Our Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for planning, commissioning and coordinating health care services in Hertfordshire and West Essex, in order to:
- Improve the general health and wellbeing of Hertfordshire and West Essex residents, and improve health and care services in the area
- Tackle the inequalities which affect people’s physical and mental health, such as their ability to get the health services they need and the quality of those services
- Get the most out of local health and care services and make sure that they are good value for money
- Help the NHS to support social and economic development in West Essex and Hertfordshire.
The Board’s governance model reflects the need for integration and collaboration across health and care services. The Board can exercise its functions through partnerships which serve a particular geography, or through collaborative groups of service providers, while remaining accountable for the work of those partnerships or collaborative groups. The Board is directly responsible for spending the money allocated by the NHS for our area, and for the satisfactory performance of health services within our Integrated Care System.
The members of our Board will work to ensure that the Board’s resources and powers tackle complex challenges, including:
- Improving the health of children and young people
- Supporting people to stay well and independent
- Acting sooner to help those with preventable health conditions
- Supporting those with long-term conditions or mental health issues
- Caring for those with multiple health needs as they age
- Getting the best from the collective resources of the health service, so that people get the care they need as quickly as possible.
You can read more about the Board will operate, by reading the constitution, which includes information on the Board’s statutory functions and duties, committees and procedures.
The role of people and communities
Strong and effective systems have a deep understanding of the people and communities they serve. Our Board will actively seek to strengthen work with the people and communities in our area, building on existing relationships, networks and activities, and embedding the positive engagement practices which have been strengthened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board’s approach to working with people and communities, ensuring that joined up, person-centred care lays at the heart of its decision making, can be read in our governance handbook.
Get involved
The Integrated Care Board meets six times a year, with meetings held in public, every alternate month. Find out more about attending a meeting in public, either in person or virtually, and the process for putting a question to the Board, on the Board’s meeting pages.
Read the full Constitution