The Auditorium, The Durham Centre, DH1 1TN
Board meeting held in public on Tuesday 25 November 2025
Tuesday 25 November 2025, 10:30am
Please contact nencicb-sun.icbcorporateoffice@nhs.net
Agenda items
5 - Board minutes from previous meetings
Action owners to provide updates on any outstanding actions.
7 - Notification of items of any other business
Consider items of any other business
9.1 - Scheme of Reservation and Delegation
Propose a change to the Scheme of Reservation and Delegation to align fully to the existing Remuneration Committee's terms of reference.
9.2 - Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference
To provide the Board with an updated Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference for approval.
10 - Board Assurance Framework Q2, 2025/26
The purpose of this report is to provide the Board with a refreshed Board Assurance Framework for quarter two, 2025/26 and an updated corporate risk register for review and consideration.
Board Assurance Framework Q2, 2025-26
Appendix 1 NENC Board Assurance Framework Q2 2025-26
11 - Highlight Reports and Confirmed Minutes of the Committees of the Board
Highlight reports and confirmed minutes of the Committees of the Board.
To provide the Board with an overview of the decisions agreed at the Executive Committee meetings and the confirmed minutes of the meetings held on 12 August, 9 September and 14 October 2025 for information and assurance.
Executive Committee Highlight Report November 2025
20250812 APPROVED Public Executive Committee Minutes
11.2 - Quality and Safety Committee
To provide the Board with a summary of the key points from the meeting of the Quality and Safety Committee and the confirmed minutes from the 11 September 2025.
11.3 - Finance, Performance and Investment Committee
To provide the Board with an overview of the key points and approved minutes from the Committee meeting held on 2 October 2025.
Finance Performance and Investment Committee November 25
The Board is asked to receive the key points of the meeting on 24 July 2025 for information and assurance.
The Learning from the Lives and Deaths of People with Learning Disability and Autistic People (LeDeR) Annual Report, is a statutory requirement that provides assurance about delivery of LeDeR including numbers of reviews, causes of death and learning / improvement action undertaken across North East and North Cumbria.
The Board is asked to note the LeDeR Annual Report and Learning into action Report 2024 and approve for publication on the ICB website.
13 - County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Verbal update
14 - Integrated Delivery Report
The NENC Integrated Delivery Report (IDR) provides an overview of quality and performance, highlighting any significant changes, areas of risk and mitigating actions.
To provide an update on the financial performance of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) and NENC Integrated Care System (ICS) in the financial year 2025/26 for the six months to 30 September 2025.
16 - Finance and Performance Operational Planning Submission 2026-27 update
To approve the North East and North Cumbria ICB Strategic Commissioning Intentions for 2026/27 and receive a medium-term planning update.
17 - NENC Strategic Approach to Clinical Services (SACS) framework
The draft NENC SACS framework sets out a system approach for collaboratively developing sustainable acute secondary and tertiary clinical care and offsetting future vulnerabilities over the next decade, supporting delivery of the 10-year Health Plan for England.
Appendix A SACS 10 Year Framework For Sustainable Hospital Services
18 - Questions from the public
Questions from the public relating to items on the agenda
Question
The National Strategic Commissioning Framework, which is designed to support all ICBs, states:
- ICBs will develop a clear, evidenced-based methodology for determining priorities and the commissioning and decommissioning of services to meet these priorities.
- ICBs will be transparent in making decisions and sharing the evidence on which they are based. They will use high quality data, analysis and dialogue and a sound understanding of what or who is driving cost in a system and of any variations in productivity between providers.
Will North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board ensure that these same principles are applied to the closure of wards and services across providers?
How will North East and North Cumbria ICB ensure transparency in ‘decommissioning’ decisions so that patients, staff and the general public in the North East understand which services will stop and what the consequences of the cuts will be?
Response
We can confirm any changes to services deemed a significant variation need to follow an appropriate process in line with the Health and Social Care Act which includes formal consultation. There are some changes that are not deemed as significant variation, and as such, do not require formal consultation.
Nonetheless we are encouraging all Trusts to work with us and ensure open and transparent decision making. As you know, the number of beds and wards are not and should not be the measure of success for a thriving NHS, our focus must be on patient outcomes, and we will use our strategic commissioning responsibilities to do exactly that.