The health and care system in England is about to enter a period of change, with integrated care systems (ICS) now being seen as the unit of planning and delivery. This is the culmination of five years' work between councils, the NHS, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) and communities. The legislation planned for 2021 will help us move to the next stage in ICS development. In doing so, we need to recognise that the pandemic has reintroduced an old problem for the NHS - very long waiting times. As a mature ICS we support 2.7 million people, 500,000 of whom live in areas ranked in the most deprived 10% of England and 20% of people are from minority ethnic communities. We take an approach built on collaboration in places, between sectors or across a whole system, depending on the issue at hand. This uses the strengths of all partners and communities. Those involved work for the greater good - pandemic or not -to address historical inequalities and improve outcomes.
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