Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26149, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the performance of ICBs in addressing gaps in service.

It is for integrated care boards (ICBs) to ensure there is sufficient access to local services, which would include making assessments of gaps in provision. ICBs are responsible for planning and commissioning services which meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have a duty to produce a joint forward plan outlining how this will be achieved.

Under the National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022, NHS England is required to assess the performance of each ICB and publish a summary of the outcomes of its assessments. This is available on the NHS England website for 2023/24.

NHS England’s assessment process involves an assessment of the ICB’s capacity and capability to deliver its legal responsibility for arranging healthcare, including primary care services for which NHS England has delegated this responsibility to ICBs. The NHS Oversight Framework sets out NHS England’s overall approach to ICB oversight and support. NHS England is planning to update this framework, along with its operating model, to support ICBs to deliver neighbourhood health.