On July 5th 1948 in Manchester Labour Secretary of State for Health Aneurin Bevan announced the birth of the NHS.
On March 27th 2015 in Manchester Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne signed a piece of paper that would bring about the end of a National Health Service.
In a surprise announcement just weeks before a General Election the Tories signed a deal with the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, which includes Labour-run Manchester City Council and the 9 other councils in the Greater Manchester area. The actual deal can be read here. It hands over £6bn from central government (or from local NHS structures) to a new organisation to run health and social care services for 2.7 million residents in the Manchester area. On the face of it this may sound attractive - no longer having Whitehall poking its nose into local health issues, but there is much to be concerned about.
