NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
Name	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
Formation	2022
Type	Integrated care board
Headquarters	Chester
Region served	Cheshire and Merseyside
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	Paul Johnstone
Leader title2	Chief Executive
Leader name2	Amanda Doyle

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is the statutory body responsible for planning and commissioning health services across Cheshire, Merseyside, Halton, Knowsley, and surrounding areas. It succeeded predecessor bodies following the Health and Social Care Act 2022, working alongside local authorities such as Cheshire West and Chester Council, Liverpool City Council, and Sefton Council to coordinate services across NHS trusts including Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.

History

The board was established in 2022 under reforms linked to the Health and Social Care Act 2022 and national policy shifts originating from reports such as the Five Year Forward View and the NHS Long Term Plan, succeeding arrangements created after the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Its formation followed negotiations among bodies including NHS England, regional leaders from Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, commissioners from former clinical commissioning groups like NHS Vale Royal CCG, and executives from acute providers including Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Early strategic priorities referenced regional strategies such as the Mersey Dee Alliance and lessons from service redesigns at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Governance and Leadership

Governance is exercised by a board chaired by Paul Johnstone with an executive team led by Chief Executive Amanda Doyle, reporting into NHS England regional structures and accountable to statutory partners including CQC inspectors. The board’s membership and committees draw non-executive directors with backgrounds from institutions such as University of Liverpool, finance officers with links to Her Majesty's Treasury, and clinical leaders from trusts including Countess of Chester Hospital. Decision-making uses frameworks influenced by cases like the Keogh Review and regulatory practices from Monitor (NHS) predecessors.

Geography and Population Served

The board covers an area spanning urban and rural territories across Liverpool, Chester, Wirral, St Helens, Halton, Knowsley, and Warrington, serving a population with demographic profiles studied by bodies such as the Office for National Statistics and public health teams tied to NHS Digital. The population includes communities with health needs flagged in local assessments referencing patterns seen in Merseyside epidemiology, deprivation indices from Index of Multiple Deprivation, and workforce supply issues paralleling recruitment trends at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and University of Chester.

Services and Commissioning

The board commissions services across primary care networks anchored by practices linked to General Medical Council registrants, specialised services delivered by tertiary centres such as Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and community care provided through partnerships with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and voluntary organisations like Age UK. Commissioning decisions intersect with ambulance services provided by North West Ambulance Service and mental health pathways influenced by providers including Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust. Strategic service changes reference precedents from reconfigurations at Arrowe Park Hospital and pathways developed in conjunction with Public Health England frameworks.

Performance and Accountability

Performance monitoring aligns with indicators used by Care Quality Commission inspections, NHS England access standards such as the Two-week wait referral and A&E four-hour target, and national targets in the NHS Constitution. Accountability routes include joint health scrutiny with local authorities like Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council and external audit processes involving bodies akin to the National Audit Office. Performance publications reflect metrics comparable to reports on trusts including Royal Liverpool University Hospital and system-level assessments influenced by analyses from think tanks like the Health Foundation.

Partnerships and Integrated Care Systems

The board operates within the broader Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System involving partners such as acute trusts (Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), local authorities (Wirral Borough Council), academic institutions (University of Liverpool), and third-sector organisations including Citizens Advice. Collaborative programmes reference national initiatives like the NHS Vanguard models, partnerships with research centres including Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and University of Chester, and cross-border working examples seen with Wales health agencies and the Mersey Dee Alliance.

Finance and Resources

Funding and resource allocation follow allocations determined by NHS England and budgetary frameworks similar to those overseen by Department of Health and Social Care, with financial oversight drawing on practices from NHS Trust Development Authority predecessors and local assurance from audit firms used by trusts such as Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Expenditure covers commissioning contracts with providers including Alder Hey, community services managed with partners like Cheshire West and Chester Council, and capital planning referencing schemes at Royal Liverpool University Hospital and infrastructure programmes coordinated with regional bodies such as Merseytravel.

Category:Integrated care boards in England