Groundbreaking NHS devolution deal worth £6bn is sealed
GREATER Manchester and NHS England have signed an agreement to bring together health and social care budgets – a combined sum of £6bn.
The trailblazing move sees NHS England, 12 NHS clinical commissioning groups, 15 NHS providers and 10 local authorities agree a framework for health and social care – with plans for joint decision-making on integrated care to support physical, mental and social wellbeing.
The memorandum of understanding, approved and countersigned by the Chancellor George Osborne and the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, puts local people in the driving seat for deciding on health and care services that suit Greater Manchester. It will also help in the long-term to ease pressure on hospitals – while focusing on services in community that bring health and social care closer to home.
Integrated care in Greater Manchester will focus more on preventative work in the community – putting strategies in place to keep people well and as independent as possible. For example, people with long-term conditions like asthma or heart conditions will be treated by specialists in the community as much as possible – only going to hospital when necessary.
The scope of the Memorandum of Understanding includes the entire health and social care system in Greater Manchester, including adult, primary and social care, mental health and community services and public health.
The second part of the agreement provides a framework for strategies around governance and regulation, resources and finances, the property estate, health education, workforce and information sharing and systems being brought together.
Chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens said: “Strong and aligned local leadership in Greater Manchester means that now is the time for courage and for bold moves to deliver the ambitious agenda set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View.
The landmark agreement charts a path to the greatest integration and devolution of care funding since the creation of the NHS in 1948.”
Dr Hamish Stedman, chair of Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “GPs want better health outcomes for all patients and this agreement is the start of a road map to a healthier Greater Manchester.”
Lord Peter Smith, chair of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said: “This is another defining moment in Greater Manchester’s devolution journey. The scope and nature of this unprecedented agreement means we are proudly breaking new ground once more.”
