Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has stepped forward to be the co-chair of the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership.
If elected to the role, he will be at the forefront of the ambitions to connect healthcare in the city.
A board meeting this Friday, 27 September 2024, will have the final say on Burnham becoming co-chair of the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership. If successful, Burnham will take over from Salford City mayor and deputy mayor of Greater Manchester Paul Dennett. Existing co-chair Sir Richard Leese will continue in his role.
Andy Burnham was secretary of state for health in the Labour government of Gordon Brown. In a statement, Burnham said: “I saw during my time as health secretary that so much of the pressure on our NHS could be reduced by taking a more preventative approach.”
Among the integrations that Greater Manchester has been pursuing are closer ties between the Fire Service and housing organisations and the Integrated Care Partnership. The city has also developed an active travel policy. Health policy has been devolved to Manchester from the central government during Burnham’s time as mayor of Greater Manchester.
“As we start this new chapter with Andy as our co-chair, our goal is to create an integrated health and care system that not only responds to needs but also tackles the root causes of poor health,” co-chair Leese said.
