Recommendation 3

New integrated care boards and partnerships could struggle to prioritise mental health services and support, in the face of funding pressures and the need to reduce backlogs for physical health services. ICBs will be responsible for bringing forward many of the ambitious programmes for mental health services in their area, for example, ensuring data sharing across local NHS, local government and voluntary sector organisations, and workforce planning and deployment. Many of the challenges that ICBs have to address involve longstanding and unresolved issues and as the Department itself notes, “the proof will be in the pudding”. But we remain unconvinced that many of the ICBs, at this stage of their development, have the maturity, resources or capacity required to meet the high expectations placed on them for mental health services. This is particularly the case as ICBs tackle reducing backlogs for physical health services while under funding pressures. We are also concerned about the ability of NHSE, during a period of significant reorganisation, including a 30–40% planned reduction of central staffing, to support ICBs, hold them to account for performance, and challenge inconsistencies in local practices such as the patchy implementation of clinical guidance across local areas for people with eating disorders. Recommendation 3: NHS England and the Department should evaluate how well the new integrated care boards and partnerships are supporting mental health services and how well their own support arrangements work to address variation between, and poorer performance in, local areas.