The most local level of NHS coordination is the Integrated Care Board or ICB. Bedfordshire is currently joined up with Milton Keynes and Luton (BLMK) but that is about to change as the Government has decided that ICBs are to be consolidated.
It is proposed to merge BLMK with the Hertfordshire ICB and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICBs.
Richard Fuller MP commented:
My immediate observation is that this will be one of the larger ICBs which will naturally raise concerns about whether the interests of my constituents will be more likely to get “lost”. To be frank, though, in the current formulation, the voices of Milton Keynes and Luton seemed pretty strong vs those of Bedfordshire so I am not so sure we should be worried about that.
My other immediate observation is that this larger ICB will include the nationally recognised acute care capabilities at Addenbrookes, the Cambridge Cancer Centre, and the future Cambridge Children’s Hospital. This may well make access to these centres of excellence more streamlined in the future.
A larger, more integrated system might help streamline services, improve cost efficiency, and enhance access to acute and specialist care. Many North Bedfordshire residents already travel across county borders for care and treatment, so this change may better reflect existing patient behaviour and help align resources more closely with local needs.
These are my initial reflections, but I’m keen to hear your views. What do you think this restructure could mean for our local services?
More information can be found here. The model integrated care blueprint can be found here.
If you have any views on this, please email Richard at [email protected]
