New Era for Health and Care in Stockport

The One Stockport Health and Care Board, which forms part of a new Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (GMICB) officially met for first time on Friday, 1 July.

The One Stockport Health and Care Board, which forms part of a new Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (GMICB) officially met for first time on Friday, 1 July.

New Era for Health and Care in Stockport
Picture: L to R – Michael Cullen, Kathryn Rees, Chris McLoughlin OBE, (all Stockport Council) Matt Walsh (Pennine Care), Anita Rolfe (NHS), Jen Connolly, Cllr Mark Hunter, Caroline Simpson (all Stockport Council), Viren Mehta (GP), Karen James OBE, John Graham (both Stockport NHS Foundation Trust)

The board, which is chaired by Councillor Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, heralds a new era in the way health, social care and support is delivered in Stockport through more joined up partnership working. The board is responsible for planning, and delivery of health and care services more effectively in Stockport. The board is made up of representatives from Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, GPs, social care and mental health services as well as wider public services including the council, voluntary, community and social enterprise groups, police and housing.

The aim is to drive improvements in population health and tackle health inequalities by addressing social and economic factors which impact on health and wellbeing to help improve outcomes, and quality of care, reduce health inequalities and maximise the value of public resources.

It will:

• Make improvements to support everyone in Stockport to live healthy, happy lives
• Reduce inequalities which exist within our populations by building relationships with those affected to put the voice of people and communities at the centre of decision making and governance
• Integrate health and care services and bring physical, mental, and social services more closely together
• Have a system-wide response to the impact of Covid, including on our most vulnerable people
• Make better use of technology, especially to support people to live independently for longer and prevent ill health
• Make better use of community assets and neighbourhoods, and closer working with the VCSE
• Increase focus on prevention and early intervention
• Build on the Stockport family approach
• Develop an integrated all age model of holistic support and care from before birth to end of life.

The system change in the way care is provided follows the formation of 42 Integrated Care Systems across England including Greater Manchester. It builds on work already developed and published in the ONE Health and Care Plan, which is the single, system-wide plan for improving the health and wellbeing of all Stockport residents through bringing together health and care services over the next five years, which was co-designed with all partners and was informed by extensive engagement with people who live in Stockport and our staff.

Councillor Hunter, Chair of the One Stockport Health and Care Board and Leader of Stockport Council, said: “The case for collaborative working in the health and care system has been strengthened by the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic showing that a united response was needed with different parts of the system working together to address the public health emergency and the continuation of essential services and to support people to remain well in their communities.”

One Stockport Health and Care Board said: “As Stockport Locality Board, we are looking forward to working together to integrate the approach of all partners across Health and Care for the benefit of Stockport people”