What is the project?
The Manchester Partnership is focused around health innovation. The Senior Leadership Group is led by Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council. The partnership aims to build upon the work of the recent Science and Innovation Audit (involving Greater Manchester and east Cheshire) as well as the devolution opportunities from around the health and social care budget in order to capture what has been learned from institutional collaboration in health innovation thus far and identify aspects of cultural change within organisations that strengthen future collaboration on shared priorities.
The Manchester Partnership has convened meetings of both the Senior Leadership and Operational Groups.
Who are the partners?
Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester LEP, Cheshire and Warrington LEP and New Economy Manchester. University partners are University of Manchester, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University and Bolton University.
Why was this project chosen?
Health and social care is becoming an increasingly devolved issue, with more pressure on local government to deliver a good healthcare service. Through Leading Places, both partners are able to start building a future plan on what this service delivery will look like, and who would be the key players.
Why Manchester?
Health in particular is an issue for Manchester because of constrained resources and an aging population. Greater Manchester hosts a wealth of different anchor institutions (such as the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, universities and local authorities) with many interests and innovative ideas, and all of them have an interest in health.
Why did Manchester choose the Leading Places programme?
Whilst the local anchor institutions are part of interlinking groups, it is difficult to bring all of them into the same room. Leading Places provides a platform that invites these different institutions together, and discover the bridging point in their interests around local growth and strategy. This means the project will be supported across institutions and appeal to everyone.
What are the benefits of this project?
Health and innovation is a big issue, both nationally and locally for Greater Manchester. All institutions that are part of this project are affected by these issues whether it is due to hospital relationship management, medical research or organisational innovation, and therefore it is in their interest to ensure its success. As well as this, thousands of medical staff and healthcare professionals will be affected in a positive way.