Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on patients of the creation and implementation of Integrated Care Systems.

The Department is focussed on ensuring that integrated care systems (ICSs) have a positive impact on patients, and this will be a key part of Care Quality Commission (CQC) reviews of ICSs. CQC ICS reviews will enable us to provide independent assurance to the public of the quality of care and improved outcomes for people in their area.

In addition, we are commissioning research to understand the different ways that system partners are coming together to design, commission and deliver services and fulfil their duties, and the potential impacts.