In its latest meeting, Humber and North Yorkshire (HNY) ICB discussed upcoming changes to ICB structure and implications of the new ICB model for digital, data, and innovation.
Also debated were the emotional and operational impacts of restructuring on staff, “including reductions in team sizes and changes to reporting lines”; the need for more clarity on future roles and responsibilities; and risks of losing capacity for digital, data, research, and innovation “due to staffing reductions”. Moving forward, it considered the importance of articulating what services and functions can no longer be delivered under the new structure.
On escalation of critical risks and issues, HNY highlights “significant” reduction in digital, data, and innovation team sizes as raising concerns about the ability to meet statutory and strategic objectives, and uncertainty for the ICB creating risks around critical functions being “dropped or inadequately resourced”. Also noted is the risk of emotional and morale impact on staff in the event of restructuring, as well as the loss of experienced personnel and institutional knowledge. There is a need to ensure statutory responsibilities for research, innovation, and cyber security are maintained despite resource constraints, it adds.
Mitigations for these risks cover ongoing consultation and feedback, engagement with regional and system partners, the identification of functions at risk, and frequent updates to SLC, digital committee, and executives on funding position, according to HNY.
The ICB makes a commitment to share consultation documentation and proposals on structure with the group to allow for transparency and collective input. It further commits to participating in ongoing collaboration with regional and system partners “to address transition and gap analysis, particularly in areas like data analytics and research”.
Elsewhere, the ICB updates on key achievements including the successful go-live of the Nervecentre EPR at Harrogate, which has reportedly received positive feedback in terms of clinical engagement and system stability. It also highlights data migration challenges due to changes in data warehousing support, and the need for urgent solutions.
Wider trend: NHS reform
A joint executive team has been announced across the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, to offer unified leadership as part of the transition to a single organisation. It follows the announcement from Keir Starmer back in March that NHS England would be brought back “at the heart of government, where it belongs, freeing it to focus on patients, less bureaucracy, more money for nurses – an NHS refocused on cutting waiting times at your hospital”. The joint executive team will help bring policy and delivery from both organisations together, managing directors from related work areas from 3 November 2025. Joint regional teams have also been established to focus on local delivery, improvement, and performance.
The UK government published its Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England, aiming to “build a truly modern NHS”, with focus on moving from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention. The plan outlines a new operating model, a new era of transparency, a new workforce model with staff aligned to the direction, a reshaped innovation strategy, and a different approach to NHS finances. AI, technology and digital tools play a key role in realising the ambitions in the plan, with the UK government signalling the intention for patients to gain “real control through a single, secure and authoritative account of their data and single patient record” aiming to deliver more co-ordinated, personalised and predictive care.
At the Institute for Government’s annual conference, Wes Streeting delivered a keynote speech on NHS reform, noting “modernisation can’t be dodged any longer”, setting out an approach to modernisation focused on empowering people, offering freedom to the frontline, shifting to prevention, using tech to support productivity, and spending taxpayers’ money with care. Turning first to empowering patients, Streeting said: “If public services are designed around the convenience of the institution, the result is silos, hand-outs, delays and poor performance. When those services don’t coordinate, the public pays twice: in money and in misery. If public services are designed around the citizen, the result should be joined up support, better impact and better value for money.”
