Down Syndrome Act updated to name NHS England, ICBs
From 12 December 2025, a small but important legal tidy-up took effect: the Government updated the Down Syndrome Act 2022 so it points to today’s NHS bodies. The change is made by Statutory Instrument 2025/1312, made on 11 December and signed by Health minister Zubir Ahmed.
In the Act’s Schedule of “relevant authorities and relevant functions”, the old titles are swapped for the current ones. “National Health Service Commissioning Board” becomes “NHS England”, and “a clinical commissioning group” becomes “an integrated care board”. These swaps follow the Health and Care Act 2022, which renamed the Board and replaced CCGs with ICBs.
This is a consequential amendment-essentially housekeeping. It does not change anyone’s rights, create new duties, or alter services. The Department of Health and Social Care notes no significant impact on the private, voluntary or public sector, so no full impact assessment has been produced.
If you’re new to statutory instruments, think of them as the tools ministers use to update the fine print of laws Parliament has already passed. They keep Acts workable after structural reforms. Here, the instrument was made on 11 December and came into force the very next day, which is common when the change is purely technical.
What exactly is an integrated care board? It is the NHS organisation that plans and funds most local services across an “integrated care system” area in England. ICBs took over from clinical commissioning groups in 2022, bringing hospital, community, mental health and primary care planning into one place.
Why does a name swap matter? Because guidance under the Down Syndrome Act has to be followed by the bodies it names. If the law points to the wrong organisation, accountability blurs: letters go to the wrong team, complaints bounce, and board papers miss the duty. Using “NHS England” and “integrated care board” makes the obligation clear.
There is also a geography point. The regulations extend to England and Wales, but they apply to NHS functions exercisable in England. Wales runs its own NHS structures, so this update does not change how Welsh services are organised. For families in England, it simply confirms which NHS bodies must have regard to the guidance.
What changes for you today? On the ground, nothing dramatic. Your local ICB was already responsible for commissioning care and pathways for people with Down syndrome. What this instrument does is tidy the legal signposts. If you’re writing to your ICB or to NHS England about support, use the updated terms-they are now the ones the law uses.
A quick recap of the dates and the paperwork. The instrument was made on 11 December 2025 and started on 12 December 2025. It sits under the mental health heading in the statutory instruments series and amends the Down Syndrome Act 2022’s Schedule. It is a small change, but it helps everyone-families, teachers and clinicians-speak the same language when they ask for support.