Morning, Wednesday, 10th December 2025
Online
This conference will examine priorities for integrated care systems and commissioning in England, in the context of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, draft Model ICB Blueprint, and the transition towards the NHS operating framework.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss key issues arising from changing responsibilities at local, regional, and national levels, alongside evolving roles in planning, funding, and service delivery, as well as practical considerations for implementation. We expect discussion to draw on the wider financial and policy context, including outcomes of the 2025 Spending Review, and the frameworks system leaders are developing to support consistency, accountability, and system oversight.
Delegates will examine the transition to strategic commissioning, including the delegation of a broad range of specialised services to ICBs, and the consolidation of functions such as planning, finance, and governance within and across systems. Implications for coordination, local accountability, and capacity will be assessed. We also expect discussion on what will be required to deliver changes needed to meet the requirement to halve administrative costs, including possible implications for leadership capacity, service continuity, and delivery of core functions - such as governance and quality assurance.
With the NHS 10-Year Health Plan announcing The Neighbourhood Health Service, aiming to deliver patient-centred integrated care, attendees will consider the development of these models and the coordination of care at place level, including collaboration between NHS bodies, local government, and voluntary sector organisations.
Sessions will also assess how local strategies will need to respond to population health needs - such as long-term conditions, ageing populations, and persistent health inequalities - alongside priorities for developing digital systems, growing diagnostics capacity, and improving the NHS estate. Requirements for effective delivery and integration in systems with varying stages of organisational consolidation, financial pressures, and neighbourhood model implementation will also be considered.
Further planned sessions will examine the role of digital infrastructure and tools in supporting service coordination and patient access, including developments linked to the NHS App. Delegates will assess priorities for investment, the rollout of digital services across diverse settings, and the relationship between national direction and local implementation.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- policy and implementation:
- outcomes of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025 Spending Review
- the new NHS operating model - implications of the draft Model ICB Blueprint for governance, workforce, and accountability - administrative cost reduction requirement
- quality assurance, commissioning capacity, and regional leadership structures
- functions and responsibilities:
- structural changes and service consolidation - progress on merging ICBs
- local approaches to delegated commissioning - national guidance, local service design, and the evolving role of place-based planning
- integration: delivery of neighbourhood health models - coordination between NHS, local government, and voluntary and community sector partners - shared priorities and delivery frameworks
- local delivery: approaches for community-specific needs and infrastructure - consistency in outcomes and service provision - managing differences in maturity, geography, and resourcing
- population health: use of data and analytical tools in commissioning decisions - coordinating local intelligence and regional planning
- digital systems: service access via the NHS App - priorities for infrastructure and funding for digital capability across providers - addressing interoperability and rollout challenges in varied settings
- workforce: capacity and planning - aligning staffing models to strategic commissioning responsibilities - supporting continuity of care while adapting local service models
- longer-term considerations: supporting delivery oversight and accountability - frameworks to foster consistency across systems
