Next steps for health and care in Greater Manchester

The new NHS board replacing the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership will come into being on 1 July.

Residents across the city region will see the official formation of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, which brings together staff from all 10 Greater Manchester clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as well as the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) and Greater Manchester Shared Services, which will all disband on 1 July.

The way health services are bought and planned on behalf of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are changing nationally in line with the new Health and Care Act 2022 which aims to improve joined-up care for people who rely on a number of different services at the same time.

As part of this, a new NHS organisation is being formed here called NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, which will be responsible for allocation of, and accounting for, NHS resources.

Sir Richard Leese, chairperson of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, said: “With our unique devolution arrangements, Greater Manchester became England’s first integrated care system in 2016. This was the start of our five-year strategic plan, ‘Taking Charge of our Health and Social Care’, making big improvements to health and care services here. So, a big thank you to outgoing GMHSCP chief officer, Sarah Price.

“It was instrumental in shaping the design of new national partnerships to support local health and care needs right across England.

“Although a great deal has been achieved in Greater Manchester from voluntary and collaborative working, the new Health and Care Act will help break down further structural barriers and organisational silos to better address the root causes of ill health such as debt, poverty, poor housing and work.

“I’m confident these changes will help embed true joined-up working and ensure public engagement is front and centre when setting big plans.”

NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care will be at the heart of the wider Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership which involves all the different bodies that support the health and social care of residents across the city region. These include NHS organisations, councils, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, local businesses and other key partners.

It also means there will be a local integrated care partnership in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs – in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale this will be called Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care Partnership – that brings the same partners together within the borough to ensure Rochdale residents get the best possible services.

Dr Chris Duffy, outgoing chairperson of CCG, said: “We have achieved a lot over the past nine years and we will ensure this strong legacy is taken into the new NHS organisation and will continue to integrate care locally through the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care Partnership.

“Our aim is healthier lives and better health and social care services for all our residents across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale and we will work closely with our public in order to do this. The GP practices and primary care networks across our borough will continue to form the cornerstone of local health and care in Rochdale.

“We have achieved a lot as a CCG and we pledge to continue building on this work as we move into this exciting new phase.”

As part of the changes from July 1, users of the CCG's website will be redirected to Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership’s new website which will offer more information on the aims and new ways of working for health and care in the city region. Patients will still be able to access information and help about their local services.

Also part of the executive team are ‘place leads for health and care integration’, who will be responsible for driving the local integration of health and social care, connecting it to wider public services to address the social determinants of health.

Working closely with local partners, place leads will play a central role in improving health outcomes and the quality of care, reducing health inequalities, and maximising the value of public resources within our communities.

For Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, this will be Steve Rumbelow, chief executive of Rochdale Borough Council.

The first board meeting will take place on Friday 1 July between 2.30pm and 5pm.