Healthy places

Building inclusive local economies through integrated care systems

With the introduction of integrated care systems (ICSs) in England, and the ambition for these new health systems to contribute to social and economic development, the role of the NHS as a series of key anchor institutions has never been more important.

This paper serves as a blueprint for ICSs who wish to work with their partners to build a more inclusive economy – an economy where the activity is environmentally sustainable, which supports good jobs and wages and actively removes barriers to participation. With a particular focus on large provider trusts and local authority partners, it details the way in which ICSs should cultivate their place-based assets to harness their power as a series of anchor institutions, thereby developing their local economies from within.