NHS Confederation announces new advisorate and chair for its ICS Network

The NHS Confederation first established a network for ICSs in 2019. The network represents all ICSs in England and provides amongst other things an independent safe space to exchange ideas, share experiences and challenges, and develop solutions. 

The 21 members of the ICS Network advisorate represent ICSs from across the country, ensuring a diverse mix of ICSs and a balance of skills and experience. 

It provides strategic oversight of the ICS Network, helping to shape its priorities and future direction and ensuring that it is able to build a strong and effective national voice for its ICS members. The advisorate membership includes the Local Government Association and it will shortly be expanded to include public health representation. 

Gill Morgan has been elected by ICS chairs and leads to be the first advisorate chair. Gill is the independent chair of Gloucestershire Integrated Care System, one of the smaller systems and part of the first ICS cohort established. 

Gill is well-known to many in the health world. A qualified doctor, she worked in both hospitals and general practice before becoming director of public health in Leicestershire. From there, she became chief executive of North and East Devon Health Authority and subsequently chief executive of the NHS Confederation. In this role, she worked closely with ministers, policy makers and the media. Her final executive role was as permanent secretary to the Welsh Government.  

After retiring from there, she chaired NHS Providers for six years. In addition, she has chaired and been a trustee of a number of charities, most recently the Lloyds Bank Foundation of England and Wales, and NHS Charities Together. 

The ICS Network advisorate is formed at a crucial point in the development of ICSs across England, in preparation for forthcoming legislation that will move them onto a statutory footing. The Network has already responded on behalf of its members to the Government’s White Paper on Integration and Innovation, and will continue to influence on a number of key priority issues.
 
View details of the new advisorate. 
 
Gill Morgan, new chair of the advisorate, said:

“I am genuinely passionate about the opportunities for ICSs if we can get it right. As a public health physician, to hear everyone talking about inequalities and the longer-term determinants of health feels like my 'coming of age' present. The ICS Network Advisorate needs to ensure that difference between ICSs becomes a reality; we need to talk about legitimate and appropriate difference and how that can be hard-wired in for the very first time." 

Lou Patten, director of the ICS Network at the NHS Confederation, said:

“I am delighted to have all of our new advisorate members on board, and so grateful to Gill for taking on the role of chair of this important group. We know that we have our work cut out over the coming weeks, and are fully committed to ensuring the concerns of all our ICS leaders are heard and reflected to decision makers to give ICSs the best chance possible of success." 
 
The NHS Confederation is the only membership body that now represents all parts of the health and care system, including NHS trusts, integrated care systems, clinical commissioning groups and primary care networks across England