NHS Greater Manchester Strategic Commissioning Plan - A Summary of Commitments for VCFSE Sector

The NHS Greater Manchester’s Strategic Commissioning Plan for 2026 - 2031 describes what and how they will commission to ensure high-quality service provision and sustained improvement in the health of our population.

To deliver the expectations of the 10-year Health Plan and the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS), the NHS in Greater Manchester must be transformed to meet the needs of residents and patients in a different way. We must shift to a system that is routinely preventative and proactive – both to sustain good health and to prevent deterioration once people become unwell. The NHS cannot do this alone. The Plan sets out that the NHS must work with partners - such as the VCFSE sector - who can affect the social determinants of health and bring a diversity of skills and approach beyond that available within the NHS

At the heart of the plan, in terms of commitments made to our sector, is the Greater Manchester VCFSE Accord - a collaboration agreement between the public sector, including the health and care system, and the VCFSE sector in Greater Manchester.

"For NHS Greater Manchester, the Accord is not only a statement of partnership but a framework for how strategic commissioning should work differently. This means strengthening the role of communities and VCFSE organisations in shaping decisions and investment; resourcing and enabling the sector to play a fuller role in prevention, neighbourhood health and tackling inequalities; and recognising and valuing VCFSE expertise as equal to other forms of system leadership and intelligence."