The APF Launch event

PRESS RELEASE:
Launch of a new partnership to tackle health inequalities in Greater Manchester

A new partnership of social enterprises and charitable organisations who deliver NHS services across Greater Manchester has formed to work creatively together to tackle health inequalities in the city region.

While Greater Manchester has a strong social enterprise and charity sector providing a range of NHS and Public Health services in localities, many struggle to scale across Greater Manchester and to integrate within the wider NHS ecosystem. The Alternative Provider Federation will bring these organisations together and provide infrastructure to enable them to engage with the newly formed Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (ICS).

Chair of the Alternative Provider Federation, Edna Robinson said “Our initial group of members already provide £85m a year in NHS contracts, we want to ensure that these providers have a collective voice within the new ICS, are able to demonstrate the impact they have and support them to scale their services across Greater Manchester. Longer term, our aim is to build confidence in the system that investing in us could result in a more likely route to addressing inequalities. We are here to develop the confidence of small to medium organisations that are already embedded in the communities of Greater Manchester.”

Chair of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board, Sir Richard Leese said “I am pleased to see the development of this Federation that will provide an important additional perspective to the existing Primary Care Federation and Provider Federation, to strengthen our accountability and enable us to form stronger alliances with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations at both locality and Greater Manchester level.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said “There are many successful social businesses already in Greater Manchester and it’s great to see this organisation representing marginalised communities and helping us to reduce unwarranted variations in the NHS in Greater Manchester.”

The Alternative Provider Federation formally launched on Friday 8th July at the Limelight Health and Wellbeing Hub in Old Trafford. The event was attended by members of the Federation as well as senior leaders from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System.

The Federation has opened the application process to its second cohort of members from today,
11th July.