Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that a new Integrated Care Provider contract is made available for use from 2019, following public and provider consultation; and if he will make a statement.

As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plans over the summer. NHS England and Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.

The Integrated Care Provider (ICP) Contract is a contractual option for local areas wishing to integrate care. Where a clinical commissioning group proposes to use the ICP Contract, proposals will be subject to successful completion of the Integrated Support and Assurance Process before the ICP Contract is awarded.

NHS England has completed a full public consultation on the ICP Contract and committed through the Long Term Plan that the ICP Contract will be made available for use in 2019. NHS England’s full response to the consultation was published on 15 March 2019.

The feedback from the consultation is being used to further develop the ICP Contract, which will be made available in its updated form as an option for use in local health and care systems in due course.