The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB) will become operational and legally established from July 1, 2022, meaning the closer working between health and social care partners for the good of local communities. From this date NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk, NHS West Suffolk and NHS North East Essex clinical commissioning groups (the CCGs) will be abolished. The creation of SNEE ICB follows the Government’s Health and Care Act 2022, which aims to make it easier for health and care organisations to deliver joined-up care for people who rely on multiple different services. It will take on all the planning and commissioning functions previously held by the three CCGs, and from July 1, 2023 will additionally take on commissioning responsibility for some other services, e.g. NHS dentistry, currently commissioned by NHS England. The SNEE ICB geographical area covers all of Suffolk, except Waveney, and north east Essex with a population of approximately 978,000. The SNEE ICB is set to hold its first meeting in public on Friday July 1 in the Millennium Suite, Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to meet the new board members. The event will also be live streamed. Visit the event page for more information including agenda, papers and live stream link. The leadership team includes a number of local skilled and respected health and care professionals with experience including in primary care, community health services, local authorities, mental health, finance and the voluntary sector. The SNEE ICB will be chaired by Professor William Pope and Dr Ed Garratt will serve as chief executive. Commenting on the new organisation and the opportunities for the future, Dr Ed Garratt (pictured right), says: “Our local area already has a strong and proud history of partnership working. This is very much highlighted by the co-ordinated response to the COVID pandemic, with our area one of the very best in England for delivering our vaccination programme. “The creation of an Integrated Care Board takes partnership working further forward, as the main players locally in health and care will be working together to ensure we make the most effective use of resources as a system, rather than as individual organisations. “Ultimately, this is about people’s lives, and supporting them in living happily and healthily. To do that we need all those organisations who are involved in providing that support to be working as ‘one team’, and the new ICB will support that aim.”