It could be.. The problem is that joint planning and seamless care are the outcomes people want. The Issue is that The NHS is, according to ONS, Treasury figures, Audit Commission and every other public sector regulator, far more efficient than local government. As chairman of a PCT a few years ago, I was horrified when disability aids went single budget and social services took over our service. They managed in the first year the neat trick of overspending by the first quarter and providing a lower standard of service. We however still had to handle the complaints but not able to change it...

Handing over health budgets is fine if the effect is to prevent over burdening in the first place. (Cold snap? Expect 10,000 old people entering hospital because with a little more support they could be cared for far better at home.) but that isn't what happens.

Manchester is under the spotlight. If they can pull it off, and if it can be seen to work, then so long as the success was due to far more than just progressive local government and NHS changing how it works, then it could roll out.

But I doubt it..

At the risk of agreeing with someone who gets confused when reading posts in the name of Musket, I shout from the roof tops that there is a difference between political interference and being accountable.

You can't put £105billion of tax payers money out to play and ministers say it's none of their business. Conversely, I see a future of a councillor being elected on forcing NHS to do things and the fun when doctors flick Vs at them. (Example that really happened - a councillor locally writing to Sec State to "force" a local hospital to reintroduce grommets for glue ear. No evidence for success, so no way a doctor would go against his or her clinical judgement and the only regulations in force back the doctor. A junior minister wrote back suggesting the councillor reads up on evidence based practice. But imagine a manifesto promise???)

Mind you, successive governments have tried to claim they don't interfere by interfering with reorganising the structures after every bloody election. Fingers crossed the cabinet listen to Hunt as one thing I will say for him, he regretted the Lansley reforms and sees no future in doing it again.

Conversely, when Labour said the would repeal what the last government did, it was Islington speke for reorganise yet again.