English devolution is not new. The momentum behind it is. The Burnham administration has made it clear it is ‘going for’ devolution at-speed. This brings great opportunities but also some risks from a health perspective.
The commitment to finally aligning NHS boundaries with those of the rest of the public sector, could unlock genuine service integration (or at least unlock one barrier to it), mayors could bring about health improving coordination on the wider determinants of health at a scale not seen before, and the new health duties on strategic authorities could be a vehicle for strong coordinated regional policy contributing to the government’s avowed goal of halving the healthy life expectancy gap between the poorest and richest regions.
But the process of devolution will also be disruptive whatever the long-term prospects, could be dominated by ‘mini-Westminsters’, lose the connection with place and community, and might widen inequalities in health as much as narrow them. So how to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks?
This session, organised by the King's Fund and chaired by David Buck, will discuss all of the issues associated with English devolution and health, with a great panel of people involved in this on the ground, from the deep experience of Greater Manchester, to emerging thinking in a part of the country with no strategic authority yet, to the experience of coordinating in a highly complex area like the West Midlands and from the perspective of colleagues who have worked across many places seeking to ensure the health agenda is part of the local story of devolution.