Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex Integrated Urgent Care Service

Urgent care is evolving faster than ever before. People now expect services that are timely, convenient, and tailored to their individual needs. At the same time, our workforce is under increasing strain, and the system must adapt to remain safe, sustainable, and high-quality for the future. This makes the development of an Integrated Urgent Care Strategic Plan essential. By aligning urgent care, primary care, emergency services, and community resources, we can create a seamless pathway that ensures individuals receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time. This integrated approach not only enhances the experience for those using our services but also strengthens the wider health and care system by reducing duplication, easing pressure on emergency departments, and enabling our workforce to deliver care more efficiently.

For Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, we have produced a Strategic Plan sets out a bold vision for the future-one that is collaborative, innovative, and focused on the needs of the communities we serve. It builds on our commitment to partnership working and highlights how integration can transform the way we deliver urgent care.

We are pleased to announce that we will be jointly procuring the new IUC service between Norfolk and Suffolk ICB and Essex ICB and are seeking your valuable feedback and professional expertise to help refine and strengthen our outcomes. Your perspectives will be instrumental in ensuring that the final product is both robust and responsive to the needs and priorities we aim to address.

Following your submissions, our leadership team will determine the most appropriate procurement approach and develop the accompanying service specification, predicted activity data, and financial information. These materials will be shared in the same way as this Procurement Information Notification. We also plan to hold a virtual market engagement event in early June 2026.