Greater Manchester commits £10 million to help residents Live Well

Leaders of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs have voted in favour of a £10 million investment to develop its Live Well programme of support for residents.

Investment will come equally from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM), and half of the funding will go to the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCSFE) sector.

The GM Live Well vision looks to bring together health and wellbeing support with employment support as part of a move to a more joined-up welfare system in the city-region that emphasises prevention and early intervention. The reforms aim to address rising levels of health-related economic inactivity.

The funding will sit alongside £10 million of government funding announced last year to reform employment support in the region. Proposals include a network of Live Well centres and spaces that bring together financial, employment, well-being, health and social support throughout Greater Manchester.

Mayor of Greater Manchester and co-chair of the Integrated Care Partnership Board, Andy Burnham, said:

“Too many of our residents are held back by barriers like poor housing, longstanding poverty, ill health, lack of training opportunities and digital exclusion which they cannot overcome alone.

“GM Live Well is essential to break this cycle and our collaborative approach to deliver it, not just internally across GMCA but alongside partners at NHS Greater Manchester, local authorities and the VCFSE sector will ensure that this support is properly resourced and truly embedded in our communities.

“Our public services are under intense strain and the benefits system is just not set up to help people into work. We need to radically rewire how we deliver our services and, in Greater Manchester, we’ve proven that we can do that successfully and we have the ambition and vision to go further.

“This funding is the first step towards that vision, and a Greater Manchester where every person can access positive, practical support every day to improve their lives.”