Major commissioning changes set to take place in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent next month

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS) is preparing for major commissioning changes on 1 July 2022, which will include changes to assistive technology services.

It means that all six clinical commission groups (CCGs) in the area – NHS Cannock Chase CCG, NHS East Staffordshire CCG, NHS North Staffordshire CCG, NHS South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula CCG, NHS Stafford and Surrounds CCG, NHS Stoke-on-Trent CCG – will be replaced by a single integrated care board (ICB).

These commissioning changes in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are aligned with national changes in England, as detailed in the UK Government’s important integrated care whitepaper. In this whitepaper, it outlined that all CCG commissioning functions would be absorbed by ICSs – statutory organisations comprising health and social care leaders who would make all commissioning decisions for a given area.

The target was to have ICSs – and consequently CCGs absorbed – cover the whole of England by 1 April 2022. However, this date was pushed back by three months to 1 July 2022 in NHS England’s 2022-2023 priorities, as the country began restoring services due to impacts from COVID-19.

In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, these commissioning changes will include differences in how assistive technology services operate.

Prem Singh, Independent Chair of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS), said: “Our health and care system is evolving and we are working hard to deliver the national changes by 1 July 2022. At the heart of our work is delivering more joined-up care and delivering better and fairer outcomes for local people.

“We want to keep people informed and involved at every stage of this journey and share what these changes will mean for local people. I’m looking forward to being able to get out and about in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, listening to people through face-to-face events for the first time in over two years. I hope you will join us.”

To help residents make sense of these commissioning changes, the ICS is hosting a series of online and face-to-face health and care events to explain some of the important changes. The full event schedule can be found on the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS website.