Guide to Integrated Care Partnerships for the

Partnership Committee

What are Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs)?

ICPs are networks of health and social care providers joining together the full range of

health and social care services in each area, including GPs, health and social care providers,

hospital specialists and representatives from the independent, voluntary and community

sectors and service users.

The development of ICPs was one of the proposals put forward by the Transforming Your

Care (TYC) Review in December 2011, the proposal to establish 17 across Northern Ireland

was consulted on during the TYC Vision to Action Consultation, October 2012- Jan 2013 and

in March 2013 the Minister for Health endorsed the establishment of 17 ICPs across

Northern Ireland.

The DHSSPS have issued an ICP Policy Implementation Framework which provides the

context for progressing ICPs.

What will they do?

ICPs aim to ensure that services are delivered as close as possible to patients/users homes,

are personalised and seamless, empower patients and promote health and prevent illness

where possible.

ICPs are initially to focus on the following key service areas, (these have been referred to

collectively as the FREDS conditions)

- Services for the Frail Elderly

- Respiratory services

- Diabetes services

- Stroke services

*End of life care in respect of the above is also to be addressed

June 2013

Where will they be?

There will be 17 established across Northern Ireland to ensure coverage of all GP practices.

Each ICP will cover a population of about 100,000 people and about 25-30 practices.

ICP Areas

What are the structures?

Each of the 17 ICPs will consist of a Partnership Committee with 12/13 members which is

expected to meet at least quarterly.

ICP Partnership Committee

4 members from the local Trust (hospital and community staff to include a medical

specialist, a nurse, an AHP, and a social worker)

1 member from the Ambulance service

1-2 members from the voluntary/community sectors

2 service user/carer representatives

2 GP’s

2 community pharmacists

June 2013

Each Partnership committee will establish

four multidisciplinary working groups to

specifically address the FREDS service areas,

frail elderly, respiratory, diabetes and stroke.

These are short term task and finish groups

which are likely to meet at least monthly for a

period of time. Membership of the multi-

disciplinary working groups should include

specialists in the FREDS conditions from across

the range of providers including one

representative from the voluntary and

community sector and two service user/carer

representatives. The ICP Structure for the South East is shown above.

Regional Reporting Structure

All 17 ICPs will report on a regular basis to

the Local Commissioning Group and to the

Regional ICP Implementation Project Team

which is being established to promote

consistency of approach across all 17 ICPs

and to encourage shared learning and

facilitate regional reporting on progress.

The Project Team will report to the Regional

ICP Project Board which is responsible for

the overall development of ICPs and in turn

reports to Transformation Programme

Board who report to the DHSSPS on TYC

progress as a whole.

A Regional ICP Stakeholder Reference

Group will also be established to meet on a

quarterly basis to provide an external reference point and facilitate the engagement of a

range of stakeholders including professional bodies and staff side organisations.

June 2013

South East Lisburn ICPPartnership Com mittee Frail Elderly

Respiratory

Diabetes

Stroke

Down ICP

Partnership Com m ittee F

rail Elderly

Respiratory

Diabetes

Stroke

Diabetes

Frail Elderly

Respiratory

Stroke

Frail Elderly

Respiratory

Diabetes

Stroke

North Dow n ICP

Partnership Com mittee

Ards ICP Partnership Com m ittee

What support is available to ICPs?

Five new business and clinical support teams have been established to support the work of

ICP’s, one team for each of the five localities.

This team includes a clinical lead, and a business support team manager who are charged

with supporting the work of ICPs.

Locality Clinical Lead Business Support Team

Manager

North Dr Brian Patterson Anne-Marie O’Boyle

South TBC (Dr Brendan O’Hare

acting as interim)

Michele Bekmez

West Dr Brendan O’Hare Margaret McDaid

South East Dr Brian Dunn Christine Breen

Belfast Dr Windsor Murdock Michael Megaw

What is the Commissioning Process in relation to ICPs?

Regional commissioning specifications have been developed for each of the FREDS

conditions which outline the key aspects of service which each ICP is expected to deliver.

These specifications will be issued to ICPs by the relevant Local Commissioning Group, the

ICP is then expected to develop an action plan for their locality based on the specification.

These action plans should be developed by the ICP Partnership Committee and facilitated by

the business support team they will then be submitted to the LCG for review.

If elements of the action plan require transitional funding then an Investment Proforma

Template will have to be completed in line with the usual commissioning arrangements and

a decision made by the Local Commissioning Group for ultimate approval by the HSCB

Commissioning Board.

June 2013

What funding is available to ICPs?

Transitional funding is available over 2-3 years for ICPs to support service change which will

deliver more care closer to home. Service changes funded by these transitional monies must

deliver savings in the longer term as transitional monies are only available until 2015.

For the financial year 13/14 it is anticipated that there will be a total of approximately £2.8

million available for ICPs to be divided across all 17 ICP and for 14/15 this is likely to be

approximately £5.5 million.

It is important to note that the ICP does not hold a budget and does not have a

commissioning role. This funding is held by the Local Commissioning Group and ICPs must

submit Investment Proforma Templates for consideration before any funding is released.

Time frame

It is expected that at least 12 ICPs will meet for the first time in shadow format by the end of

June. Development work will be ongoing over the summer months to ensure that all 17 ICPs

are fully established with representative membership by September 2013. It is hoped that

representatives for the FREDS multi-disciplinary working groups can also be identified by

September 2013.

The ICP as a network of providers is distinct and separate from the commissioning role

carried out by the Local Commissioning Group and as such it is not appropriate for any

member of a Local Commissioning Group to also service as a representative on an ICP

partnership committee or working group.

June 2013