Our commitment

We ensure that patients and the public are at the heart of our decision making.

Lincolnshire ICB is committed to understanding the needs of our population and empowering patients to have more choice and control over their condition, help develop future services and identifying priorities. It is our ambition to improve local health services alongside our patients and respond to the health needs of everyone in Lincolnshire by ensuring patients and the public are at the heart of decision making.

This commitment is embedded within our Constitution

Page 8 of the constitution clearly highlights the importance of patient and public participation in section 1.6.1 h) iii. Developing and delivering a communications and engagement strategy which builds continuous and meaningful activities that the public, patients and carers so that they can influence the shape of services and improve the health of people in Lincolnshire, this includes:

  • working closely with communities who may be underrepresented or those who seldom engage with the ICB to ensure they have a voice;
  • using local and national patient experience data and information to inform our work;
  • engaging all practices, including GPs and Practice Managers, and ICB staff in the development and ongoing work of the ICB to ensure they are involved in the core business and related work streams;
  • support the development of relationships with key stakeholders to ensure partnership working and involvement;
  • developing core materials and mechanisms for ongoing two-way communications between the ICB and public to allow continual feedback in commissioning decisions;
  • paying due regard to latest legislation, regulations, guidance and best practice;
  • engaging with the local authority health overview and scrutiny committee;
  • meet annually in public to present an Annual Report which is then published;
  • produce Annual Accounts which are externally audited;
  • publish a clear complaints process;
  • comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and with the Information Commissioner Office requirements regarding the publication of information relating to the ICB;
  • provide information to NHS England as required; and
  • be an active member of the local Health and Wellbeing Board(s).

We also show this commitment in our Values and particularly our Patient Focus value where we commit to seek the views of patients and take them into account in what we do.