Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department will take to protect and strengthen the clinical voice in the new integrated care structures.

Clinical leadership is essential to effective commissioning. Every integrated care board (ICB) is required to have appropriate clinical leaders as members of their board, typically a Medical Director and Nursing Director. In addition, ICBs should ensure that primary care expertise, including pharmacy, dentistry and ophthalmology, is embedded within ICB decision-making.

More broadly, ICBs have a duty to keep the membership of their boards under review to ensure they have the necessary experience and expertise, and the flexibility to supplement their board membership as needed.

It is also important that boards are effective strategic commissioners, which is why we have proposed removing provider representatives from ICB boards, in line with our commitment to simplify and focus National Health Service accountability.

We expect local clinical leadership, including all areas of primary care, to be closely involved in the work of developing neighbourhood health provision.