Greater Manchester's NHS is wracked with £213 million of debt and is 'failing' in emergency care - this is why

Greater Manchester’s NHS is wracked with debt, faces ‘enforcement action’, and is ‘failing in several key areas’.

Yesterday, July 17, NHS Greater Manchester formally accepted ‘enforcement undertakings’ from its national governing body, NHS England. But the latest news follows two years of turmoil for the troubled organisation, which was only formally created in July 2022.

The region’s NHS has been placed under extra scrutiny by national NHS chiefs after it fell into £180 million of debt, with that figure spiralling by tens of thousands of pounds a day during the last financial year. NHS Greater Manchester has also failed to provide sufficient ‘provision of emergency care’, meaning A&E waiting times were among the worst in the country.

READ MORE: Greater Manchester's NHS being plunged into 'special measures' over £180m black hole of debt

The region’s integrated care system (ICS) is responsible for paying for, planning and delivering Greater Manchester’s health and care needs, including most NHS services in the area. It is run by an integrated care board.

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships that bring together NHS organisations, local authorities and others to plan services, improve health and reduce inequalities. In Greater Manchester, the ICS provides health and care for a diverse population of approximately 3.1m people across 10 localities and 66 neighbourhoods, according to NHS England.

By bringing all of the resources, planning and delivery under one system, the ICSs were intended to improve and join up health and social care. They became operational in July 2022 under the Health and Care Act, with a specific aim of ‘enhancing productivity and value for money’, according to the King’s Fund – an