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HLTH Group

System Alignment and ICS Readiness Support

Helping organisations understand and evidence their contribution to system priorities

Health and care delivery has entered a new era. The creation of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) has changed how providers are expected to work, report, and demonstrate value. No longer can quality and assurance be considered in isolation. Providers are now part of a wider system that aims to improve population health, reduce inequalities, and deliver care closer to home.

HLTH Group’s System Alignment and ICS Readiness Support helps organisations understand what that shift means in practice. We provide the knowledge, tools, and frameworks that enable providers to evidence their system contribution and engage confidently with commissioners, ICB leaders, and partners.

Our team draws on extensive experience in governance, assurance, and regulatory support to help providers operate effectively within integrated systems. We understand the language, frameworks, and expectations of ICBs and translate them into practical steps that work for your organisation.

Understanding your system landscape

Each ICS has its own strategic priorities, outcomes framework, and structure for assurance. For many providers, this landscape can feel complex and difficult to navigate. HLTH Group begins by helping you make sense of the environment in which you operate.

We help you:

  1. Identify the key objectives and metrics defined by your local ICB and Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).
  2. Map your services against neighbourhood, place, and system-level structures.
  3. Understand how your organisation’s work contributes to prevention, population health, and equity.
  4. Translate national NHS priorities into operational actions relevant to your service.

This contextual understanding forms the foundation for system alignment. It allows your leadership team to position your organisation strategically, speak the same language as commissioners, and participate meaningfully in system conversations.

Aligning governance with system priorities

System alignment is not achieved through narrative alone – it requires evidence that your governance, assurance, and quality systems are connected to wider system outcomes. HLTH Group supports you to integrate system objectives into your internal governance framework.

Our practical support includes:

  1. Reviewing your Board Assurance Framework (BAF) and risk registers to identify where system risks are reflected and monitored.
  2. Embedding ICB priorities such as health inequalities, workforce wellbeing, and digital transformation into internal reports.
  3. Developing assurance templates that capture how your service collaborates with partners or supports prevention.
  4. Creating cross-organisational reporting cycles so that data can flow easily between providers, networks, and the ICB.

Through this process, we ensure your organisation can demonstrate alignment in both governance structure and delivery evidence.

System readiness assessments

Many providers are asked by commissioners or ICBs to evidence “system readiness.” This means being able to show how internal systems, leadership, and data align with system priorities. HLTH Group conducts structured readiness reviews based on NHS assurance methodologies.

Our readiness review process includes:

  1. An assessment of current governance maturity against system standards.
  2. A review of policies, reporting tools, and quality metrics for alignment with ICB frameworks.
  3. Staff interviews or workshops to understand engagement and awareness of system objectives.
  4. Production of an improvement plan with clear, prioritised actions and responsible leads.

This process results in a detailed, practical roadmap that positions your organisation to participate confidently in system assurance reviews and partnership programmes.

Evidencing contribution and collaboration

System partners, including the NHS and local authorities, increasingly expect providers to demonstrate measurable contribution to shared outcomes. HLTH Group helps you turn everyday activity into clear evidence of collaboration and impact.

We help you:

  1. Create evidence portfolios that show how your service contributes to system objectives such as prevention or health equity.
  2. Develop partnership outcome reports that can be shared with ICBs.
  3. Implement data collection templates that measure impact across population groups.
  4. Establish partnership agreements and governance documents that formalise your system role.

This evidence can then be easily accessed for ICB submissions, partnership reviews, and CQC inspections.

Technology-enabled alignment

Using HLTH Manage, our team helps you build digital dashboards that reflect system alignment. This ensures that your evidence is organised, validated, and ready for review.

The platform allows you to:

  1. Store and track partnership activities, outcomes, and improvement projects.
  2. Align internal performance metrics to ICB indicators.
  3. Generate automated reports that demonstrate collaboration, quality, and impact.
  4. Provide ICB or CQC reviewers with direct evidence of system contribution.

This digital approach turns alignment into a visible, measurable, and sustainable part of daily governance.

Capability building and leadership development

Understanding the system is one thing – operating confidently within it is another. HLTH Group provides tailored ICS Readiness and System Leadership workshops through HLTH Training, helping senior teams develop the knowledge and confidence required to engage with system partners.

Sessions include:

  1. Understanding ICS and ICB structures and functions.
  2. The role of place-based partnerships and neighbourhood models.
  3. System performance frameworks and outcome measurement.
  4. How to contribute to system priorities and report on progress.
  5. Practical communication and collaboration skills for system meetings.

Practical partnership support

HLTH Group does not only explain what system alignment means – we help you live it. Our team can join joint governance meetings, assist with partnership documentation, and help draft submissions for system assurance reviews.

We can also:

  1. Support the development of shared governance frameworks between partner organisations.
  2. Facilitate workshops to define shared objectives and risks.
  3. Help build consistent reporting across multiple providers.
  4. Review existing Memorandums of Understanding or partnership agreements to ensure alignment with system standards.

This hands-on approach helps providers transition from independent operation to meaningful system partnership.

Continuous improvement and review

System alignment is an ongoing process, not a one-off exercise. HLTH Group offers continued partnership to review progress, update frameworks, and ensure your governance remains aligned as system expectations evolve.

We schedule periodic alignment reviews, update digital dashboards, and provide targeted coaching to maintain readiness. By keeping the process live, providers remain confident and inspection-ready while demonstrating ongoing commitment to system improvement.

The outcome

Working with HLTH Group provides your organisation with:

  1. A clear understanding of local ICS and ICB structures and expectations.
  2. A governance framework aligned with system outcomes and NHS priorities.
  3. Reliable evidence of collaboration, prevention, and population health impact.
  4. Leaders who are confident and capable in system-level discussions.
  5. Tools and templates that make alignment measurable and sustainable.

System readiness is not about producing documents – it is about building structures, data, and behaviours that connect your organisation to the wider purpose of the system. HLTH Group ensures that your contribution is visible, valued, and verified.