New NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board to take effect from 1 April
On 1 April 2026, a new organisation, NHS Surrey and Sussex, will be responsible for buying and planning health and care services across the two counties.
Created through the merger of NHS Surrey Heartlands and NHS Sussex, the new Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be responsible for setting a clear strategy for improving the health of the local population across Surrey and Sussex.
This includes making sure how health and care funding is spent locally has a direct impact on improving people’s health and reducing the inequalities we know exist in how some people access and receive care.
The new ICB geography also incorporates the Surrey Heath, Farnham and Ash areas of Surrey which were previously part of the Frimley health and care system, meaning health is now coterminous with local authority boundaries.
NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB Chair Ian Smith explains more:
The creation of our new organisation is part of wider NHS reform announced by the Government last year, aimed at strengthening roles and responsibilities and reducing duplication so more funding can be directed to frontline care.
The new ICB will be a leaner organisation focused on our role as strategic commissioner - that means getting the very best use from the health budget for our population by aligning funding and resources strategically, with long-term population health outcomes.
We have a real opportunity to make a difference for the local communities we serve, working closely with our partners at both county and neighbourhood level.
Chief Executive Karen McDowell comments:
Across the NHS in Surrey and Sussex, we share a proud history of collaboration, with many long-established health partnerships including the Surrey & Sussex Cancer Alliance, Surrey & Sussex Local Medical Committee and Community Pharmacy Surrey and Sussex.
We also have local NHS organisations who provide services to patients in both counties (such as South East Coast Ambulance Trust, Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and others), so bringing our two former organisations together makes strategic sense.
It also gives us the opportunity to build on our collective strengths for the benefit of patients and local communities, and we are already working on a five-year health and care plan for Surrey and Sussex which will be published later this year.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and commend staff working across both NHS Surrey Heartlands and NHS Sussex; these changes mean a reduction in our workforce, alongside refocusing on our role as strategic commissioners.
This has not been an easy process for our workforce who have continued to work hard on behalf of patients and communities, despite a long period of change and uncertainty.
Ian concludes:
In short our ambition is to improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities and secure the best value for money from NHS services for the people and communities living in Surrey and Sussex, in line with the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan.
More information is available on our new website