Greater Manchester is set to see £14.3m invested into a digital transformation programme which aims to allow the safe and secure sharing of health-related information.

The region’s NHS and local authorities are working together to develop new technologies that will join up vital information across public services and help to better integrate care services.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is contributing up to £6.8m as part of the project, with a further £7.5m coming from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP).

The new technology will be tested first in the dementia, frailty and early years areas before being rolled out to other service areas.

‘Despite the digital revolution, public services have been left behind,’ said Jon Rouse, chief officer of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership.

‘All too often important information is held on hundreds of different systems which cannot be accessed from one place, so people end up having to repeat their story, care is not joined up, important information is missed and problems are not identified early, which in extreme cases could lead to harm.

‘Each locality has already made good progress on sharing information locally, but we now need to move beyond the basic ability to share information to maximising the opportunities brought by devolution and take a GM-wide approach to digitally transforming our public services.

‘This will allow us to provide more personalised, integrated care and treatment, supported by rich data and next generation technology. It will ensure we continue to be at the leading edge of health innovation, supporting a continued increase in jobs, growth and prosperity for all.’