Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns reacts to plans to merge Lincolnshire health body with others in East Midlands
Proposed nationwide changes to the partnerships which plan and deliver health and care services would not be right for Lincolnshire, according to its mayor.
Under the plans by the Government to slash costs by 50 per cent, Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board would merge with Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB and Derby and Derbyshire ICB.
Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns says she is “deeply concerned” that the larger body would then cover a population of 3.2 million people spread over more than 4,500 square miles of the country.
Currently, Greater Lincolnshire is covered by both the Lincolnshire ICB and the south bank of the Humber and Yorkshire ICB.
In a letter to the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, the mayor said: “Consideration should be given to a Greater Lincolnshire ICB that is co-terminus with the combined authority boundaries. This alignment of public services, underpinned by local government reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire would streamline decision making processes, enhance understanding and alignment and would enable health to play a central role in economic development ambitions for our area.”
She added: “The Combined County Authority aims to drive economic growth for the region, and integral to that will be high quality health services.
“Our residents deserve services that are tailored to their needs – particularly those in rural and coastal communities, and I don’t feel the proposals offer this.”
Lincolnshire ICB, which employs more than 370 people, was established in July 2022 to plan and deliver the county’s health services including GPs and hospitals.
The body is braced for job cuts as part of the cost-cutting proposals.
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