The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership met on Monday 22 September 2025 to discuss the Integrated Care Board's commissioning intentions for 2026/27 and receive updates from Health and Wellbeing Boards. Key discussions focused on financial challenges, the left shift of care towards communities, and the integration of health, work, and skills provision.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board 2026/27 Commissioning Intentions

Jessica Williams presented the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board's (LSC ICB) commissioning intentions for 2026/27, highlighting the significant financial challenges facing the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP). She explained that the focus would be on improving the quantification of the impact of these intentions, moving away from a large number of initial proposals to a more robust shortlisting process. The intentions must align with statutory duties, address quality or safety risks, support the financial recovery plan, improve population health and patient outcomes, and align with NHS priorities.

The strategy for the next decade is to focus on prevention, delivering care closer to home, and utilising technology, aligning with the NHS 10-year plan. Key priorities identified by the LSC ICB board include managing long-term conditions in primary care, improving end-of-life and frailty care, enhancing intermediate care, and service configuration. This approach is referred to as the left shift, aiming to move care away from hospitals and into communities.

Engagement with local authority partners, the voluntary sector, and NHS providers has been crucial in developing these intentions. The process involves understanding population data, needs assessments, and community feedback. The LSC ICB aims to reduce the number of commissioning intentions to ensure a sharper focus on priorities.

Several councillors and representatives raised points regarding the integration of health with broader economic and social determinants. Councillor County Councillor Daniel Matchett highlighted the Get Britain Working and Get Lancashire Working initiatives, emphasizing the need to integrate conversations about employment and referrals to support services within healthcare. Tracey Hopkins, Chair of the VCFSE Alliance for Lancashire and South Cumbria, stressed the importance of addressing wider determinants of health beyond a purely medical model, including debt and housing, and advocated for a more nuanced approach that recognises the diversity of communities. Mark Warren from Blackburn with Darwin Council underscored the importance of place-based commissioning and local partnerships. Abdul Razaq questioned the commissioning footprints and the need for clarity on how these intentions would translate into tangible outcomes, particularly for population and public health. Jane Cass, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Partnerships and Collaboration for the LSC ICB, acknowledged the need for greater collaboration with local authorities and the voluntary sector, and the importance of connecting Health and Wellbeing Boards with the ICP.

Jessica Williams noted her previous experience in Greater Manchester, where integrating NHS and council commissioning teams had a positive impact, and expressed conviction that closer connections with local authorities and the voluntary sector are essential for the health service to function effectively.

Health and Wellbeing Board Updates

Updates were provided from various Health and Wellbeing Boards across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Westmorland and Furness Council: Councillor Patricia Bell highlighted the newness of the council and the Health and Wellbeing Board, formed in 2023. A significant challenge is the complex geographical footprint, which spans both the North East and North Cumbria ICP and the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICP, with further complications in South Cumbria including parts of Cumberland and North Yorkshire. The board has established milestones and a health and wellbeing strategy, with a structured approach to development sessions to review progress on specific topics. The Place Partnership Forum in South Cumbria has been instrumental in supporting the development of the health and wellbeing strategy through a collaborative, place-based approach.

Lancashire: Councillor County Councillor Daniel Matchett provided an update on Lancashire's Health and Wellbeing Board, which has refreshed its priorities to best start in life, healthy hearts, and happier minds, alongside continued support for the Better Care Fund. The board is undergoing a refresh to better connect with district-level activities and provider colleagues, with a broad engagement process underway. A workshop was scheduled for 23 October to discuss the implications of the NHS 10-year plan and local government reform.

Blackburn with Darwen: Councillor Damian Talbot, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, reported on the completion of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, which indicated appropriate pharmaceutical requirements. The annual Health Protection Board assurance report highlighted priorities such as flu vaccination uptake, hepatitis C elimination, and enhanced IPC support, noting challenges with vaccination figures. Updates from Children's Services emphasized the importance of family hubs and perinatal mental health services. A positive CQC assessment was noted. Councillor Talbot also shared details of a campaign raising awareness about the dangers of combining alcohol and cocaine, driven by personal tragedy, which is being rolled out across Blackburn with Darwen and neighbouring areas.

Blackpool: Councillor Neil Brookes provided an update on Blackpool's Health and Wellbeing Board, chaired by Councillor Joe Farrell. The board actively considers items such as the Suicide Prevention Strategy, gambling-related harm, and the Director of Public Health's annual report. Vaccination and immunisation remain areas of concern. The board monitors four priority areas: starting well, education, employment and training, living well, and housing.

Claire Richardson flagged the strong connection between the Place-Based Partnership and the Health and Wellbeing Board in Blackburn, noting the application to the National Neighbourhood Implementation Programme and the role of the Place Partnership in implementing recommendations and managing the Better Care Fund.

Discussions also revolved around how to best integrate Health and Wellbeing Board updates into future ICP meetings, with suggestions to invite them to present on specific themes of the strategy and to challenge the ICP on its actions. There was a call for the ICP to identify specific collaborative areas where working together would add value, and for Health and Wellbeing Boards to make recommendations to the ICP.

The next meeting of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership is scheduled for Monday, 15 December.