Published on: 1 July 2022

A new NHS organisation has been formally established today, marking a new direction for health and social care in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire is one of 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICB) launching today (1 July), taking on responsibility for planning to meet local health needs, allocating resources to NHS partners, ensuring that services are in place to deliver against ambitions and overseeing delivery of improved outcomes for the 825,000 population of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The ICB will lead the health element of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care System (ICS), which brings together the local NHS organisations, councils and the voluntary, community and faith sector to achieve better health outcomes for people who live and work in the two counties.

Together, all of the partner organisations across the ICS will work in collaboration, building further on what has been achieved through integrated working so far, to make Herefordshire and Worcestershire the healthiest place to live and work, driving equity in life chances and health outcomes for everyone.

The ICB takes on the existing responsibilities of NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which now ceases to exist. Dissolving the CCG and establishing the ICB follows Parliamentary approval and Royal Assent of the new Health and Care Act 2022, which outlines how effective collaboration and better partnership working will become commonplace for local health and care providers.

Its Board includes members from within the organisation, as well as representatives from local NHS trusts, primary care and local authorities. More information about all of the leadership roles and the people behind them, can be found on the NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire website.