Five Year Strategic Commissioning Plan 2026-2031
Our Five-Year Strategic Commissioning Plan sets out how we will discharge our role as a strategic commissioner over the next five years.
It provides the medium-term strategic framework that connects national planning requirements with local delivery, articulating our ambitions and setting clear priorities for improving population health outcomes, reducing inequalities, and securing high-quality, sustainable services for the people of Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The plan has been developed in line with the priorities set out in NHS England's 10 Year Health Plan which signals a fundamental shift in how health and care services are planned, commissioned, and delivered. Central to this national direction are three major shifts: moving care closer to home, accelerating digital transformation, and re-orientating the system towards prevention and earlier intervention.
The Plan serves as the ICB’s primary strategic commissioning document and replaces the Joint Forward Plan (JFP). It incorporates the statutory requirements of the JFP and will be refreshed annually to meet national planning expectations, provide assurance on delivery, and respond to emerging pressures and opportunities. It also builds on the work undertaken through Lancashire and South Cumbria 2030 (LSC 2030) which sets out a series of delivery plans detailing what we are going to do and by when to create a health and care system fit for the future.
Delivery of this Plan will depend on strong, mature, and effective strategic partnerships. The ICB is operating in a highly challenging environment, characterised by significant system change, financial constraint and reduced organisational capacity. In this context, collaborative working with NHS providers, local authorities, Combined County Authorities, the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector, universities and industry partners will be more important than ever.
As a strategic commissioner, we will focus on creating the conditions for success through shared priorities, aligned incentives and outcomes-based approaches. Working in partnership with our system partners and the people we serve, to deliver better outcomes, improved experience and a more resilient and sustainable health and care system for the people of Lancashire and South Cumbria.
