Integrated Care Board (ICB) commission most of the hospital and community NHS services in the local areas for which they are responsible.
Commissioning involves deciding what services are needed for diverse local populations, and ensuring that they are provided.
ICBs are assured by NHS England, which retains responsibility for commissioning primary care services such as GP and dental services, as well as some specialized hospital services. Many GP services are now co-commissioned with ICBs. At present surgery is part of Birmingham & Solihull ICB.
All GP practices now belong to a ICB, but ICBs also include other health professionals, such as nurses.
Services ICBs commission include:
- most planned hospital care
- rehabilitative care
- urgent and emergency care (including out-of-hours)
- most community health services
- mental health and learning disability services