The Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (HMR) Integrated Care Partnership Committee met to discuss a range of strategic and financial issues, including approving the Integrated Mental Health Strategy 2025-2030, and reviewing the HMR Locality Health Budget for 2025/26. The committee also discussed and noted updates on diabetes prevention, the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, and various assurance reports related to primary care and strategic estates.

Integrated Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The committee approved phase 1 of the Integrated Mental Health Strategy 2025-2030, a plan to improve mental health support for adults in the borough. Phase 2 of the strategy will address mental health support for children and adolescents.

The strategy aims to ensure residents have timely access to high-quality, integrated mental health support, empowering them to lead fulfilling and independent lives. It focuses on person-centred, inclusive services delivered through collaboration between health and social care professionals, with key priorities including early intervention, crisis support, and the expansion of recovery services.

The strategy is built upon four strategic pillars:

• Improving access to care and support in the right place at the right time
• Delivering high quality care
• Ensuring timely discharge to the place people call home
• Tackling inequalities within the services commissioned

The strategy also emphasises co-production, involving people with lived experience, families, and community partners in the design and delivery of services. According to the Integrated Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, this approach ensures that the strategy is grounded in real-world insights and addresses local needs effectively.

HMR Locality Health Budget 2025/26

The committee reviewed the HMR Locality Health Budget for the first quarter of 2025/26, noting a year-to-date pressure of £168,000 and a forecast year-end overspend of £238,000.

The overspend is primarily due to:

• Rising activity in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessments through Right to Choose¹
• Higher than anticipated costs for void space in lift buildings
• The centralisation of mental health out-of-area placement budgets by Greater Manchester, which involved removing budget assigned to increased Section 117² aftercare support.

However, the locality staffing budgets were underspent due to a recruitment block outside Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and Medicines Management.

The committee also reviewed the Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) achievement, noting that £1,304,000 (47.96%) of the £2,719,000 target has been achieved to date.

Health and Social Care Pooled Budget Outturn Report 2025/26

The committee considered the Health and Social Care Pooled Budget Outturn Report 2025/26, which provided an update on the financial position of the pooled budget. The report noted a £6.4 million overspend position forecast in relation to pooled budgets, which will be funded from increased contributions from both Rochdale Council and NHS Greater Manchester.

The overspend includes:

• £5.9 million overspend against local authority pooled budgets, primarily in children's services due to increased demand and package costs for Cared for Children and Children with Disabilities, and Special Educational Needs (SEN) transport demand pressures.
• £0.5 million overspend against health pooled budgets, mainly due to increasing ADHD and ASD assessments and Section 117 aftercare support.

The formal Section 75³ pooled budget sign-off documentation is due to be approved at the HMR Integrated Care Partnership Committee meeting on 30 September 2025.

National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme

The committee considered a report providing an overview of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme and the locality bid proposal. The programme aims to test and develop neighbourhood-level health models and approaches that improve outcomes for adults with multiple long-term conditions and rising risk.

The programme will:

• Support places to design and implement neighbourhood health systems and processes
• Focus on system enablers such as financial flows, estates, workforce, and digital infrastructure
• Identify barriers and enablers to inform future national strategy and policy
• Be rolled out in phases, starting with 42 places across England

The committee noted the strategic opportunity, future resource requirements, and the submitted bid proposal. HMR will be formally notified if their bid has been successful on 5 September, with programme mobilisation commencing on 8 September.

Strategic Priority Update - Diabetes

The committee received an update on key areas of work being undertaken to support diabetes prevention. The Public Health Specialist explained that Type 2 diabetes, both nationally and locally, has been increasing year on year, and Rochdale has one of the highest rates in Greater Manchester.

The focus over the next 12 months includes:

• Prevention - work with key stakeholders, including the voluntary Community and social enterprise sector to raise awareness of the risk factors of Type 2 diabetes.
• Early Detection work with partner organisations to increase early detection of Type 2 diabetes, promoting the use of the 'Know Your Risk Tool' with community providers.
• Management support a personalised approach to prevention across the care pathway to prevent exacerbation of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

The committee requested that a future update report include performance measures and data to demonstrate outcomes.

Assurance Reports

The committee noted the HMR Place Based Primary Care Commissioning Committee Assurance Report, which included updates on urgent and emergency care capacity and discharge primary care schemes, and the approval of the Primary Care Eyecare contract.

The committee also noted the Strategic Estates Group Committee Assurance Report, which highlighted key system-wide risks and mitigating actions, including the development of the Rochdale Estates Strategy and ensuring sufficient estates are fit for purpose to enable multi-agency working in neighbourhoods. The report noted that a lease has been signed at 138 Whitelees Road, Littleborough to provide the Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT) neighbourhood site in the Pennines Township.