The Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss end of life care, the Integrated Care Partnership, and NHS reforms. The committee reviewed the current provision of palliative care and hospice services in the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (HMR) locality, including children's end of life services, and discussed the NHS GM Reform Programme Organisational Model Design Progress Overview. They also received an update on the key activities and decisions undertaken by the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care Partnership Committee (ICPC) since April 2025.

End of Life Provisions Across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale

The committee considered a report on end of life provisions across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, which outlined the current provision available, issues, and plans regarding palliative care and hospice services in the locality, including children's end of life services.

The report noted that the Greater Manchester Integrated Commissioning Board has a statutory duty to provide palliative and end of life care for its population, including patients with complex needs who require access to a wide variety of specialists.

The report highlighted that most people die in their usual place of residence (49%), with 43% in hospital, 6% in the hospice and 2% elsewhere, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

The committee was informed of the services provided by Springhill Hospice, including a 14-bed inpatient unit, specialist palliative care community services, a Hospice at Home Service, and a counselling and bereavement service. The hospice is partly funded by a grant from Greater Manchester Integrated Commissioning Board, which equates to approximately 13% of the hospice running costs.

The report also detailed the services provided by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA), including the Swan Coronial Bereavement Nurse Service and District Nurses.

The committee noted that all localities within Greater Manchester are required to work towards the National Ambitions for End of Life Care and the North West model of care.

The report highlighted that there will be a significant increase in demand for palliative and end of life services up to 2030, with an additional 445 patients and a cost to the system of £4.3 million.

The committee was asked to review, note and discuss the contents of the report, and to note the improvements and impact that this has had on lived experience.

Integrated Care Partnership Committee Update Report

The committee received an update report on the key activities and decisions undertaken by the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care Partnership Committee (ICPC) since April 2025.

The report detailed how the ICPC has fulfilled its duties across strategy, system oversight, commissioning, governance, and the Section 75 agreement¹, in accordance with its agreed Terms of Reference. The report highlighted that in March 2025, ICPC approved the HMR Locality Plan 2025–2030, which sets out a vision for transforming health and care delivery in the locality, aligned with the national NHS 10-Year Plan.

The report also noted that for 2025/26, the Government has introduced significant reforms to the Better Care Fund (BCF), placing greater emphasis on strengthening neighbourhood-level services across health and social care.

The report detailed key commissioning decisions made by the ICPC since April 2025, including:

• Adult Social Care Cash Budget Policy
• Commissioning Intentions for Adaptations Works Linked to the Disabled Facilities Grants Programme (DFG)
• Careline Service – Monitoring and Response Tender
• Commissioning intentions for the Springhill Resource Centre (The Willows dementia hub)
• Talking Therapies
• All Age Carers Commissioning (Joint Children's/Adults)
• Recommissioning of Adult Social Care Prevention Contracts

The report noted that the NHS is currently undergoing significant reform, which will have implications for ICPC and the wider locality.

The committee was asked to note the progress made by the ICPC in discharging its duties, and to endorse the continued development of the locality's integrated care arrangements.

NHS GM Reform Programme Organisational Model Design Progress Overview

The committee noted the NHS GM Reform Programme Organisational Model Design Progress Overview.

The report provided an update on the progress of the detailed design work which was initiated at the beginning of June and is due to continue throughout July.

The report noted that during the design phase, a number of key activities have taken place, including a series of senior system level design workshops where a strategic vision and revised GM ICB model have been developed.

The report highlighted that NHS Greater Manchester had been tasked with a 39% reduction in running costs, impacting staffing levels significantly. A workforce transition hub was being developed to support affected staff, and a voluntary redundancy scheme was due to be considered by the NHS Greater Manchester Board. The new ICB² structure was expected to be in place by the end of the financial year, with full savings realised in 2026/27. The report detailed the development of the organisational model, and the outputs from the design groups.

The committee was asked to note the progress made to date on the new operating model of NHS GM ICB, and to provide feedback to inform the next stages of design and decision making of the Reform programme.

Work Programme 2025-2026

The committee considered the Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025-2026.