Greater Manchester Councils 'to control its entire £6bn NHS budget'
Greater Manchester is to control its £6 billion NHS budget under new devolved powers, according to reports.
Greater Manchester is to control its £6 billion NHS budget under new devolved powers, according to reports.
Experts have voiced concerns over the potential risks - both financial and in terms of quality of care - in proposals to give councils in Greater Manchester full control over the region's health budget.
Richard Humphries, assistant director of the King's Fund think tank, said the changes - on the "nuclear end" of the spectrum - could turn out to be a "poisoned chalice" for local authorities.
Depending on the detail - and the detail is really crucial and we don't have that yet - you could either see this as a triumph for local democracy or creating real risks of yet another reorganisation of the NHS when it's barely recovered from the last one.
If the plan is to give the money to local government, the words 'chalice' and 'poisoned' perhaps spring to mind.
Greater Manchester councils will be given full control of the region's £6bn health budget under new plans. But what does it actually mean?
Greater Manchester is to control its £6 billion NHS budget under new devolved powers, according to reports.