About Us

High level Stakeholder narrative – Friday 8 April 2022

Why are things changing?

Across the country, integrated care partnerships (ICP) are being set up to help organisations work better with the public to keep everyone healthier; plan and deliver health services more effectively; make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly; help the NHS become as efficient as possible, and also help it contribute to the wider economy.

The intention is that this will:

  • improve the health of children and young people
  • support people to stay well and independent
  • help health and care services act sooner to help those with preventable conditions
  • support those with long-term conditions or mental health issues
  • care for those with multiple conditions, particularly as people get older
  • get the best from collective resources so people get care as quickly as possible.

Here in Greater Manchester the new arrangements mark the latest stage in the city region’s journey to more joined up working, which has developed since our health and social care devolution deal in February 2015.

How does our Greater Manchester system fit together?

Our system will be called GM Integrated Care Partnership and will be made up of two statutory elements:

  • Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership Board, involving all the different organisations which support people’s health and care
  • NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, a new organisation, overseen by a Board, to support integration within the NHS to take a joint approach to agreeing and delivering ambitions for the health of the population

In addition there will be similar partnerships in each of GM’s ten districts or localities.

Our system partnership will operate at three levels: neighbourhood, locality and Greater Manchester and will have a single vision and strategy. Hospitals, GPs, community services and other providers will come together to form collaboratives within all 3 levels.

GM Integrated Care Partnership will bring together all the different organisations which support people’s health and care and, working with our people and communities, will create and oversee our region’s overall integrated care strategy which the wider system will work to deliver.

Members of the Partnership (which is an evolution of the longstanding Health and Social Care Partnership) come from all ten parts of GM, including all NHS organisations, councils, GM Combined Authority, organisations from across the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sectors and others all working together to help achieve our common vision.

The Board steering the work will be chaired by GM political lead for health and care, and Tameside Council leader Councillor Brenda Warrington.

10 Local Integrated Care Partnerships, 66 Neighbourhoods

Much of someone’s life will be spent within a few miles of where they live, shopping, working, going to school, visiting friends and family, and socialising.

Likewise if people do need support around their health and care, friends and family are often very involved, and people may also use their local pharmacy, GP, voluntary groups, district nurses, community mental health services or home care staff. And sometimes they may need a hospital visit or a care home. Some people may also link in with education, probation, employment or social services.

Virtually all of this will happen relatively locally.

This is why our ten places and 66 neighbourhoods are at the heart of our integration work. We’ll have local integrated care partnerships, overseen by a Board with people from the council, NHS, voluntary sector and wider partners reflective of each place. One person – a ‘place based lead’ will coordinate all of this.

NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care

The NHS sees and treats thousands of people every day in Greater Manchester at its many different services; most are in the local community, including GPs, dentists, pharmacist, optometrists, district nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, diagnostics and many more. Some more specialised services are based in hospitals.

From July 1 a new organisation, called NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care will take over from our ten Clinical Commissioning Groups (which will close down their work) to become responsible for the allocation of, and accounting for, NHS resources. It will create and oversee a plan for all NHS services in our city region.

Sir Richard Leese has been confirmed as Chair designate and Mark Fisher as Chief Executive designate. Staff from the new organisation will work across Greater Manchester; some within the local partnerships and some more centrally.