Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that social care providers are represented as part of integrated care boards.

The proposed legislation will set out the minimum membership of the integrated care board (ICB) and should include representatives from National Health Service trusts, primary care and local authorities. However, the ICB will be able to appoint additional members to meet its local needs, subject to broader legislative requirements. ICBs will be required to ensure it has a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to inform them as they discharge their functions.

Each area will also be required to have an integrated care partnership (ICP), with a membership determined by the ICB and local authorities in the area. We expect each ICP to consider how best to engage the social care provider sector. The Department and NHS England will work with organisations representing social care providers to develop principles for involvement in systems.