Millions of pounds from the system development fund (SDF) have been used to support other financial pressures across 26 ICBs in 2023/24, according to an exclusive investigation.
In total, 29 ICBs reported £182.3m of underspend from their SDF allocations. Of these ICBs, 26 of them – which reported £176m underspend in total – said this went to the overall financial position of the ICB or ‘other pressures’ and priorities in the system. The remaining three did not declare where the money was spent.
The data comes from an exclusive Healthcare Leader Freedom of Information investigation, to which 41 ICBs responded, looking into SDF funding for ICBs . SDF funding is allocated each year to ICBs on top of their ICB baselines.
This is intended to be invested in national objectives including supporting primary care to deliver ambitions for the access recovery plan, the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS), GP IT, diagnostics, mental health, cancer, virtual wards, prevention, women’s health hubs and children and young people’s programmes.
