Integrated Care Boards: Primary Health Care

Question

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a delegated responsibility for planning and commissioning healthcare services to meet the reasonable needs of the people for whom they are responsible. ICBs should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision as required.

NHS England will continue to develop national policy and guidance to support ICBs to discharge their primary care commissioning functions effectively, supporting primary care providers and Primary Care Networks to deliver high quality services for patients. The Government is providing the biggest investment into general practice (GP) for years, an additional £889 million on top of the existing budget.

In the event of any GP closure, it is the responsibility of these local commissioners to ensure that patients are able to register with and attend another GP, so that their health needs continue to be met. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area. Commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to GP services.