Happy New Year everyone - I hope you all had a chance to rest and recuperate during the festive period and I hope you enjoyed this time, however you and your family chose to mark it.

I know it has been a trying time for some of our residents with the floods that we have seen during the new year period. Thankfully, due to the efforts of our emergency services, including the police, fire and rescue service and North West Ambulance Service colleagues, no one was seriously injured.

I am immensely grateful for the work of our blue light teams who were working through the early hours of New Year’s Day to help those in need. Our focus now is on providing any further support required to people who have been affected by the flooding.

In addition to the floods response efforts, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all our health and care workers who stepped up once again to look after the people of Greater Manchester during the usual busy festive period. I know many of you don't get to spend quite as much time with family and friends at this time of year as perhaps the rest of us do – so thank you again for looking after us at such a busy time of year.

I also wanted to thank all the volunteers who supported the NHS in Greater Manchester during the festive period. They come in all shapes and sizes from delivering medication, prescriptions and equipment, assisting with essential shopping, and providing refreshments for ambulance crews.

One volunteer group charity I've been particularly impressed by is Greater Manchester Blood Bikes, which plays a crucial role by carrying blood, plasma, platelets, samples, vaccines and donor breast milk to healthcare sites. You can read more about them on the GM ICP website.

I'm constantly amazed and inspired by our volunteers and I can't thank them enough for everything they do for us.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

As we've now entered a New Year we want to take a moment to reflect and celebrate some of the achievements of 2024 across our whole health and care system towards improving the health of the population, in line with the missions in our joint strategy.

Recovering core NHS and care services has been a priority and, in primary care, GPs have seen a staggering 8.3 million appointments in the last six months - that’s 5% more than the same time last year. Dental services have also seen an increase in patients, 1.4 million in the last 12 months, up 10% from pre-Covid-19 levels in 2020.

More and more people are using the new Pharmacy First scheme for consultations of minor illness, urgent repeat medicine supply and blood pressure checks.  The GM ICB has the highest number of “completed” Pharmacy First consultations among the 42 ICBs in England as per NHSE data.

Measles vaccinations are also up 42% in 2024. Smoking rates are now at a record low since 2017. A reduction in smoking prevalence from 17.5% in 2017 to 12.5% in 2023 - the lowest rate on record in GM. That rate of decline is faster than the national or North West reduction and puts GM closer than ever to the national average smoking rates (11.6%) - marking the first time the gap has been less than 1%.

The strength of the GM Live Well movement is also growing, changing how we work with communities and in public services to grow opportunities for everyone to live well. We now have 18 organisations signed up to the Good Employment Charter, and almost 160 supporters. That means that 30,000 of our health and care staff are already benefiting from their employers being Charter members, and we continue to support more sign up.

Building on a decade of experience with the Working Well programme and joint work and health initiatives, GM has been chosen as one of the Government’s economic inactivity trailblazers.

These successes are a testament to the  strength of our integrated care system, where collaboration and community-level care are at the heart of everything we do.

The amber Cold-Health Alert (CHA) issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been extended until midday on Tuesday 14 January.

Previously, all regions were under an amber alert until midday on Wednesday 8 January. However, the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.

The cold weather can have a serious impact on health, especially those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions. It's important that people check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable. These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.

Reduce your risk of falling during periods of cold weather. Spreading sand or salt on icy surfaces on driveways, garden paths, and steps can help. Dress for the cold weather by wearing layers, shoes with a good grip and wear gloves to protect your hands in case a fall does occur.

January marks one of the busiest times of the year for the NHS. People need help with everything from coughs and colds to post-holiday illnesses and winter injuries. NHS Greater Manchester is reminding everyone that NHS 111 is the easiest way to get health advice quickly, 24 hours a day.

The cold and icy weather brings additional risks for people with long term health conditions and those who are more vulnerable. Last year, more than 86,000 people contacted North West Ambulance Service because of a fall and 40% of emergency call-outs were to people who had fallen during the colder winter months.

NHS 111 is here to help. This could include signposting to a pharmacy, arranging a GP appointment or emergency dentist, or where necessary, advising what urgent treatment options are available. The service is designed to get patients the care they need while easing pressure on the NHS.

You should still ring 999 if you experience:

• signs of a heart attack like pain like a heavy weight in the centre of your chest
• signs of stroke such as your face dropping on one side
• difficulty breathing
• life threatening injury

Having a small supply of basic medicines, such as paracetamol, plasters, and indigestion remedies, is another way to manage minor illnesses or injuries at home, with community pharmacy teams able to offer advice on what to have at home.

While sad to lose Janet, NHS GM is able to confirm her replacement, Charlotte Bailey.

Charlotte is currently the Chief Officer at Salford Care Organisation – a part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Hospital Trust (NCA), where she is responsible for the day-to-day running of a range of tertiary services, Salford Royal Hospital, community services and adult social care.

With a passion for inclusion, patient-led services and clinically-led care, Charlotte is looking forward to taking up her new post on Monday 24 March.

Professor Dame Robina Shah DBE is serving as the NCA’s interim chair.

Dame Shah takes over from Professor Eileen Fairhurst who stepped down last year. Professor Fairhurst joined the NCA in October 2022 and is hugely respected within the NHS and other public sector organisations. She was also the longest serving Non-Executive Director in England.

Dame Robina has been part of the NCA Board since 2022 as a Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair. She is Professor of Psychosocial Medicine and Medical Education at the University of Manchester Medical School. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal Society of Medicine. With over 28 years’ experience as a Chair and Non-Executive Director across NHS and voluntary sector boards, Dame Robina is well-known within the health and social care community.

The NCA expects to appoint a new Chair by April 2025

One of Wigan’s most trusted medical professionals has been named in this year’s New Year’s Honours List.

Professor Sanjay Arya, Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), is set to receive an OBE (Officers of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Black and Minority Ethnic Doctors and Healthcare in North-West England (Greater Manchester).

Prof. Arya joined WWL in November 2000 as a Consultant Cardiologist, specialising in coronary heart disease, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

He has been the Trust’s Executive Medical Director since 2017, playing a critical role in providing leadership to the medical workforce and focusing on delivery of clinically safe care to the patients at WWL. He was awarded Community Hero by the Prime Minister for developing cardiac services in Wigan in 2016 and was acknowledged as Covid Hero by the people of Wigan for his work in the borough during the Covid pandemic.

Nominations will open on Tuesday 14 January for the only Greater Manchester-wide awards for our whole health and care workforce.

Back for their sixth year, the Greater Manchester Health and Champion Awards recognise our paid and unwaged workforce in health and care services across Greater Manchester. They are organised by NHS Greater Manchester, with support from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. Categories include Community Champion, Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement, along with Green Initiative of the Year, a new category for 2025.

The awards are open to all individuals or teams, paid or unpaid, who work in the health or care sector in Greater Manchester or through broader work to help improve the health and wellbeing of others. Nominations can be completed by anyone who wishes to see an individual or team’s hard work recognised.

NHS GM launched a public engagement exercise to ask people with type 2 diabetes for their views on how they would like to get information and support to help manage their condition.

Structured diabetes education (SDE) is a short course of usually face-to-face (but sometimes online) sessions offered to those newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to learn more about managing their condition. Group education is the preferred delivery method as people often learn better in face-to-face interactive group sessions. This said, online or digital programmes are also available for those who prefer to learn online or on their phone.

To watch a short animation please click here (this will also be available in Urdu and Punjabi).

You can also view the BSL video here.

We want to hear from people living with type 2 diabetes to know if you’ve been informed of these education sessions, if you attended and what you thought of them. We also want to hear from those people who didn’t take part, so we can use this information to help us to improve future education programmes. 

How to share your thoughts:

• Visit www.gmintegratedcare.org.uk/education-for-your-diabetes to complete a short survey.
• You can also email using gmhscp.engagement@nhs.net
• Send a text message or video via WhatsApp on 07786 673762

The deadline to share your views is 02 March 2025.

The NHS Greater Manchester Smokefree Hospitals Toolkit is now available to download from the Make Smoking History website, Smokefree Hospital Toolkit – Make Smoking History.

We envision a future where our hospitals are sanctuaries of health and recovery, free from the harms of smoking. The comprehensive toolkit - designed to support our NHS trusts to create and manage smokefree environments and workforces - aligns to our Greater Manchester strategic vision and our opportunity to make smoking history. With a set of guiding principles underpinned by behavioural science, our toolkit provides guides and strategies to form smokefree steering groups, develop comprehensive policies and educate clinical teams on treating tobacco dependency.

If you were unable to attend the webinar – which featured an overview to the toolkit plus case studies from our colleagues in trusts who are well on their way to creating smokefree environments for both their patients and workforces – you can watch the recording here.

For further information email gmhscp.makingsmokinghistory@nhs.net  

Adele Owen, the NHS Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention & Bereavement Support Programme Manager (pictured second from left), joined Cathy De Santos, a Manchester tattoo artist, on the BBC Breakfast sofa on Wednesday 08 January. 

Adele and Cathy talked about how getting tattoos in memory of loved ones is increasingly helping people who are grieving.

Adele talked to presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent about the range of support options including the Sing Their Name Choir in Greater Manchester to support people who are bereaved by suicide, whilst also highlighting the Greater Manchester Bereavement Service. 

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham was a keynote speaker at the launch event for a new programme of early action, community-driven support for at-risk children and young people in Wigan Borough.

It marks the launch of the new dedicated support programmes for at-risk children and young people in the area, designed and delivered through children and young person’s charity AllChild. The programmes will have a specific focus on helping to address key local priorities of reducing child mental health referrals, persistent absenteeism, and school suspensions and exclusions.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We know that a whole person approach led by local communities is the most effective way of creating positive change.
“We are excited to welcome this new partnership with AllChild, using a child centred model that provides wrap-around care to children and families in Wigan.

“This will use the strengths of the local community to give children and young people here the opportunities and skills they need to flourish.”

Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s (MFT) Rainbow Clinics offer women who have experienced multiple pregnancy losses at various stages, access to specialist and individualised multidisciplinary care to help ease anxieties. The clinics are based at three of MFT’s maternity units – Wythenshawe Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital, offering a personal care plan to address the cause(s) of previous loss; an ultrasound scan at 17 or 23 weeks, depending on the circumstances of previous loss, then at regular intervals throughout pregnancy - and consultant led care with midwifery support, together with a discussion regarding timing and mode of birth.

People who are expected to experience a ‘straightforward’ pregnancy, with no known complications that may affect the pregnancy and the birth, are encouraged to consider a midwife led birthing unit, located on a hospital site in Greater Manchester or in Eastern Cheshire, if they are looking for a home-from-home birth.

Having a baby in a midwife led birth unit has many benefits such as; the environment is designed to be comfy and homely, the privacy of a private room, the freedom to walk around and be as active as you like, the likelihood of a shorter stay because fewer medications and medical interventions are used, and the lower risk of needing to have a c-section.
Another benefit of a midwife led birthing unit is that obstetric or neonatal support can be provided quicker than if someone is giving birth at home.

The Northern Care Alliance has recently launched its new visitors’ charter, with new visiting times.

The charter outlines a clear and consistent approach to when visitors can visit the ward areas, what is expected of them and how ward staff will also help and support.

The NCA sought feedback from both patients and staff, both groups welcomed extended visiting arrangements, but some patients said they would prefer more quiet / private time during their stay in hospital and staff advised it would be beneficial to have more time to provide direct clinical care in the morning.

The new visitors’ charter offers extended visiting hours from 10am to 7.30pm. There are no restrictions for people visiting patients at the end of life or where assistance is needed for communication purposes such as learning disabilities, dementia and mental health.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is working with Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service, local authorities, and others to improve health-based places of safety, known as 136 suites.

The aim is to improve care, better meet the needs of patients, their carers, and family, and ensure more efficient use of professionals’ time and skills.

Phase one completed in mid-December, with the refurbishment of 136 suites at Bury’s Fairfield Hospital and Tameside Hospital. A second suite has also been created at Tameside. The second phase will see the refurbishment of the 136 suite at The Royal Oldham Hospital. This will began in early January, with work expected to be completed in April. 

Discussions are underway about how to safely and effectively staff the 136 units. All possible community-based care options will be considered before a patient is taken to a 136 suite. And they’ll be in the suite for the shortest possible time.

The prestigious Practice Manager of the Year title has been won by Pete Woodward of Cheadle Medical Practice in Stockport.

Mr Woodward (pictured far right) was presented with his prize at this year’s General Practice Awards.

Mastercall scooped two awards at the Urgent Health UK Awards 2024 (UHUK).

Based in Stockport, the social enterprise patient-centred healthcare organisation, won the social impact gold award and were also bronze award winners of the operational quality and safety award.

Emma Dixon has been named the Nurse Leader of the Year at the Nursing Times Awards. 

The Director of Clinical Services attended The Nursing Times Awards. Awards were handed out to individuals who stand out as truly exceptional and have gone above and beyond what is expected in their day-to-day role. 

Matthew Conroy, Analytical Service Lead (Primary Care) for NHS GM has been awarded the 2024 John Perry Prize from the British Computer Society (BCS) Primary Health Care group for the work undertaken on cardiovascular disease data and the development of the CVNeed tool.

Over half a million people in Greater Manchester have a diagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD). GM has amongst the highest rates of heart attacks and strokes in both the North West region and England, and GM has high rates of mortality for CVD.

Three primary care nurses from the Rochdale Health Alliance won an Edith Cavell Award. Judith Charlton, Christine O Neill and Elaine Stone who work as primary care nurses in local care homes, received their awards at a staff presentation.

Free weekly dementia Music Cafes in all ten Greater Manchester boroughs

Can you help us to support even more people living with dementia and their family carers across Greater Manchester in 2025?

Empowering people living with dementia to express themselves, create communities and have fun by making music together. No previous music experience needed! Powered by Manchester Camerata’s internationally renowned music therapy based Music in Mind programme and in partnerships with Age UK Salford, Stockport Mind, Bolton Dementia Support, Together Dementia Support, TOG Mind, Age UK Bury, Age UK Wigan and Age UK Trafford and the National Academy of Social Prescribing.