Gloucestershire Integrated Care System

Gloucestershire Integrated Care System
Name	Gloucestershire Integrated Care System
Formation	2022
Type	Health and social care partnership
Region	Gloucestershire, England
Leader title	Chair

Gloucestershire Integrated Care System is a statutory health and care partnership covering the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, formed to coordinate NHS services, local authority care, and third sector providers across urban and rural communities including Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Stroud, and Forest of Dean. It brings together commissioners and providers to plan services involving organisations such as NHS England, NHS West of England Integrated Care Board, Gloucestershire County Council, and local clinical networks including acute, community, mental health, and primary care systems centred on hospitals like Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital. The system aligns with national initiatives tied to policies from the Health and Social Care Act 2022, workforce plans associated with Health Education England, and regional strategies shaped by South West Ambulance Service and the Care Quality Commission.

History

The origins trace to partnerships developed after the Health and Social Care Act 2012 reforms and the subsequent formation of sustainability and transformation partnerships across England, evolving through the establishment of integrated care systems in response to policy shifts led by NHS England and ministers associated with the Department of Health and Social Care. Local integrated working intensified following collaborations between major trusts such as Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and 2gether NHS Foundation Trust alongside county-level commissioners from predecessor clinical commissioning groups like NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group. Strategic programmes were shaped by national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, acceleration of Patient Safety Collaboratives, and regional workforce pressures influenced by migration patterns discussed in reports from Office for National Statistics and academic work from University of Gloucestershire.

Structure and governance

The governance framework incorporates an Integrated Care Board and an Integrated Care Partnership bringing together statutory partners including Gloucestershire County Council, unitary councils where relevant, NHS provider trusts, primary care networks represented by GPs, and voluntary sector organisations such as Age UK and Citizens Advice. Leadership roles mirror national models linking chairs, chief executives, medical directors, and non-executive directors drawn from institutions like NHS Providers and oversight by NHS England regional directors. Assurance mechanisms involve regulatory input from the Care Quality Commission, audit processes referencing National Audit Office methodologies, and performance reporting aligned with national frameworks such as the NHS Constitution and targets set by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Member organisations

Members include acute trusts such as Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, mental health providers like 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, ambulance services exemplified by South West Ambulance Service, community providers including Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, primary care networks representing GP practices, social care teams from Gloucestershire County Council, and third sector partners including Age UK, Royal Voluntary Service, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind (charity), and local charities linked to Citizens Advice. Educational and research partners include University of Gloucestershire, University of Bristol, and specialist bodies like Health Education England and regional training hubs. Other institutional links extend to national bodies such as NHS Confederation, Care Quality Commission, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and commissioning interfaces with organisations like Clinical Commissioning Group predecessors.

Services and programmes

Programmes encompass integrated urgent care pathways connecting NHS 111 and ambulance services, elective recovery plans coordinated with trusts such as Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, mental health initiatives co-produced with 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, and community-based models involving primary care networks and social care teams from Gloucestershire County Council. Population health programmes link with prevention work by Public Health England (now functions transferred) and local public health teams, vaccination campaigns aligned with NHS England immunisation schedules, long-term condition programmes—for example diabetes pathways drawing on guidance from NICE—and digitally enabled care projects leveraging national platforms promoted by NHSX and interoperability standards influenced by Health Data Research UK.

Performance and evaluation

Performance reporting uses metrics from NHS England such as waiting time standards, emergency department targets seen at sites like Cheltenham General Hospital, and mental health access measures tracked with Improving Access to Psychological Therapies frameworks. External inspection by the Care Quality Commission and scrutiny from local overview committees of Gloucestershire County Council inform evaluations, while audits and analysis are conducted drawing methodologies from the National Audit Office and academic partners like University of Gloucestershire and University of Bristol. Programme evaluations often reference national benchmarking against integrated care systems across regions such as the West of England Combined Authority and use data from Office for National Statistics and NHS Digital.

Funding and commissioning

Funding streams include allocations from NHS England to the Integrated Care Board, local authority budgets from Gloucestershire County Council for social care, and contributions from central grants tied to policies in the Health and Social Care Act 2022. Commissioning arrangements evolved from former clinical commissioning groups to place-based commissioning with pooled budgets, section 75 agreements under frameworks related to the Care Act 2014, and partnership contracts with providers including NHS trusts and voluntary sector organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Mind (charity). Financial oversight interacts with standards set by the Department of Health and Social Care and audit principles from the National Audit Office.

Public and patient involvement

Engagement mechanisms include patient and public voices forums, involvement of local Healthwatch organisations like Healthwatch Gloucestershire, consultations with community groups including Citizens Advice and user-led charities, co-production with patient representatives, and collaboration with voluntary organisations such as Age UK and Royal Voluntary Service. Strategies reflect statutory duties under the Care Act 2014 to involve service users and are informed by national participation guidance from NHS England and research from institutions like University of Gloucestershire.

Category:Health in Gloucestershire