The way health and care services are planned and delivered changed from 1 July.

Across the country, Integrated Care Systems (ICS) have replaced Clinical Commissioning Groups and have been tasked with improving health and care by working much closer with partners, to make our local health system work for local communities.

From a structural point of view, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICS replaced the current CCG infrastructure with nine borough ‘places’. Our 'place' is called Warrington Together.

But what does this mean for you, if you want to access a health and care service in Warrington?

When we’re unwell and need our local services, we want them to be as straightforward as possible. The health and social care system shouldn’t be another barrier to overcome as I know it can be now. There’s no easy way to fix it, but by working together, we can make a start.

We want to make Warrington a place where we work together to create stronger neighbourhoods, happier and healthier people and greater equality across our communities.

Warrington’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic showed just what could be achieved by people working together, regardless of who they work for. We don’t want to lose this togetherness.

As one team underneath the Warrington Together umbrella, NHS organisations, Warrington Borough Council, GP practices and voluntary organisations will work together to join up services, support the health and care of our community, share ideas and resources and improve how we access health and care in Warrington.

This has to be done together – that means, essentially, organisations and the public making the right decisions to make the most of our services. Get this right and people will live happier and healthier lives.

You can find out more about Warrington Together over the coming weeks, months and years. You’ll also be able to get involved to share opinions and talk about how we tackle the challenges together. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

We know we can make a difference by coming together and I can’t wait to continue some of the great work that’s already making a difference in Warrington.

Throughout July, the Samaritans asked people to share their tips on how to be a better listener as part of their Talk To Us 2022 campaign which aims to support people who may be struggling.

With the cost of living rising, the pressures of daily life building, and the long-term effects of the pandemic setting in, many people still just need a little extra support, but don’t know where to turn.

PAUSE is a new community listening space, located at the Gateway, 89 Sankey St, WA1  1SR, which offers a safe community space where people can talk openly about their mental health – free from stigma or judgment.

PAUSE enables conversation through listening, helping people to access support and information, and exploring effective ways of improving wellbeing.

It is also a place to learn how to identify, understand and help someone who is struggling with their mental health, as well as promoting awareness of suicide prevention in order to help save lives.

Good Neighbours is also a very special and valuable resource available in Warrington through Warrington Voluntary Action, who help support people through their loneliness.

They offer support to people who are feeling lonely or socially isolated; have limited or no support around them and need help with little things, Good Neighbours are there to provide anything from a friendly telephone call, to help with carrying out a variety of practical tasks.

Volunteers can meet for a weekly walk or chat, as one-to-one, or part of a group - or they can support people to get engaged with their local communities and activities.

Providing more practical support, volunteers can even collect essential shopping for up to three weeks, or collect medication or equipment from a pharmacy for those who have no one who can help out.

You can find more information on Good Neighbours, or you can refer yourself or on behalf of someone else by visiting warringtonva.org.uk

We all deserve to enjoy life and feel good about ourselves, but we also know that sometimes we need a little extra help.

So, whether you’re feeling great and want to stay that way, or you’re a bit fed up; or you’re struggling to manage your mood, happyoksad.warrington.gov.uk has a list of national and local services and resources to help support Warrington residents.

If you are in a mental health crisis, and need immediate help – you can call the local Mental Health Crisis Line free on 0800 051 1508, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Samaritans are also available to help 365 days a year. You can talk to them any time you like, in your own way, off the record, about whatever is getting to you – free phone 116 123.

You can also call 999 for life-threatening emergencies if you need immediate help for your mental or physical health.

Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are partnerships between the organisations that meet health and care needs across an area, to coordinate services and to plan in a way that improves population health and reduces inequalities between different groups.

There are 42 ICS' across England, including Cheshire and Merseyside ICS, which went live from 1 July 2022, when CCGs were abolished.

The Cheshire and Merseyside ICS will bring together nine Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs):

1. Cheshire
2. Halton
3. Knowsley
4. Liverpool
5. St Helens
6. South Sefton
7. Southport and Formby
8. Warrington
9. Wirral

The Cheshire and Merseyside ICS will have legal status and will include a statutory Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), and a new NHS body called the Integrated Care Board (ICB). These are described in more detail below.

Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have been established as new statutory organisations to lead integration within the NHS.

The ICB has taken on the NHS commissioning functions of CCGs as well as some of NHS England’s commissioning functions. It is also accountable for NHS spend and performance within the system.

The board will, as a minimum, include a chair, the CEO and representatives from NHS providers, general practice and local councils. Beyond that, ICBs have the flexibility to determine governance arrangements in their area – including the ability to create committees and delegate functions to them. This will, for example, allow systems to create local ‘place-based' committees to plan care where appropriate. ICBs also need to ensure they have appropriate clinical advice when making decisions.

NHS England agree ICB constitutions and will hold them to account for delivery.

Staff employed by CCGs have transferred to ICBs. NHS England has made an employment commitment to staff to provide stability and minimise uncertainty.

Each area also has an Integrated Care Partnership or ICP, a joint committee which brings together the ICB and their local councils as equal partners, and other locally determined representatives (for example from health, social care, public health, and potentially others, such as housing providers).

The ICP is tasked with developing a strategy to address the health, social care and public health needs of their system, and being a forum to support partnership working.

The ICB and local councils must have regard to ICP strategies when making decisions.

The ICB and ICP will also work closely with local Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) as they have the experience as ‘place-based’ planners, and the ICB will be required to have regard to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategies produced by HWBs.

The ICP is a dedicated forum to enhance relationships between the leaders across the health and care system, interact with, and support the development of place-based partnerships.

The Cheshire and Merseyside ICB will arrange for some of its functions to be delivered, and decisions about NHS funding to be made, in the region’s nine borough places – through 'place-based partnerships'.

Place-based partnerships are collaborative arrangements formed by the organisations responsible for arranging and delivering health and care services in a locality or community.

Place-based partnerships will remain as the foundations of integrated care systems as they are put on a statutory footing, building on existing local arrangements and relationships.

The ICB will remain accountable for NHS resources deployed at borough place-level. Each ICB will set out the role of designated place-based leaders within its governance arrangements.

Providers of health, care and support services will increasingly collaborate at all levels of the system. This is nothing new, there are some great examples of joined-up provider working, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. However, previous structures didn’t always encourage provider collaboration.

There are two separate provider collaboratives for Cheshire and Merseyside.

• The Cheshire and Merseyside Acute and Specialist Trust (CMAST)
• Mental Health, Community, Learning Disability collaborative (MHLDSC)

Both will agree specific objectives with the ICB, to contribute to the delivery of Cheshire and Merseyside’s strategic priorities and are committed to working together to support the delivery of benefits of scale and mutual aid across multiple places or systems.