The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership met on Monday, 22 September 2025, to discuss the Integrated Care Board's (ICB) commissioning intentions for 2026-27 and receive updates from Health and Wellbeing Boards across the region. Key discussions focused on improving financial sustainability, strategic planning for the next decade, and enhancing collaboration between health, local authorities, and the voluntary sector.

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

Jessica Williams presented the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board's (ICB) commissioning intentions for 2026-27. She highlighted the significant financial challenges facing the ICB, stating that resolving these issues would be a primary focus for the coming years. The commissioning intentions are being developed in alignment with the NHS's 10-year plan and the Lancashire and South Cumbria 2030 roadmap, with a strategic vision for 2035.

Key priorities for the commissioning intentions include:

• Prevention: Shifting focus towards preventing illness and delivering care closer to people's homes.
• Managing Long-Term Conditions in Primary Care: Improving the management of chronic illnesses within primary care settings.
• Improving End-of-Life and Frailty Care: Enhancing services for those nearing the end of life and individuals experiencing frailty.
• Improving Intermediate Care Offer: Strengthening support services that bridge the gap between hospital and home care.
• Delivering on Service Configuration: Reorganising services to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Williams emphasised a more robust approach to shortlisting commissioning intentions, requiring them to demonstrate compliance with statutory duties, address quality or safety risks, contribute to financial recovery, improve population health and patient outcomes, and align with NHS priorities. The process involves analysing population data, needs assessments from local authorities, and incorporating community feedback.

Several stakeholders raised points during the discussion:

• Michelle Lawty-Jones, Director of the Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub, inquired about integrating the Get Lancashire Working agenda into commissioning expectations, particularly regarding health practitioners discussing employment with patients and referring them to support services. She also highlighted the importance of social value in recruitment.
• Tracey Hopkins, Chair of the VCFSE Alliance for Lancashire and South Cumbria, welcomed the consultation but noted that the current approach still appeared to be viewed through a medical model. She stressed the need to incorporate wider determinants of health, such as debt and housing, and cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach due to the diversity of communities.
• Mark Warren from Blackburn with Darwin Council underscored the importance of place-based commissioning and collaboration between local commissioners, local authorities, and place-based partnership boards.
• Abdul Razaq questioned the commissioning footprints and how they would be enacted, suggesting a need for clarity on strategic direction and a stronger focus on population and public health outcomes, rather than solely on primary care and long-term conditions. He proposed focusing on specific areas like cardiovascular disease.
• Jane Cass, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Partnerships and Collaboration for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), stressed the need for collaboration with local authority partners and the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector to maximise impact and avoid duplication. She also highlighted the importance of addressing issues like musculoskeletal problems and mental health challenges to prevent people from falling out of work.
• Councillor Patricia Bell noted the complexity of the Health and Wellbeing Board's footprint, which spans multiple Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs).
• Councillor Damian Talbot, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board in Blackburn with Darwin, provided an update on his board's activities, including the completion of a pharmaceutical needs assessment, the ongoing work of the Health Protection Board, and priorities such as flu vaccination uptake and hepatitis C elimination. He also highlighted a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of combining alcohol and cocaine.
• Councillor Neal Brookes from Blackpool shared an update on his local Health and Wellbeing Board, noting their focus on suicide prevention, gambling-related harm, and vaping among young people. He also mentioned the financial recovery programme at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust.
• Claire Richardson flagged the strong connection between the Place-Based Partnership and the Health and Wellbeing Board in Blackburn, noting how the partnership implements recommendations and leads on the Better Care Fund.

Discussions also touched upon the need for better integration between the ICB and Health and Wellbeing Boards, the challenges of workforce funding, and the importance of ensuring that commissioning intentions lead to tangible outcome shifts for populations.

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 reported that the Health and Wellbeing Board, formed in 2023, operates with a complex footprint covering multiple ICPs. They are focusing on their joint health and wellbeing strategy through a structured approach of reviewing one topic at a time in development sessions. The board emphasised partnership working in developing the strategy, ensuring it was driven by local priorities and that partners felt a sense of ownership.
• Lancashire: Councillor Damian Talbot 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 monitoring the Better Care Fund. The board is undergoing a refresh to better connect with district-level activities and provider colleagues, with a focus on neighbourhoods and improving operational interfaces.
• Blackburn with Darwin: Councillor Neal Brookes, Chair of the Blackburn with Darwin Health and Wellbeing Board, shared key takeaways from their recent meeting. These included the approval of the pharmaceutical needs assessment, the ongoing work of the Health Protection Board with priorities on flu vaccination uptake and hepatitis C elimination, and updates from Children's Services highlighting the importance of family hubs. He also detailed a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of combining alcohol and cocaine, urging other Health and Wellbeing Boards to consider adopting it.
• Blackpool: Councillor Neal Brookes also provided an update on Blackpool's Health and Wellbeing Board, chaired by Councillor Joe Farrell. The board actively considers agenda items such as suicide prevention, gambling-related harm, and vaping among young people. They also receive regular updates from the Place-Based Partnership and consider the local implications of the ICB and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust's financial recovery programme. The board focuses on four priority areas: starting well, education, employment and training, living well, and housing.

The discussion around Health and Wellbeing Board updates highlighted the need for stronger collaboration and a clearer role for these boards in influencing the ICP's strategic direction. There was a call for more practical, strategic initiatives and for the boards to challenge the ICP on key issues.

Any Other Business

Jane Cass requested that the Social Prescribing Shared Investment Fund be discussed at the next meeting.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, 15 December, with hybrid arrangements to be offered.

The meeting concluded with a development session on the 10-year Health Plan, Devolution, and Local Government Reform.