NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) has created a set of resources to help systems prepare to establish statutory ICS arrangements from April 2022. NHSE/I previously published guidance on provider collaboratives (10 August), as well as several documents setting out the functions and governance of integrated care boards (ICBs) (19 August), which we summarised in this briefing.

On 2 September NHSE/I published several further guidance documents, including Thriving places: guidance on the development of place-based partnerships as part of statutory ICSs and ICS implementation guidance on partnerships with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, effective clinical and care professional leadership, and working with people and communities. This briefing summarises these resources and sets out our initial analysis of the implications for trusts.