Across the Black Country health and care system we have collaborated to bring health and social care services closer together for the good of our communities. Much of these efforts were highlighted during our coordinated response to COVID-19 where commissioners, providers, local councils, and community groups all worked together to provide the care our communities need in an efficient, effective and joined-up way.
Therefore, in line with the Health and Care Act 2022 which builds on the learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to integrate services of patients, we have now formally established our Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS) and within it the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Black Country Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).
Our Integrated Care System (ICS), known as Healthier Futures, brings providers and commissioners of NHS services together with local authorities and other local partners to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and to improve the lives of people who live and work in the Black Country.
Our purpose
- Improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
- Tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
- Enhance productivity and value for money
- Help the NHS support broader social and economic development
List of pages
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The Black Country Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) is a statutory committee jointly formed between the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the four councils in the Black Country. The ICP is responsible for producing an integrated care strategy on how to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population in the Black Country.
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The Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) vision is to lead health and care collaboration in the Black Country to enable all our communities to live longer, healthier and happier lives. It is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget, and arranging for the provision of health services locally. The ICB took on responsibility for planning and buying Primary Medical Services (GPs) when it was established on 1 July 2022. In April 2023, it took on responsibility for the planning and buying of dental, optometry, and pharmacy services from NHS England.
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The six ICBs in the West Midlands are collaborating to establish an Office of the West Midlands. Through at scale collaboration and distributive leadership the Office of West Midlands will add value and benefit to a shared set of common goals and priorities for West Midlands citizens and patients.
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Read more about our members, partners, provider collaboratives, primary care collaborative, voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and healthwatch.
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Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton make up the Black Country footprint. Each place has a ‘Place Based Partnership’, which are collaborative arrangements formed by the organisations responsible for arranging and delivering health and care services in a locality or community.
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There are 1.21 million residents in the Black Country. Learn more about the demographics that make up the Black Country.
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Our challenges involve understanding the people we serve, the health challenges we face as a system, and how we intend to tackle health inequalities.
