Radio Show, 15 February 2015

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Greater Manchester is to become the first English region to get full control of its health spending, as part of an extension of devolved powers.

Chancellor George Osborne said the £6bn health and social care budget would be taken over by the region's councils and health groups.

Mr Osborne said it was a "really exciting development".

A Labour spokesman said NHS workers would "want to be persuaded of the case for a new layer of management".

The plan will come into force from April 2016.

Mr Osborne added: "This is what the NHS wants to see as part of its own future.

"And it's also about giving people in Manchester greater control over their own affairs in that city, which is central to our vision of the 'northern powerhouse'- so it's a very exciting development."

The plan would see local leaders, and ultimately Greater Manchester's new directly elected mayor, control how budgets are allocated.

The government hopes by integrating health and social care services, the change will ease pressure on hospitals and help to improve home care services for patients who need it.

A shadow Greater Manchester Health and Wellbeing board will be appointed, which will work closely with existing clinical commissioning groups of GPs.

The board is expected to run from April, before control of the budget is handed over a year later.

Manchester City Council confirmed 10 local authorities, 12 clinical commissioning groups, 14 NHS partners, NHS England and the government are in discussions on a "groundbreaking agreement for health and social care".