Annual assessment of integrated care boards

Classification: Official

Publication reference: PRN00378

29 March 2023

To:

  • ICB chairs and chief executives

cc:

  • National directors
  • Regional directors
  • Regional system and transformation directors

Dear ICB chairs and chief executives (CEOs),

Annual assessment of integrated care boards

NHS England has a statutory duty to conduct a performance assessment of each integrated care board (ICB) with respect to each financial year and publish a summary of these assessments.

The NHS Oversight Framework outlines the approach NHS England will take to the
inaugural annual assessment of ICB performance for 2022/23. We have been working
with ICBs to develop more detailed guidance to support the assessment process,
minimising additional burden while ensuring that the specific requirements set out in the
Act are met.

As you know, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health and
Social Care asked Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt to lead an Independent Review into how the
oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs) can best enable them to
succeed. The report is due to be published shortly.

To provide an opportunity to appropriately reflect the findings of the report and engage
further with ICB leaders we have taken the decisions to delay the 2022/23 ICB annual
assessment process until the second quarter of 2023/24.

We will arrange to meet with ICB Chairs and CEOs during April and issue guidance on
the 2022/23 ICB assessment process in May. We will work with ICB leaders to consider
the approach to annual assessment for future years as part of our wider review of the
NHS Oversight Framework.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Cubbon, Chief Delivery Officer, NHS England