A new era for health and care in Trafford

The way health services are bought and planned on behalf of Trafford are changing nationally in line with the new Health and Care Act 2022 which aims to improve joined-up care for people who rely on a number of different services at the same time. As part of this, a new NHS organisation is being formed called NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care.

This organisation brings together staff from all 10 Greater Manchester clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) – including Trafford – as well as Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Greater Manchester Shared Services, which will all disband on July 1.

It will be at the heart of a wider partnership called Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership which involves all the different organisations that support the health and social care of residents across the city region. These include NHS organisations, Councils, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) colleagues and other key partners.

It also means there will be a local integrated care partnership in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs – in Trafford this will be called Trafford Integrated Care Partnership – that brings the same partners together within the borough to ensure residents get the best possible services.

The partnership will help organisations work better with the public to keep everyone healthier; plan and deliver health services more effectively; make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly; help the NHS become as efficient as possible, and also help it contribute to the wider economy.

Dr Muhammad Imran, outgoing chairperson of NHS Trafford CCG, said: “We have achieved a lot over the past nine years and we will ensure this strong legacy is taken into the new NHS organisation and will continue to integrate care locally through the Trafford Integrated Care Partnership.

“Our aim is healthier lives and better health and social care services for all our residents across Trafford and we will work closely with our public in order to do this. The GP practices and primary care networks across our borough will continue to form the cornerstone of local health and care in Trafford.

“We have achieved a lot as a CCG and we pledge to continue building on this work as we move into this exciting new phase.”

As part of the changes from July 1, users of the CCG's website will be redirected to Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership’s new website which will offer more information on the aims and new ways of working for health and care in the city region. Patients will still be able to access information and help about their local services.

Clinical commissioning groups were/are NHS organisations set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 following the 2010 White Paper, ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ which stated the Government’s desire to create a health and care system that has the patient’s needs at its heart.

The 10 Greater Manchester CCGs were formed between 2012 and 2013 and replaced primary care trusts (PCTs). They were led by GPs and clinicians whose experience in patient care helped to develop and deliver effective services for the public.

NHS Trafford CCG’s top achievements include:

• Covid-19 vaccination programme: Trafford’s Covid-19 vaccine programme is one of the most successful in Greater Manchester. Beginning in December 2020, more than 85% of the borough's eligible population have now protected themselves with a first, second and booster dose. It was the biggest vaccination programme ever delivered in the borough, with the CCG’s commissioners working closely with a host of local partners to protect people from serious illness that can be caused by Covid-19.

• Rapid set up of the Stretford Sports Village ‘HOT’ clinic: With Covid-19 cases rising fast in April 2020 and the country in lockdown, our commissioners were quick to react and keep patients safe by setting up a specialised ‘HOT’ clinic for people developing moderate Covid-19 symptoms. It meant people with suspected Covid-19 infection could be swiftly referred by their GP to a safe environment for testing and assessment.
• Rising GP patient satisfaction: Trafford continues to record some of the best GP patient satisfaction rates in all of Greater Manchester. The most recent results published in July 2021, showed overall satisfaction had improved by two percentage points to 88 per cent despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It shows residents support how the CCG had worked with practices to offer more ways of holding appointments, whether that's online, over the phone or in person.
• Community support hubs for vulnerable people: The CCG played its part in establishing six community support hubs across Trafford (in Altrincham, Old Trafford, Partington, Sale, Stretford and Urmston), alongside Trafford Council and voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) colleagues. They were originally developed to respond to community needs during the pandemic, especially during lockdown. Recognising that we continue to face challenges within our communities, the hubs remain in place to provide a range of support, such as helping people improve their physical and mental wellbeing and to become more socially connected and not feel isolated.
• Virtual wards – The CCG worked closely with Mastercall (GP out of hours service), supported by Trafford Local Care Organisation, to establish Covid-19 virtual wards from January 2021. Patients with Covid can be referred to the ward, where they are issued with a pulse oximeter so that they can measure their oxygen saturation levels in their own home. Patients are discharged when it is safe to do so, or receiving home visits and signposting to hospital if they deteriorate. The service has already looked after almost 400 patients during its lifetime, and has been critical in supporting the hospitals and wider system during the pandemic.

Sir Richard Leese, chairperson of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, said: “This is a significant step forward for how we ensure the people we serve across the whole of Greater Manchester get equal access to the best possible health and care services.

“Thanks to the devolution arrangements given to our city region, we have already built a strong foundation of true partnership working and our teams will be no strangers to working together for the benefit of our people.

“Our aims for the next few months will be ensure the integration of our neighbourhood teams, improve mental health services, support our GP practices, ensure people have access to urgent and emergency care, and reduce inequalities.

“These are just some of the things which we in the NHS, and our partners, do to help all of us live the best lives we can.”

Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership is one of 42 integrated care systems being established across England on a statutory basis on July 1 following recommendations from NHS England and NHS Improvement and Royal Assent of the Health and Care Act (2022).