Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that health inequalities are not exacerbated (a) during and (b) after transition to new Integrated care systems.

The Health and Care Act 2022 established integrated care boards (ICBs) and sets out a specific duty for ICBs in Section 14Z35 to reduce inequalities. It states that each ICB must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.

ICBs and its partner trusts are also expected to seek the views of underserved groups during formulation of their Joint Forward Plans.

NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB and publish a summary of its findings. In undertaking this assessment, NHS England will consider how successfully each ICB has discharged its duties set out by the Act including the duty as to reducing inequalities. The annual assessment for 2022/23 is expected to be completed by end of July 2023 and will be shared with ICB chairs. NHS England will also publish the outcome of all annual assessments within its own annual report.