Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System: Fears raised that healthcare in Portsmouth 'could go backwards' after creation of new NHS body

Gerald Vernon-Jackson issued the warning about the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) at Wednesday's health and wellbeing board meeting days after he met officials from the new organisation.

‘I was concerned by what might be happening before the meeting and I was more concerned by the end of it,’ he said. ‘The feedback I get from people in the health service is that Portsmouth residents get a better service getting out of hospital and getting home than Hampshire residents.’

He said the close relationship between the council, Queen Alexandra Hospital and Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group had been effective and that 'that is not so true for people who live in Havant, Fareham or Gosport'.

'My fear is that...with the creation of the ICS we’ll make things go back in terms of integration because we're already an exemplar,' he added, saying it would 'not have a Portsmouth voice', despite having 'very different needs' to the rest of the county.

These were echoed by council chief executive David Williams who said the NHS had 'a tin ear to local democratic accountability' and that closer engagement between organisations was needed for a more effective health system.

‘I think we’re going to struggle to address that because it's quite deeply ingrained,’ he said. ‘I’m not convinced that the bedpan falling in Tredegar is necessarily heard in the corridors of Westminster.’

He added: ‘We might be a little bit like the knight in the Monty Python film, but we will keep battling.’

Dianne Sherlock, the chief executive of Age UK Portsmouth, said she had raised similar concerns but that a series of meetings between the ICS and voluntary organisations had now been arranged.

The ICS - one of 42 to be set up across England - is due to be made a statutory body from the beginning of April, combining health services across the entirety of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with a budget of more than £3bn. It will be led Maggie MacIsaac who was appointed as its chief executive in November.

The managing director of Portsmouth CCG, Jo York, said engagement efforts had been ‘challenged’ by the pandemic.

‘The work the ICS team were planning to do with local authorities has been delayed, and that hasn't been helpful,’ she said. 'That has caused some concern and the ICS has had to then try and unpick some of that.’

She added: ‘We’re working really hard to try and make sure that what you're worried about doesn't become a reality.’

A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICS said had stepped up its work with councils in recent weeks.

They said: ‘The decision to accelerate the Covid-19 booster programme in the middle of December, our response to the Omicron variant and preparation for winter pressures, meant we diverted resources to focus on this life-saving programme, and the work to develop ICSs was refocused.

‘More time has been made available for the legislation that will establish ICSs to make its way through parliament and working with all of our local authority partners to develop our plans is a key priority.

‘The publication of the integration white paper this week also provides us with an opportunity to work together with local authorities to tackle health inequalities and improve outcomes for our local communities.’