Changes to NHS organisations in the East of England

The structure of the NHS is changing to make healthcare services more efficient and reduce duplication.

In the East of England region there are six integrated care boards (ICBs) that commission most primary care and specialised care health services.

From April 2026, these ICBs will become three larger organisations that will focus on providing system leadership for population health; setting evidence based and long-term population heath strategy; and working as healthcare payers to deliver this, maximising the value that can be created from available resources.

Why these changes are happening

These changes are part of a wider NHS transformation in response to challenging public finances.

The reorganisation aims to reduce administrative costs by around 50 per cent while refocusing ICBs on their core role as strategic commissioners.

This means they will concentrate on setting long-term health strategies for their populations and commissioning services, rather than direct delivery functions.

The changes also respond to the Darzi review, which found that the role of ICBs needed clarification to better redistribute resources and integrate care across the health system.

The new structure and leadership

The six ICBs in the East of England have already begun working in the following three groups or clusters, with formal mergers planned for April 2026:

  • Mid and South Essex ICB is working with the geographical areas of north east Essex and west Essex, chaired by Michael Thorne CBE.
  • Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB, and Hertfordshire have clustered together, chaired by Robin Porter, currently chair of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, Herts and West Essex ICB, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB.
  • Norfolk and Waveney ICB has clustered with Suffolk, chaired by Will Pope, currently chair of Suffolk and North East Essex ICB and chair of Norfolk and Waveney ICB.

The ICBs and trusts that make up the six integrated care systems in the East of England area are as follows:

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS

Herts and West Essex ICS

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS

Mid and South Essex ICS

Norfolk and Waveney ICS

Suffolk and North East Essex ICS

Other providers

More information about integrated care systems can be found here.