NHS England has set out a timeline for ICBs to submit their five-year strategic plans to deliver the ambitions of the 10 year plan.
Within its Medium term planning framework, NHS England said ICBs will be expected to make their first submissions, which will include a three-year plan, before Christmas. Full five-year plan submissions will then be due in early February, with sign off expected in March.
The first submission will need to include plans on revenue, capital, workforce, operational performance and activity, as well as an integrated planning template and board assurance statements confirming oversight of process.
The final plan submission will include all of the above plus a five-year narrative plan.
The document added that there would also be neighbourhood health requirements set out under the neighbourhood health framework, which is due to be published in November, but that these would not need to be submitted to NHS England as part of this planning round.
The document said: ‘Plans will be assured by NHS England regional teams who will provide specific support to those organisations who face the biggest challenges in meeting our collective ambitions. NHS England national programme teams will also provide support where required and ensure that transformation expertise is targeted and aligned.
‘We will share further guidance on what should be included within the 5-year narrative plans. ICBs should ensure that their 5-year strategic commissioning plans encompass the statutory requirement for joint forward plans (JFPs) agreed by the ICB and their partner trusts.’
More guidance
The framework also outlined that a draft foundation trust framework would be published for consultation in November, as well as ‘model system archetypes’, which will outline different examples of the commissioning and provision of neighbourhood health services and how they interplay. This will include the three new contracts: single and multi-neighbourhood provider contracts and integrated health organisation (IHO) contracts.
It added that the IHO will be a contract delivery method and not an organisational form and that the guidance would set out how this would work.
The management and leadership framework, which was initially proposed in November 2024, is also due to be published this autumn. This will set out a code of practice, standards and competencies for clinical and non-clinical leaders and managers.
‘ICBs and providers should embed this Framework into recruitment and appraisal practices, with all leaders and managers self-assessing against the Code and standards and senior leaders obtaining 360 degree feedback,’ the planning document said.
It added that digital tools will be provided during 2026/27 to facilitate this.
There will also be a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership established in 2026/27, alongside updated national leadership programmes.
It said: ‘This new consistent and standards-based approach will help the leaders of today both improve their own practice, and identify and support the leaders of tomorrow.
‘Finally, it is vital that the benefits of excellent leadership are retained within, and well-spread across, the NHS. Regional teams will work with national colleagues to develop a talent database of our strongest leaders to guide challenged systems and organisations.’
The planning document also said that the NHS App should become the default option for GP practices to contact patients from the start of the next financial year.
