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 6 December 2024
Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of our Partnership Update from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership (GM ICP). This monthly bulletin is an overview of the work underway across our health and care system; the progress being made and any key developments.
A message from Andy Burnham
Hello everyone,
As a passionate believer in the power of devolution to make a positive difference to people’s lives, we are making a strong argument that improving our population’s health and preventing illness and disease is best achieved at a local level.
This was a part of the discussion at last Friday’s Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership Board, where we set out how we can bring all our existing plans and methods around prevention together to show the Government that we can lead the way in delivering what we call a Prevention Demonstrator.
In the context of the GMCA spending review and national NHS 10 Year Plan, this would mean Greater Manchester would be a leader in understanding what it will take to reduce demand for health and care services, turn around the NHS and make the case for further devolution, including around prevention and public service reform.
It really is a “make or break” scenario and is vital that we address demand for services to address issues like alcohol and tobacco dependency, diabetes, HIV and cancer, amongst others. But I do believe that here in Greater Manchester, we have many years of practice in creating an integrated care model and we now have the foundations for a system which is geared towards prevention.
I will keep you all updated on this as it progresses.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
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Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership Board met on Friday 29 November with three key agenda items: urgent and emergency care performance, prevention demonstrator and the Greater Manchester Age Friendly Strategy.
GM is one of lowest performing integrated care systems in England for A&E wait times. The Board discussed current performance and the key factors affecting it including increases in A&E attendance, delays in discharging patients, recruitment challenges, and GM having a higher proportion of residents with long-term conditions and mental health issues which leads to increased demand for urgent care. The Board agreed a whole-system response is needed, particularly around prevention, and that UEC performance would become a standing agenda item for the ICP Board.
This then led onto discussion around the opportunity for GM to develop a ‘prevention demonstrator’ working with the Government to further integrate health services with local government and wider public services, enabled by deeper devolution.
Finally, the Greater Manchester Age-Friendly Strategy which reiterates GM’s commitment to delivering an age-friendly city-region adapting to the challenge and opportunities or the changing demographics and tackling the inequalities residents may experience in ageing. This includes the work of the GM Falls Collaborative, taking a whole system prevention approach to reduce the number of falls amongst older people helping to maintain their health, wellbeing and independence. The Falls Prevention Winter Toolkit is available below.
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Greater Manchester (GM) is passionate about ensuring that all our children and young people get the best start in life and are cared for, nurtured and supported to grow up well and achieve their ambitions in life. The Joint Forward Delivery Plan presents an opportunity for local authorities, NHS Greater Manchester, and partners to build on improvements already made and continue to work together to ensure that all our children and young people get the best start in life.
Children growing up in GM are from diverse backgrounds and communities, and the degree of challenges they face varies significantly between the ten boroughs and neighbourhoods within them. Some of the challenges they face include speech, language and communication needs, mental health conditions, asthma and dental decay. Availability and quality of services across the region and demand for services means longer waiting times for assessment and treatment for some of our children & young people.
The plan will be overseen by groups set up by partner organisations, that have a critical role in improving the health of our children & young people and collective responsibility for reducing the health inequalities in our city-region.
This integrated approach to improving outcomes for children and young people and tackling inequalities, puts the needs and experience of children, young people and families at the heart of the plan’s ambitions.
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Change NHS is to help build a health service fit for the future. To make this the biggest ever conversation about the future of the NHS, we need the help of local health and care systems, local government, partners from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors, politicians, professional bodies, organisations representing staff and others.
We have created a Workshop in a Box to help you engage with your communities and feed their insight into the development of the 10 Year Health Plan.The workshop in a Box (WIAB) is now available to download here. This means that you can now host your own face to face or online focus group or workshop in a way that works for you and your stakeholders.
It would be really helpful if you are able to run a WIAB session with your staff or any patient or community groups you might engage with to allow as many people as possible to have their say in the region.
Supporting materials are available on the Community Engagement page and include:
- A facilitator briefing guide
- A slide deck for facilitators running sessions
- A feedback form for online submissions
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Greater Manchester is taking bold steps toward becoming a smokefree city-region by 2030 with its refreshed "Making Smoking History" strategy for 2024–2030.
Building on successes since 2017, smoking rates have hit a record low of 12.5%, down from 18.4% in 2016, with 90,000 people quitting. Pregnant women smoking at delivery dropped by a third, contributing to 6,000 smokefree births. Despite this progress, over 284,000 people in the region still smoke, with disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected. Smoking remains the leading cause of early death, claiming 3,900 lives annually.
The new strategy outlines targeted efforts in prevention, cessation, and tobacco control, aiming for a 1.1% annual reduction in smoking prevalence. Key initiatives include smokefree environments, tailored quitting support, and stronger tobacco regulation.
The launch of the Smokefree Hospitals Toolkit marks the next step. To find out more, join NHS GM’s webinar on Wednesday 11 December 2024, 2pm-3pm, where we will be giving an overview to the strategic framework, introducing the toolkit and how trusts can implement.
Together, we can create a healthier future for Greater Manchester.
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Work in Greater Manchester to reduce rates of smoking during pregnancy has been applauded for its success.
Chief Midwifery Officer for England, Kate Brintworth, has commended Greater Manchester’s pioneering ‘Smokefree Pregnancy Programme’ during a high-profile visit to the region.
Kate, accompanied by top officials from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) praised the programme for its transformative impact on maternal and infant health, helping inspire a new national initiative aimed at reducing smoking during pregnancy.
Delivered between NHS Greater Manchester, local authorities, NHS foundation trusts and technology partner, Accenture, Greater Manchester’s Smokefree Pregnancy Programme has successfully reduced smoking at time of delivery by more than 40% and led to more than 6,000 additional babies being born smokefree, since launching in 2018.
Kate said: “Smoking rates in pregnancy are at an all-time low thanks to initiatives and support from NHS teams like the Smokefree Pregnancy Programme in Greater Manchester. This year also saw the biggest annual fall in smoking in pregnancy since records began.
“But there is still more to do to protect families. The rollout of a similar scheme nationally will ensure we can continue to build on this work so that all mothers and babies, no matter where they live in England, are protected from the dangerous health impacts of smoking and passive smoking during pregnancy.”
The GM programme offers all pregnant women and birthing people, and their partners, free and personalised stop-smoking support through a specialist maternity stop-smoking service. This includes one-to-one advice and guidance, free nicotine replacement therapy, regular carbon monoxide screening, and an incentive scheme to stay smokefree.
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World AIDS Day, which was earlier this week on 01 December, is led by the National AIDS Trust and a day we show solidarity with people living with HIV and remember the lives lost.
Greater Manchester is part of the Fast-Track Cities initiative. A global partnership committed to reaching zero new HIV transmissions and zero AIDS-related deaths.
To support achievement of the Fast-Track City goals, and end all new transmissions of HIV by 2030, NHS Greater Manchester invests in work to tackle HIV.
We bring together people, clinical services, and voluntary community services (in particular The PaSH (Passionate about Sexual Health) Partnership) to support communities that have an increased likelihood of living with or acquiring HIV.
Progress has been made within recent years on HIV transmissions, diagnosis, and care across Greater Manchester – ahead of target. This includes:
- 95% of people in Greater Manchester knowing their HIV status.
- 97% of people diagnosed with HIV access treatment.
- 97% of people accessing treatment have an undetectable viral load – meaning they are unable to pass HIV on through sexual contact.
- There has been a 52% reduction in new HIV diagnoses in Greater Manchester (people first diagnosed in the UK) between 2014 and 2023.
- The proportion of people diagnosed late with HIV in Greater Manchester has reduced from 45% of new diagnoses in 2011-2013 to 36% of new diagnoses in 2021-2023. This compares to a national average of 44% in 2021-2023
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With colder temperatures and shorter days - plus all the coughs, colds and bugs doing the rounds - winter can be tough for us all. Our health and care services come under increased pressure too so it’s more important than ever that people know what to do and where to go if they need extra help or support.
That’s why NHS Greater Manchester has developed social media assets and messaging to help residents stay healthy, safe, and well this winter.
Our winter communications pack focuses on signposting to services and providing advice on winter illnesses. Our special festive edition includes tips for staying well over the holiday period, a reminder to order repeat prescriptions in good time, and where to find pharmacy opening hours.
Head to our You Tube channel to view videos in community languages, helping people get to know where to go this winter.
The quickest and easiest way to support our Get To Know Where To Go (GTKWTG) campaign is by sharing #GTKWTG posts on your social media channels. If you don’t already follow us, you'll find us here:
Facebook @NHSGreaterManchester X @NHS_GM Instagram @nhs_gm
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Anyone who has repeat prescriptions are urged to check they have enough for the festive period when several pharmacies won’t be working usual hours.
With Christmas and New Year just around the corner, NHS Greater Manchester is urging anyone who has repeat prescriptions to check they have enough for the festive period when several pharmacies won’t be working usual hours.
GP practices and pharmacies will have different opening hours over Christmas and New Year:
- closed on Wednesday 25 December
- closed Thursday 26 December
- closed Wednesday 1 January 2025
This will make it harder for patients to access medicines at short notice.
That’s why we are trying to help people keep the festive show on the road, by reminding you to check you have enough of your medicine to last though the holidays and any Christmas getaways.
Order what you need to tide you over from your GP surgery by Friday 13 December at the latest.
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The ‘Get Winter Strong’ vaccination campaign is in full swing, encouraging residents of Greater Manchester to get vaccinated and protect themselves and others from flu, COVID-19, and RSV during the colder months.
We want the importance of vaccines and information on how to get vaccinated to reach as many people as possible in Greater Manchester. The latest campaign resource includes vaccination information videos in a range of languages, so we can engage with our different communities.
The videos are available to view on the NHS Greater Manchester’s YouTube channel in the following languages; Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, French, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu.
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NHS Greater Manchester is urging parents and carers to keep an eye out for symptoms of bronchiolitis in their young children. Providing advice on how to treat and prevent it – after local GPs and hospitals across Greater Manchester have seen a rise in cases.
Most widespread in the winter months, bronchiolitis is a common viral infection that you can get more than once. It affects one in three children under two.
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Older people are often most at risk of having a fall, and it can take them a while to recover from any injuries – some may even need hospital treatment. Although not every fall results in serious injury, it can still impact a person’s wellbeing, quality of life and sense of independence. However, falls are not a normal part of growing older and many falls can be prevented by following a few simple steps, to prevent falls both inside and outside the home.
There are a number of reasons why someone might be more likely to fall. These include things like weak muscles or poor balance, health conditions like dementia or the side effects of medication. Trip hazards in the home or cold weather can also increase someone’s chances of falling. As winter approaches, the risk of falls increases because of wet leaves, snow, rain and ice all making the ground slippery. In Greater Manchester, NWAS received 31,452 falls-related calls in 2023 – with 40% of those occurring during the winter months.
Hospital beds are set to be freed up more quickly this winter with the opening of a new care service, which is designed to support more people to return home rather than going into residential care.
The new unit in Bolton has 20 beds and people can be treated there rather than waiting in a hospital. Bolton Council have collaborated with the NHS to have the scheme approved and will launch it before Christmas. The scheme will support people getting home from hospital who may require a further period of assessment of their care needs in a more suitable environment rather than waiting in a hospital.
The service will also be offered as an alternative to hospital admission where someone may need a little more care for a short period of time.
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A new way for people to access the right support in a mental health crisis has been introduced across the North West. Anyone needing urgent mental health support can now call NHS 111 and select the mental health option for 24/7 access to urgent support.
NHS partners from across the region, including all three Integrated Care Boards and North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust have been working to ensure the service is working as well as possible since it launched in April.
The services continue to be delivered by existing providers, that has not changed. There is just a new way to access the service, via NHS 111. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you need mental health support urgently, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option and you will be directed to the provider closest to your location.
If you have any questions or queries about the service, please contact: gmhscp.gmmhprogramme@nhs.net
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Seven MNVP leads for Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire heard from some of the UK's leading maternity and neonatal experts in Birmingham at the Baby Lifeline event 2024 ‘themed Challenge, Empower, Improve. Baby Lifeline is a national charity which supports frontline staff to prevent childbirth injuries and deaths.
The Greater Manchester attendees were among the 10 Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Leads - posts which allow service users to fully engage with local maternity decisions. Hundreds of delegates from around the UK were at the event, with key themes from the day including: the importance of having a strong evidence base – to tackle health inequalities in maternity services, and the importance of providing personalised care and information to women, birthing people, and families – so that they can make informed decisions.
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A major redevelopment is due to take place next month at the Princess Anne Maternity Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital.
The £38m investment from NHS England will refurbish the maternity wards into new modern and spacious environments for women during and after pregnancy, which will include modernisation of their birthing suite creating four new modern birthing rooms with pools.
Their women’s health services will also be upgraded, with both the gynecology and early pregnancy assessment areas being fully refurbished as part of the development.
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Royal Bolton's maternity unit opens new scan room.
The Tomlinson Suite is a new scan room recently opened at Royal Bolton Hospital’s maternity unit to provide high quality care to mums and babies. It’s named after retired Obstetric Consultant, Doctor John Tomlinson, who was dedicated to providing high quality care to mums and babies in some of the most challenging situations.
Salford Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) celebrated its first anniversary of opening and has delivered more than 19,000 tests to NHS patients in the local area.
In recognition of the milestone, the centre welcomed a special guest, Professor Sir Mike Richards, chairman, Independent Review of Diagnostic Services at NHS England, for a visit.
Jude Adams, chief delivery officer at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We appreciate how hard it can be when waiting for a test. Thank you to all our colleagues who have worked so hard to offer our patients quicker testing and to allow those who need treatment to get seen sooner.
“The increase in testing capacity is helping to reduce wait times and improving the health outcomes in our local communities.”
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Every year in Greater Manchester, around 4,500 people have a stroke which can result in death. Stroke is also leading cause of disability. The signs might be less dramatic, painful or obvious than you might expect. You may not be able to raise an arm, struggle to smile, or have slurred speech. Whether it is a friend, loved one or even a passer-by, any sign of a stroke is always an emergency, so dial 999 immediately. Acting F.A.S.T. (face,arm,speech, time) on any sign of a stroke ensures faster access to treatments at our three specialist Hyper Acute Stroke Units in Greater Manchester.
The campaign launched on Monday 4 November and aims to increase people's knowledge of the signs of a stroke and to dial 999 immediately in response to any sign – even if it doesn’t seem like much.
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GM Cancer Alliance are launching a new ‘This Van Can’ initiative which will be touring Greater Manchester to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. It will visit all 10 Greater Manchester localities and target areas within each that have a higher density of late-stage diagnosis. The van aims to deliver education around bowel cancer symptoms and the importance of bowel screening.
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GM residents with a log burner, stove or open fire are being advised on how to burn better this winter.
Tiny particles in smoke can get into the lungs and bloodstream, damaging our health. Children, older people, and those with existing health problems are at greatest risk.
‘Burn Better’, a new campaign coordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester, on behalf of Greater Manchester local authorities and Greater Manchester Combined Authority aims to raise awareness.
Not burning – or burning less – is best. There may be healthier, greener and cheaper ways to warm your home. But, if you are burning at home, you can reduce the impact by:
- Choosing clean fuels like dry wood and smokeless coal.
- Looking for the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo on bagged fuel.
- Keeping your appliance and chimney clean.
Most parts of Greater Manchester have Smoke Control Areas, where there are rules in place about what you can burn at home to protect our health and the environment.
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority has developed a Local Nature Recovery Strategy to create a greener city-region. The strategy envisions expanding and enhancing natural spaces, improving public access to nature, and increasing the benefits of nature for everyone. These benefits include supporting mental and physical well-being, creating leisure spaces, and bolstering biodiversity.
A public consultation on the strategy will run from Friday 15 November 2024 to Friday 31 January 2025. The public can review the draft plan and provide feedback online or attend an in-person session on Thursday 5 December to discuss nature recovery priorities with experts. We are asking Primary Care colleagues to review the strategy and provide a response where this relates to your work areas. Prominently display the attached promotional leaflets throughout the consultation period, to ensure wider public participation in shaping this important strategy.
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Greater Manchester’s sexual violence and abuse pathfinder 1st year event
Tuesday 21 January 2025, 10am until 3.30pm. The Mechanics Centre, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD.
The Greater Manchester Resilience Hub together with their Pathfinder Partnership members invite you to register to attend their free Greater Manchester's Sexual Assault recovery partnership one year event. Taking place on Tuesday 21 January 2025, 10am until 3.30pm. The Mechanics Centre, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD.
The service, a joint NHS and voluntary sector project, has already supported over 50 survivors of sexual abuse and violence with additional mental health needs; and is one of just six projects nationally funded by NHS England’s £20 million funding boost for sexual assault and domestic violence services.
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Events and opportunities
Walk for wellness
Organised by GLL, the Walk for Wellness sessions are open to all, regardless of fitness level. It’s a great way for the community to get moving, connect socially, and enjoy fresh air. We offer weekly and monthly sessions at three of our centres in Greater Manchester, allowing people to join at their convenience.
- Every Monday,10.15am at Abraham Moss Leisure Centre and Crumpsall Park
- Every Wednesday, 10am at Hough End Leisure Centre.
- Every third Wednesday of the month, 12pm at House of Sport and National Squash Centre.
Music in Mind: Weekly dementia music cafés across Greater Manchester
These music sessions across Greater Manchester (GM) are free for people living with dementia and their carers to attend and provide a joyous and inclusive environment enabling people with dementia to express themselves through music.
Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind is an internationally renowned programme that uses the principles of music therapy to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Manchester Camerata musicians and music therapists support volunteers and paid carers to become music champions and continue to run the dementia music cafés in their community. Dementia United, Greater Manchester Integrated Care’s programme for dementia, is pleased to be one of the delivery partners working with Music in Mind. There’s a weekly music café session in each of the 10 GM boroughs. To find the nearest your nearest cafe check the schedule here.
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Winter wheelers is coming
Winter is here, but that doesn’t mean we have to hang up our bikes! Winter wheelers, the fun and friendly cycling campaign from Love to Ride, is back, and we’d love for you to join us.
Whether you're a regular cyclist or it's been a while since your last ride, this campaign is all about enjoying the benefits of cycling—while having the chance to win some amazing prizes.
Want to help spread the word? Please see our Promo Pack with flyers, posters and social media images to share to encourage your family, friends and colleagues to join in the fun!
News from our partners
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