Publish date: 24 January 2023

Local government provides an important oversight and scrutiny function for service change through the Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (HOSC), and it is key to engage with the early and well during a service change process. They are partner organisations in the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and Integrated Care Board (ICB) and are also commissioners of care within the wider Integrated Care System (ICS). They help set the strategic direction, for example through Health and Wellbeing Boards, Joint Strategic Needs Assessments, and in the development of the Integrated Care Strategy by the ICP.

A series of top ten tips (developed by Sir David Pearson, Local Government Advisor in the System Transformation team) to support NHS colleagues at national, regional or system level further their mutual understanding and effective engagement with local authority partners can be viewed here.