In a letter, senior NHS leaders Julian Kelly and Steve Russell have announced NHS England’s intention to delegate additional NHS England commissioning functions to ICBs. They believe this will enable them to continue providing care which best suits their local populations and deliver improved integration.
This includes the final set of specialised commissioning and vaccinations, screening and child health information services (CHIS). The NHS has pledged to work closely with ICBs and staff to prepare for safe and effective delegations of commissioning functions and proposed staff transfers.
Comprehensive arrangements for the oversight and assurance by NHS England of all commissioning (delegated and retained functions) will be developed and implemented ready for April 2025. These will be complementary to the new NHS Oversight and Assessment Framework.
