Letter to July 2025 Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Dear HOSC members,

Since 2022, Brighton & Hove has been part of the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB), one of 42 ICBs in England. As part of the plan to abolish NHS England, funding for ICBs is being cut by 50%. The Chair of NHS Sussex, Stephen Lightfoot has put forward plans to merge the Sussex ICB with the Surrey Heartland ICB to realise cost savings necessary to make this 50% cut possible. This is based on the need to now operate within an annual cost of £18.76 per head of population which is not possible within the current ICB framework.

I would therefore like to have a future item to this committee which would allow us to ask questions of senior members of the integrated care board so as to help us and the public understand the implications of this change. This is likely to have wide reaching consequences. I have concerns that such a large integrated care board means there could be a lack of local connection. There will be issues with the new Sussex strategic authority boundaries which will not be coterminous with the new ICB proposal.

I have attached a letter by Stephen Lightfoot which goes into more detail which I recommend members read.

Cllr Raphael Hill, Green Party Councillor for Round Hill Ward

-