A new NHS organisation has been formally established today, marking a new direction for health and social care in Birmingham and Solihull. 

NHS Birmingham and Solihull is one of 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICB) launching today (1 July), taking on responsibility for planning to meet local health needs, allocating resources to NHS partners, ensuring that services are in place to deliver against ambitions and overseeing delivery of improved outcomes for the 1.3 million population of Birmingham and Solihull. 

The ICB will lead the health element of the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS), which brings together the local NHS, councils and the voluntary, community and faith sector to achieve better outcomes for citizens across the area. 

Together, all of the ICS’ partner organisations will work in collaboration, building further on what has been achieved through integrated working so far, to make Birmingham and Solihull the healthiest place to live and work, driving equity in life chances and health outcomes for everyone. 

To mark the launch, a new video has been created showcasing many of the achievements made possible through system working, including progress in elective recovery, innovation in general practice, addressing inequity in access for maternity services and more.  

David Melbourne, Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “Today marks a real shift in the strategic direction of health and care services in Birmingham and Solihull. The ICB provides a platform from which we can affect significant change, making the care our population receives more seamless, fit for purpose and equitable for all. 

“This integrated working has long been an ambition for us, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to accelerate how all of our partners work together to ensure we meet the needs of our people. This new organisation now means we have the formal infrastructure in place to capitalise on the steps we’ve already taken, providing clear leadership and prioritisation, informed by those who know our communities best. 

“I’m incredibly excited to see what the future brings, and feel confident in our ability to make the most of this opportunity, overhauling the way our system operates to ultimately improve the lives of the people of Birmingham and Solihull.” 

NHS Birmingham and Solihull will be supporting the delivery of the ICS’ priorities which aim to make tangible and lasting improvements to services and the lives of patients and communities.  

These priorities include: 

  • Investing in workforce 
  • Responding to COVID-19 
  • Reducing long waits and improving performance 
  • Improving the responsiveness of urgent and emergency care and building community care capacity 
  • Making primary care more accessible 
  • Enhancing mental health services and services for people with a learning disability and/or autism 
  • Addressing stark health inequalities. 

Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “Our ambitions stretch far beyond just delivering improved services. We want to make sure what we do improves the health of our population, tackles unequal outcomes and access, enhances productivity and value and supports the broader social and economic development of Birmingham and Solihull. “We are in a unique position to be able to make strides towards achieving these aims, and I have seen first hand the commitment and dedication of all of our 80,000 health and care staff that will make this possible. 

“I’m also delighted to share that David Melbourne has now appointed our Chief Executive, having been doing the role on an interim basis whilst we have worked in shadow form since April 2021. Patrick Vernon, our Non-executive Director for Inequalities, has also been confirmed as our vice-chair.” 

Alongside David, Yve and Patrick, a core Executive Team has been appointed for the ICB which will provide leadership for the organisation, working with leaders in individual organisations to create the conditions for further integration. 

The ICB takes on all of the functions of the Clinical Commissioning Group, which has now ceased exist.