Talks confirmed on £6bn health devolution deal
GREATER Manchester’s councils and the government have confirmed that talks are being held on a “ground-breaking” £6bn health and social care devolution deal.
The move – which could see Greater Manchester make its own decisions around the health and social care needs of its residents – follows the devolution settlement with government announced last November, a deal seen as the standard bearer for Chancellor George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse vision.
The statement from the NHS and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities said: “It is hoped that an agreement will be reached shortlyfor Greater Manchester health and social care leaders to work with NHS England and the Government on the future of health and social care.”
Following the original devolution deal, NHS England invited the GM Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and the area’s NHS providers to develop a plan for joining-up health and social care across Greater Manchester.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “NHS England is working on this groundbreaking offer to the local NHS in Greater Manchester and elected local authorities because we want to back local leaders and communities who come together to improve the health and care of their residents and patients.”
Chancellor George Osborne said: “It’s also about giving Greater Manchester more control over things run in Greater Manchester – which is what our vision of a Northern Powerhouse is all about. It’s early days, but I think it’s really exciting development. We’ll be working hard now with Greater Manchester and NHS England on getting the details right so the arrangements work best for patients.”
Lord Peter Smith, chair of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, added: “By ensuring that decisions about health for Greater Manchester are taken in Greater Manchester, we can ensure we have a system specifically tailored to the needs of people in our area.”
Mike O’Connor, national head of projects, infrastructure and energy at Addleshaw Goddard said it could “only be a good thing for the region.”
“Health and social care spending is one area that lends itself to pooled budgets, administered locally to deal with need, and this appears to be the next logical step in the devolution journey that started with the Greater Manchester Devolution Proposals last year.”
David Fagan a partner at Weightmans said with Manchester being the first authority to explore such a deal, it raises “numerous questions”.
He said: “If this is good for Greater Manchester and can be shown to work well why not adopt the model elsewhere? Might it lead to different health and care systems in different parts of the country, with different powers, priorities and accountabilities? How does that fit with the enduring vision of the British people of a truly National Health Service?”
