Greater Manchester leaders have announced the latest landmark in the region’s health and social care devolution journey - aiming to speed up the discovery and delivery of life-saving treatments and drugs.
Health Innovation Manchester will see healthcare providers, academics and industry bosses team up to fuel innovation and improve care.
Leaders have come a long way since February, when it was announced that Greater Manchester would be put in charge of its entire £6bn health and social budget.
Still stumped about what that means for your health services?
Then take a look at our 30-second guide on the NHS budget handover. You can also view our video on the deal, which explains everything in 60 seconds.
For more on Greater Manchester devolution, take a look at our dedicated web section.
Take a look below for a comprehensive look back at the major developments in the region's healthcare devolution deal below.
February 24: The 'bombshell'
The M.E.N. exclusively revealed that Greater Manchester would be handed control of its ENTIRE£6bn NHS budget in February.
The surprise decision - a national first - represents a quarter of the region’s public spending budget and was the latest wave of devolution to the region.
It was the first major health development Greater Manchester leaders orchestrated with Chancellor George Osborne.
Town hall chiefs and local health leaders announced they would have power over every penny spent on public health; social care; GP services; mental health; and acute and community care.
February 25: Not everyone's convinced
The words 'historic' and 'ground-breaking' were banded around by scores of Greater Manchester politicians after the £6bn budget announcement was made. But not everyone was convinced.
Labour's shadow health secretary and now Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham slammed Greater Manchester’s shock NHS devolution masterplan - warning it would create a ‘two-tier’ health service.
He warned it would create a 'Swiss-cheese' NHS, with cities opting out.
The deal was welcomed by health chiefs, town hall bosses and a string of local MPs.
But the announcement, which sent shockwaves through the political world, was met with caution elsewhere and sparked tensions within the Labour party.
February 26: Health bosses are on board
Health chiefs soon said the devolution deal would help them reshape the way NHS services in the region are provided.
Bosses said the deal dovetailed with their on-going plans for major NHS reforms, known as Healthier Together.
February 27: George comes to town
Chancellor George Osborne was in town days after the news to officially announce the £6bn devolution plan. You can take a look back at our live coverage here.
Mr Osborne hailed an ‘historic day’ as he handed Greater Manchester control the cash.
Joined by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens in signing the deal at Manchester town hall, he hailed it as a ‘major step’ in building an economic ‘northern powerhouse’ to rival London.
March 6: Labour in crisis...
Greater Manchester’s Labour MPs were called to a crisis meeting on the region’s shock NHS devolution deal in a bid to prevent further rows in March.
The surprise news of the £6bn deal immediately sparked a row within Labour. Despite local council colleagues having negotiated the deal, several MPs reacted with fury - questioning its democratic accountability.
Some were said to be angry at being kept in the dark.
All 22 of the region’s Labour MPs were invited to meet its eight Labour council leaders - including Manchester chief Sir Richard Leese - at Manchester town hall in a bid to build bridges.
March 17: ...but later bury the hatchet
The region's Labour MPs and council leaders appeared to have put their differences aside after the meeting - but still had questions over how the health devolution plan would work.
After the stormy meeting, Labour party chiefs said they would push ahead with the plan if they get into power in May (which they obviously didn't).
April 23: Seven-day GP access
In April, it was announced that seven-day GP access would be available to everyone throughout Greater Manchester by the end of 2015.
Although the Tories promised seven-day GP access sometime in the next five years, town hall and health chiefs in the region said they were aiming to start rolling out the extended service by December.
April 28: It's not going to be cheap
We revealed in April that Greater Manchester’s radical health devolution deal would cost £2m to set up over a year.
Two thirds of that - £1.2m - will be stumped up by the region’s 10 councils, NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups, while £670,000 will be met by transferring existing managers.
June 29: Hunt could step in
In June, the M.E.N. revealed that the Health Secretary could over-rule decisions made in Greater Manchester as part of its landmark NHS devolution deal if they were considered to be ‘wrong’.
We told readers how Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt could intervene if he thought a move would ‘negatively’ impact patients.
July 10: Devolution plans start to take shape
More than 2.8m people would be urged to take charge of their own health and wellbeing under a radical bid to put people power at the heart of public health in Greater Manchester, it was later announced.
Bosses behind the region’s £6bn NHS devolution plans signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ in July that would see NHS and council public health chiefs working more closely with residents in a move to slash health inequalities across the region.
At the heart of the plan was encouraging people to have more control over their physical and mental health and pass on this knowledge to their children.
September 2: Latest developments
Greater Manchester leaders announced today the latest landmark in the region’s health and social care devolution journey, with a new partnership to fuel innovation and save more lives.
Health Innovation Manchester will see healthcare providers, academics and industry bosses team up to work closer than ever before to accelerate the development of new treatments and medicines.
