12 May 2022

Health and care services are undergoing one of the biggest and most exciting changes in decades. From July 1st 2022, the way health and care services work together across Cheshire and Merseyside will change.

For years health services, such as GP practices and hospitals, and care services were run by separate organisations with different objectives. Now, building on years of ever-closer collaboration – not least in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – the health service and local authorities are coming together as part of a new Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, we are already proud of our record of collaborative working and there are countless examples of brilliant care, but there are also examples of variation in service which only serve to exacerbate health inequalities.

Our vision is for everyone in Cheshire and Merseyside to have a great start in life and get the support they need to stay healthy and live longer. We will do this by working together, as equal partners, to support seamless, person-centred care and tackle health inequalities by improving the lives of the poorest fastest.

Joining up health and care is nothing new – we have been working towards this for years and will continue build on this excellent work by supporting innovation and learning from examples of best practice across Cheshire and Merseyside and beyond.

Health and care organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside will be better supported by each other by working collaboratively to improve efficiency and reduce duplication - thereby supporting higher quality, more sustainable services.

All this means that on July 1st 2022, St Helens CCG will transition to being part of the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board - and our website and other public channels will move to the ICB.

You can read more about the changes that are coming here.