A new era for health and care in Salford
The way health services are bought and planned on behalf of Salford 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 called NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care.
This organisation brings together staff from all 10 Greater Manchester clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) – including Salford – as well as Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Greater Manchester Shared Services, which will all disband on July 1.
It will be at the heart of a wider partnership called Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership which involves all the different organisations that support the health and social care of residents across the city region. These include NHS organisations, councils, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) colleagues and other key partners.
It also means there will be a local integrated care partnership in each of the 10 Greater Manchester areas – in Salford this will be called Salford Integrated Care Partnership – that brings the same partners together within the city to ensure Salford residents get the best possible services.
The partnership will 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.
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 Salford Integrated Care Partnership.
Our aim is healthier lives and better health and social care services for all our residents across Salford and we will work closely with our public in order to do this. The GP practices and primary care networks across our city will continue to form the cornerstone of local health and care in Salford.
We have achieved a lot as a CCG and we are firmly committed to making the most of the opportunities that this new phase offers.
As part of the changes from July 1, there will be a new Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership 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.
Clinical commissioning groups were/are NHS organisations set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 following the 2010 White Paper, ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ which stated the Government’s desire to create a health and care system that has the patient’s needs at its heart.
The 10 Greater Manchester CCGs were formed between 2012 and 2013 and replaced primary care trusts (PCTs). They were led by GPs and clinicians whose experience in patient care helped to develop and deliver effective services for the public.
Salford CCG’s top achievements include:
- Investing £1 million per year into the Third Sector Fund, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of Salford citizens by investing in grants to voluntary organisations, community groups, social enterprises and primary schools.
- Securing £18 million from the Greater Manchester Transformation Fund to fund Innovation projects – testing new ideas and innovative ways of working across primary care, the community and voluntary sector as well as in partnership with our providers.
- Introducing the Salford Stand to improve the quality of care patients should expect to receive from Salford GP Practices
- Launching Salford Urgent Care Team to relieve pressure on Salford Royal Hospital’s emergency department, allowing them to treat those with more serious conditions.
- Managing Salford’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, delivering vaccines to three quarters of adults in Salford, including an award-winning programme to deliver vaccines to people with learning disabilities.
This is a significant step forward for how we ensure the people we serve across the whole of Greater Manchester get equal access to the best possible health and care services.
Thanks to the devolution arrangements given to our city region, we have already built a strong foundation of true partnership working and our teams will be no strangers to working together for the benefit of our people.
Our aims for the next few months will be ensure the integration of our neighbourhood teams, improve mental health services, support our GP practices, ensure people have access to urgent and emergency care, and reduce inequalities.
These are just some of the things which we in the NHS, and our partners, do to help all of us live the best lives we can.
Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership is one of 42 integrated care systems being established across England on a statutory basis on July 1 following recommendations from NHS England and NHS Improvement and Royal Assent of the Health and Care Act (2022).
