ICB mergers: lessons for future success
ICB boundary changes in effect from 1 April 2026
NHSE currently has the legal powers to abolish, establish or change ICB boundaries but these changes must have ministerial approval.
Boundary changes
London
North Central London ICB and North West London ICB have been abolished to create West and North London ICB.
East of England
- Mid and South Essex ICB was abolished and an Essex ICB was established over its geography, incorporating North East Essex from legacy Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) ICB and West Essex from legacy Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB.
- Norfolk and Waveney ICB and SNEE ICB have been abolished to create Norfolk and Suffolk ICB.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB and Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB have been abolished to create Central East ICB.
South East
- Frimley ICB was abolished and split across three other ICBs in the region.
- Surrey ICB and Sussex ICB have been abolished to create Surrey and Sussex ICB, incorporating Surrey wards from Frimley ICB.
- Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB has been abolished to form Thames Valley ICB, incorporating East Berkshire wards from Frimley ICB.
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB has undergone a boundary change to incorporate the Hampshire wards of Frimley ICB.
Clustering arrangements continue in the Midlands, South West and London. Further detail on ICB clusters, mergers and boundaries is available in an NHS Alliance member briefing, ICB Clusters and Mergers: What You Need to Know.