Andy Burnham hits out at Keir Starmer's NHS reform as 'risk' to key policy

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is getting concerned that the government’s NHS reforms could undermine his flagship ‘Live Well’ policy, aimed at providing integrated support services for residents. This initiative, which seeks to rename Job Centres to ‘Live Well Centres’, would offer help with employment, housing, budgeting, and healthcare all in one place. Burnham has requested control over the region’s employment support budget to enhance these services. The government gave him £10m to demonstrate the ‘Live Well’ concept, but a recent NHS overhaul, backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, threatens to cut staff at integrated care boards, including redundancies in Trafford. These changes could hinder the future of the Live Well programme. While 39% of NHS jobs in Greater Manchester are facing redundancy, there’s currently a pause on this process as funding is still being sorted. Health chiefs are using this time to explore options that could help support the Live Well initiative and prevent staffing losses.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News