NHS leaders in Shropshire seek to ‘cluster’ with Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent as Government squeezes cash

Health commissioners in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin have been told that they can go ahead and form a “cluster” with Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent in a bid to slash costs.

The six Integrated Care Boards across the West Midlands region want to join forces with each other as they seek to cut costs by 50 around per cent, in line with the abolition of NHS England, a meeting was told.

Roger Dunshea, the outgoing acting chair of NHS STW, told a meeting in Wellington yesterday (Wednesday, June 25) that they have been told by the national NHS within the last few days that “clustering” with the ICB covering Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent “will go ahead”.

Mr Dunshea said it would mean a “real step change” for the ICB which is “down to  lot of hard work and professionalism.”

Mr Dunshea’s report to the board said that NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin submitted an indicative plan to NHS England on May 30, 2025 which reflected a ‘clustering’ arrangement.

“This set out a route to delivering the future ‘clustered’ ICB within the new running cost allocation.”

NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin employs some 313 people but it is not yet clear how many, if any, job losses will be needed.

Mr Dunshea’s report said: “We recognise the impact the change ahead is having on our staff.

“Supporting our staff is a clear priority, and these changes, though mandatory, are not just about structures – they are about people, and we are committed to making sure that they feel heard, valued, and supported throughout.”

Union leader Pete Lowe, National Officer for Managers in Partnership, said that they are due to meet with the national employer in early July.

At that meeting he said they will be seeking reassurances on the impact of ICB changes on NHS staff.

He added that “staff are understandably concerned at the potential impact.”

Simon Whitehouse, the ICB’s chief executive, said, after the meeting, that it is not a “merger” as Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin will remain as an organisation. He explained that it will involve the organisations having a common board of directors.

The board was not told of a timetable for the change to be implemented but NHS England says there is a “necessity of all ICBs moving in Quarter three 2025/26” to “reduce their administrative costs by approximately 50 per cent, spending no more than £18.76 per head of the ICS’s population.”

Under the move  ICBs will be “strategic commissioners” focusing on “providing system leadership for population health, setting evidence based and long-term population heath strategy and working as healthcare payers to deliver this, maximising the value that can be created from available resources. “