Healthcare in Greater Manchester

Healthcare in Greater Manchester is now the responsibility of 12 Clinical Commissioning Groups - one for each of the smaller boroughs and three (North, South and Central) covering Manchester itself.

History

From 1947 to 1974 NHS services in Greater Manchester (which did not then exist) were managed by the Manchester Regional Hospital Board. In 1974 the Boards were abolished and replaced by Regional Health Authorities. The whole of the newly created Greater Manchester (and Glossop) came under the North Western RHA. Regions were reorganised in 1996 and Greater Manchester came under the North West Regional Health Authority. Greater Manchester from 1974 had 12 District health authorities, one for each of the smaller boroughs and three (North, South and Central) covering Manchester itself. In 1994 4 new District health authorities were established covering Bury and Rochdale, Manchester, West Pennine, Salford and Trafford. Wigan was unchanged. 12 Primary care trusts were established covering the whole the county in 2002: Ashton, Leigh and Wigan; Bolton; Bury; Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale; Manchester North, South and Central; Oldham; Salford; Stockport; Tameside and Glossop; Trafford. They were managed by the Greater Manchester Strategic health authority until 2006 and then by the North West SHA from 2002 until 2013.

The CCGs took on the responsibilities of the former PCTs on 1 April 2013.

Primary and Community Care

Community care is provided by the Hospital trusts in Manchester, Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust,

Healthwatch

Healthwatch was set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as a voice for patients. There is a Healthwatch for each of the ten boroughs.

Mental health

NHS mental health services in the county are provided by 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, and Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Mental health patients from Manchester were transferred to private clinics, many in remote locations, more than 670 times between 2013 and 2015. Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust paid more than £7 million to private providers over this period.[1]

Hospital and acute care

NHS hospital services are provided by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

From April 2015 all new onset suspected stroke cases in the conurbation will be treated at one of three specialist “hyperacute centres” at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust or Stockport NHS Foundation Trust where patients can get access to emergency “clot busting” thrombolysis and immediate brain scans. District stroke units at other hospitals will remain open but their focus will be shifted to patient rehabilitation and recovery. It is hoped this move could save 50 lives a year.[2]

Devo Manc

In February 2015 it was announced by George Osborne that the conurbation was to be given more control over the NHS budget of around £6 billion per annum. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by NHS England, 12 NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, 15 NHS providers and 10 local authorities and countersigned by Osborne and Jeremy Hunt. It builds on the work of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority which was agreed in November 2014 by the leaders of the 10 local authorities and which will lead to the election of a Mayor for Greater Manchester.[3] There will be a new health and social care chief executive who will be accountable for the £6bn devolved health and care budget. A health and social care partnership board will be responsible for “shaping the strategic direction” of services in the region from April 2016. There will be a joint commissioning board consisting of representatives from the councils, CCGs and NHS England which will make “decisions about where funds go”.[4]

Salford is one of the areas selected to pilot Integrated primary and acute care systems, and Stockport to pilot Multispecialty community providers, under the Five Year Forward View. [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Manchester NHS trusts made over 600 mental health patient referrals to private clinics in two years". Health Investor. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Manchester stroke centralisation could 'save 50 lives a year'". Health Service Journal. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Caring for Greater Manchester together". Association of Greater Manchester Authorities. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "New health chief to oversee Manchester’s devolved budget". Health Service Journal. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "NHS chief unveils 29 ‘vanguard’ areas in his new reforms". Independent. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.