Tens of thousands of people across Greater Manchester are being asked to share their struggles and successes in making healthy lifestyle choices, as the region prepares to take responsibility for a £6 billion health and social care budget.

The results of the Taking Charge Together campaign – launched 15 February – will help shape health and social care plans for the next five years.

People can join a conversation about everything from exercise to mental health by clicking here and filling in a quick survey or by attending one of 10 community roadshows being hosted in each of the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester by Key 103.

The feedback will be used to help Health and Social Care bosses tackle some of the worst health outcomes in the country, by:

  • revealing insight into what the people of Greater Manchester believe blocks or enables healthy choices
  • helping health and care officials to design services that can deliver the greatest and fastest improvement in the region’s health and wellbeing
  • identifying great work in the region that can be celebrated and developed at scale across the region

Greater Manchester’s Director of Population Health Transformation, Wendy Meredith, said: ‘Traditionally, health organisations have been the ones talking about the health of the population, but we want the 2.8 million people of Greater Manchester to shape the conversation through this innovative campaign.

‘Taking Charge Together will help us to get a picture of how people are feeling, what stops them being healthy and what ideas they have to make changes – all this kind of information will help influence future plans for the delivery of health and social care so it is crucial as many people as possible tell us what they think.’

The questions are being posed as Greater Manchester prepares to take charge and responsibility for a £6billion health and social care budget which will be used to tackle some of the worst health problems in the country.

Join the conversation by completing the survey here, or for more information please visit www.takingchargetogether.org.uk