working, particularly in the development of neighbourhood health plans, and I am thankful for the enthusiasm and energy I know you and your colleagues will bring to this endeavour.” Letter from Karyn Smith MP Minister of State for Health to ICP Chairs and Co-Chairs, 2025
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