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Oldham residents can now tap into a single, joined-up network of health, council and voluntary services that stretches across all ten Greater Manchester boroughs. The Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership has quietly stitched GPs, hospitals, councils, fire, police, charities and community groups into one system so help arrives sooner and stays in step as people grow up, work and age.

Instead of bouncing between separate offices and phone lines, families can use one online doorway to find out-of-hours GPs, health-check tools and advice guides. The shift means a parent who rings a local clinic tonight could find the same record waiting at the Royal Oldham tomorrow, while a social-prescriber from a nearby charity already knows what support has been arranged.

The partnership is testing the new way of working through two immediate campaigns. Pride in Practice training is being rolled out to surgeries so LGBTQ+ patients receive more informed care, while National HIV Testing Week, which runs until 15 February, is offering free home kits and sexual-health advice through local clinics.

Children's mental health is also under the spotlight. Officials are mapping parks, youth clubs and other places across Oldham and the city region that help young people stay well, and they want residents to flag the spots that make a genuine difference. The results will shape where future funding is steered.

Leaders admit the change will take time to feel real at kitchen-table level, but the aim is simple: catch problems earlier, cut duplicate appointments, and let residents live healthier lives without having to tell their story over and over again.