Lincolnshire ICB has begun consolidating some of its services with the ICBs in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as part of a national move to bring together ICBs into 26 clusters across England, down from the current 42.
Neighbouring Rutland ICB has grouped together with Leicester, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
The MP for Rutland and Stamford, said: ‘Clustering Lincolnshire's ICB will have a detrimental impact on healthcare provision for Stamford residents, because everyone I've spoken to agrees our communities will be the back of the queue.
‘Combining teams and leadership into bigger groupings will not streamline operations, but instead risk a disconnect from the specific community needs of smaller towns, leaving behind communities such as Stamford which has vastly different priorities to the larger cities we will be grouped with.
‘What's more, larger populations to manage will eradicate the existing, strong local relationships that have taken many years to build.'
The first mergers and change of boundaries of ICBs approved by the Government and are set to take effect on 1 April 2026. They will be focused in London, East of England and the South East. Decisions on further ICB mergers will take place in summer 2026 and come into effect on 1 April 2027.
A spokesperson for the NHS Derby and Derbyshire, NHS Lincolnshire and NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire clustering ICBs said: ‘ICBs have a critical role to play in delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Plan and in achieving the new NHS operating model. The proposal for the Derby and Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICBs to form a cluster has arisen because it will be necessary for each ICB to operate at a significantly larger scale. This will give rise to benefits in terms of critical mass, efficient operating processes and the ability to retain and attract the best talent in strategic commissioning. The ICB cluster footprint has been approved by NHS England and Government ministers.
‘The three ICBs are now to bring teams together and meet nationally-mandated cost reductions. Through this process, we will seek to retain a team with clear focus on understanding population health needs, build deep analytical insights into different population groups and continue to engage with a wide range of local stakeholders, communities and individuals to agree local priorities. As a strategic commissioner, we will seek to develop strategies for different population groups, and different service areas, to ensure optimal healthcare value – maximising outcomes and minimising costs. We will seek to continue to do this through an increased understanding of local population health needs, founded more than ever through meaningful dialogue with local communities.'
