PLANS for Greater Manchester’s £6billion NHS budget to be devolved to the region has been welcomed by Wigan CCG.

NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group (WBCCG) formally signed the Devolution Manchester Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday morning.

The MoU was approved and countersigned by the Chancellor and the Health Secretary along with NHS England, the 11 other Greater Manchester CCGs, 10 local authorities including Wigan Council and 15 NHS provider trusts.

Dr Tim Dalton, local GP and chairman of WBCCG said: “When I speak to patients they tell me that they expect the NHS to act as one organisation and focus its care on their needs.

“Patients are baffled why the NHS does not work closely with social care to look after them better.

“We are already working closely with Wigan Council and our NHS partners to start to sort these problems; to care for more people at home and help keep them out of hospital.

“It is important to note that these proposals maintain the existing funding of around £420m a year from which NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group currently commissions services to support our population to stay healthy and live longer. ”

According to the CCG, the plans will allow organisations to have more authority to make decisions on the entire health and social care system including adult, primary and social care, mental health and community services and public health.

Dr Dalton said: “We are pleased that Wigan Borough is part of the Greater Manchester devolution plan and that it will mean we have a greater opportunity to design local services to meet the needs of our patients and the public.

“In Wigan, we already have a strong history of working closely with our colleagues and other public sector organisations.

“This puts us in a great position to make sure that devolution means better services and better health for the people of Wigan Borough.”