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| Greater Manchester 'to control £6bn NHS budget' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The £6bn health and social care budget for Greater Manchester is to be taken over by the region's councils and health groups, it is understood. | |
| The devolved power agreement is expected to be confirmed by the Chancellor George Osborne on Friday. | |
| It will see NHS England hand spending decisions on regional healthcare to local politicians, clinical commissioning groups and NHS trusts. | |
| The plan will come into force from April 2016. | The plan will come into force from April 2016. |
| It will mean local leaders and ultimately Greater Manchester's new directly elected mayor will control how budgets are allocated. | |
| It is hoped that by integrating health and social care services, the change will ease pressure on hospitals and help to improve home care services for patients who need it. | |
| A shadow Greater Manchester Health and Wellbeing board will be appointed, it is understood. It would work closely with existing clinical commissioning groups of GPs. | A shadow Greater Manchester Health and Wellbeing board will be appointed, it is understood. It would work closely with existing clinical commissioning groups of GPs. |
| The board is expected to run from April, before control of the budget is handed over a year later. | The board is expected to run from April, before control of the budget is handed over a year later. |
| 'Breathtaking scale' | |
| A Labour spokesperson said: "We have yet to see the full details of this proposal, and people working in the NHS will want to be persuaded of the case for a new layer of management. | |
| "The government also ought to get the message that change is needed for the whole of England, and not just Greater Manchester." | |
| Richard Humphries, assistant director of the King's Fund think tank, said a full transfer of responsibility would be a reform "on a breathtaking scale" but could pose serious risks. | Richard Humphries, assistant director of the King's Fund think tank, said a full transfer of responsibility would be a reform "on a breathtaking scale" but could pose serious risks. |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Depending on the detail - and the detail is really crucial and we don't have that yet - you could either see this as a triumph for local democracy or creating real risks of yet another reorganisation of the NHS when it's barely recovered from the last one." | Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Depending on the detail - and the detail is really crucial and we don't have that yet - you could either see this as a triumph for local democracy or creating real risks of yet another reorganisation of the NHS when it's barely recovered from the last one." |
| Councillor Mike Connolly, Labour leader of Bury Council, said: "Those decisions need to be made in Greater Manchester and not Westminster, and I welcome any form of devolution to the city region. | Councillor Mike Connolly, Labour leader of Bury Council, said: "Those decisions need to be made in Greater Manchester and not Westminster, and I welcome any form of devolution to the city region. |
| "We are all agreed, certainly in the Labour Party, that health and social care must be integrated because it's about providing that primary care - and it can only be good for healthcare across Greater Manchester." | "We are all agreed, certainly in the Labour Party, that health and social care must be integrated because it's about providing that primary care - and it can only be good for healthcare across Greater Manchester." |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| Kevin Fitzpatrick, BBC Radio Manchester | Kevin Fitzpatrick, BBC Radio Manchester |
| If the initial devolution deal for Greater Manchester was ground breaking, then this development changes the shape of local government in a way that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. | |
| By taking control of the entire NHS budget, the area's 10 councils, and ultimately the elected mayor, will be able to join up health and social care in a way that's never been possible before. | |
| In addition to control of the £2bn of budgets agreed last year for skills and training, transport and planning, the £6bn that comes with this deal means local politicians will decide how more than a quarter of government money is spent in their area. | In addition to control of the £2bn of budgets agreed last year for skills and training, transport and planning, the £6bn that comes with this deal means local politicians will decide how more than a quarter of government money is spent in their area. |
| Local politicians describe the move as an incredible opportunity, but it also comes with risks with just over a year to plan before the money and a huge amount of new responsibility is handed over. | Local politicians describe the move as an incredible opportunity, but it also comes with risks with just over a year to plan before the money and a huge amount of new responsibility is handed over. |
| Greater Manchester must ready itself to break more new ground as devolution picks up pace. | Greater Manchester must ready itself to break more new ground as devolution picks up pace. |