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Each month, we share the positive developments from NHS Greater Manchester as we continue to improve health services and the wellbeing of our population.
Our national standing among the 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) continues to rise. As of February 2025, just 0.086% of patients had waited more than 65 weeks for hospital treatment. Diagnostic test turnaround times have improved significantly, placing us in the top 10 nationally - up from 24th just a year ago.
A&E core standards continue to improve, with over 71% of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours - a 5% improvement year on year. Ambulance response times are among the best in the country, averaging under 24 minutes for category 2 emergencies.
Primary care continues to expand its reach, with 15.6 million GP consultations from April 2024 to February 2025. Our Primary Care Networks have reduced the number of patients at high risk of atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and hypertension. Mental health care has seen significant gains, with fewer out-of-area placements and over 55,000 children and young people supported.
We remain second nationally in dementia diagnosis rates and are helping residents access warmer, healthier homes, with nearly 2,000 retrofits completed via NHS referrals.
Together, we’re building a healthier Greater Manchester.
Chief Finance Officer appointed at NHS Greater Manchester
NHS GM is delighted to announce the appointment of Kathy Roe as their substantive Chief Finance Officer (CFO). Kathy has excelled in her role as interim CFO over the past 15 months, providing outstanding financial leadership during challenging times for the GM system.
Kathy brings many years of senior NHS finance experience, including executive roles at both commissioner and system levels. One of her notable achievements includes leading the Greater Manchester financial deficit recovery programme, collaborating with partners across the system to deliver a credible and sustainable improvement trajectory.
Congratulations to Kathy on her appointment and we wish her continued success in this role which is invaluable to NHS GM and the wider system.
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New chair appointed at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Professor Joe Rafferty has been appointed as the new Chair of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Joe succeeds Edward Astle who announced in January he was stepping down for personal family reasons. He will take up his role on 1 May 2025.
He brings over 20 years of board-level experience in NHS organisations to The Christie and is passionate about fostering a culture of innovation and using data to drive planning and decision making.
Joe has spent his career working in healthcare and the NHS and was the Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust until his retirement in October 2024. He transformed the organisation into one of the largest and most successful mental and community health trusts in the country during his 12 years in charge.
Read more here.
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New Chief Executive and Place Based Lead for Salford
Stephen Young’s appointment as Salford City Council chief executive was confirmed at full council on Wednesday (30 April), with Stephen starting his new role in the autumn.
Stephen joins from Halton Borough Council, and will become Salford Place Based Lead for NHS GM. He said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with you all and understand the challenges that we face in both improving health outcomes for our residents and communities, and find solutions together as a system.
“I recognise that the national NHS reforms bring uncertainty, on top of the significant financial challenges, so retaining a focus on prevention and proactive care in how we deliver change, whilst also supporting staff, is vital.
“I was born in Wigan, spent the most of my younger years in Burnley, and have worked all of my career in local government, with the majority of that in Bolton and Oldham. I live locally so I feel I know our communities and their struggles well. I am passionate about working with you and being a part in our next chapter. Working in partnership and with communities is fundamental in delivering real and meaningful change and improvement for everyone.”
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New chief finance officer named at the Northern Care Alliance
Suzanne Robinson has joined Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust as the new chief finance officer. Suzanne brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as chief finance officer and deputy chief executive at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust. A fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Sector Accountants, she has dedicated over 23 years to the NHS, beginning her career as an NHS graduate trainee.
Passionate about developing people, Suzanne has been recognised for her commitment to supporting the next generation of finance leaders. She was awarded an Industry Fellowship at the University of Salford for her contributions to the Business School and student development.
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The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, visited Stepping Hill Hospital on Thursday 17 April to witness firsthand the transformative impact of digital pathology on patient care and medical diagnostics. This visit underscores the city’s commitment to embracing advanced healthcare technology and innovation.
During the visit, the mayor met with leading pathologists and healthcare professionals, who demonstrated how digital pathology is revolutionising the field and enhancing patient care. By digitising glass slides into high-resolution images, this technology allows for faster and more accurate diagnosis, enabling specialists to collaborate seamlessly regardless of location.
The mayor toured the hospital’s pathology laboratory, where experts explained how the new digital pathology process is being integrated to assist in detecting diseases with greater accuracy and efficiency. The implementation of digital pathology at Stepping Hill Hospital represents a significant step forward in modernising medical diagnostics and reducing turnaround times for patients waiting for test results.
Digital pathology is being rolled out to seven laboratories across Greater Manchester, which will allow pathologists from different organisations to collaborate, reduce turnaround times, and improve diagnostic outcomes. Stockport laboratory was the first in Greater Manchester to go technically live with the new technology and are now using it to improve patient care and outcomes.
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Greater Manchester has long been an example to the rest of the world when it comes to innovation – and this month was no different as we welcomed health leaders from Singapore to our hospital sites.
The Singapore Ministry of Health were at The Christie's Paterson Building, and Trafford General Hospital, on Tuesday 15 April, to learn more about environmentally sustainable healthcare in the NHS, and to celebrate biodiversity and visit green spaces in our hospitals. They were accompanied by Professor Nick Watts, the ex-Chief Sustainability Officer for the NHS and now Director of the Centre for Sustainable Medicine in Singapore.
Delegates heard about The Christie's Energy, Heat and Decarbonisation Plan and Carbon Energy Fund Project as well as Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust's energy infrastructure and sustainable procurement, including their walking aid reuse programme. They were also treated to a tour which included the Christie's green wall, doctors' reflection garden, and green heart garden.
NHS Greater Manchester – and its wider partners in the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership – plan to eliminate carbon emissions from the city region’s health and care system and visitors learned more about how we intend to do this by showcasing sustainability measures in practice, including estates, construction and procurement.
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Trafford Hospital, the birthplace of the NHS, have initiated their project to become the first retrofitted Carbon Net Zero in-patient hospital in the UK.
The project is being funded by a £18.9million grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and is projected to reduce the hospital’s carbon emissions linked to energy use by 92% by 2040, while also saving up to £100,000 a year based on current energy costs – which could increase further as energy prices rise in the future.
Temporary boilers have been installed to continue to provide vital heat to the hospital while the new low-carbon air and water source heat pump system are installed,
The project is estimated to be completed by Spring 2026.
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The Royal Oldham Hospital has become the first laboratory in the UK to implement FlexLab X, a state-of-the-art system, bringing faster turnaround times on test results for patients.
It is only the second installation of this system in the world.
The laboratory automation system from Inpeco and Siemens Healthineers, supports biochemistry, serology, haematology, and coagulation services across the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust’s network, which includes The Royal Oldham Hospital and pathology services at Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
The system increases the capacity of the laboratories, meaning the team can process and report a greater volume of tests at faster speeds, leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment for patients waiting for test results.
This system processes up to 15,525 tubes every hour and over 370,000 samples per day.
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Hundreds of people across Greater Manchester received urgent help from the NHS Falls Pick-Up Service this winter, which in turn prevented hospital admissions and reduced pressure on emergency services.
The scheme ran from November 2024 - March 2025, supporting the winter period. It was available to anyone over 18 who had fallen at home, wasn’t injured but couldn’t stand up on their own. In conjunction with Greater Manchester Urgent Primary Care Alliance, this unique service helped 278 people get back on their feet. When a 999 call was made, trained operators assessed whether a Falls Pick-Up Responder, rather than an ambulance, would be the most appropriate support. If the person needed urgent medical attention, the responder would call for emergency support. By responding quickly and preventing unnecessary ambulance callouts, the service helped ease pressure on busy NHS teams and ensured people got the right care, at the right time, in their own homes.
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Three Greater Manchester case studies have been highlighted as part of a new Activity Alliance report on the role of healthcare professionals supporting disabled people to be active.
The report, which was supported by GM Moving who collaborate closely with all parts of the GM healthcare system, featured Bolton Community Stroke Team, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, and Manchester Children’s Hospital
From their nationwide case studies, Activity Alliance identified six key features where healthcare professionals successful support disabled people into activity.
They were:
- Cross-sector collaboration,
- Lived-experience leadership,
- Commitment to inclusion,
- Community creation and mental wellbeing,
- Personalisation and staying in touch, and
- Upskilling through education, awareness and training.
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From 1 April 2025, IntraHealth became the sole provider of NHS Greater Manchester’s school-aged vaccination services as part of a new integrated vaccination and immunisation service (IVIS) with a 5 year contract.
Previously, different teams delivered vaccinations across the ten areas of Greater Manchester.
From April, all school-aged vaccinations (HPV, Td/IPV (3 in 1 teenage booster), MenACWY (meningitis and septicaemia), school flu, and MMR catch up from across the city region will be delivered by NHS Community Services provider, IntraHealth.
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A key priority for NHS Greater Manchester is to improve maternity and neonatal services for those who need them. Whilst there is still more to do, since our last update in September 2024, we have worked with our partners to make improvements in safety and outcomes.
In recent years, there have been significant increases in risk factors for pregnant women and birthing people including age, lifestyle factors and deprivation which may require more complex care.
As a system we draw on the expertise of staff and patients to understand the issues impacting maternity and neonatal services and work together to address them.
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Need help over the bank holiday weekend but unsure which pharmacy is open closest to you? Check your local pharmacy opening times and know where to go for advice when needed.
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Public consultation about adult ADHD services in Greater Manchester
A public consultation launched on Wednesday 23 April to help shape the future of adult ADHD services across Greater Manchester. This consultation will run from 23 April to 17 June 2025. It is open to anybody, but people with lived experience of ADHD are particularly encouraged to share their views. What people tell us through the consultation will be fed into decision making by NHS Greater Manchester and the outcome will be published.
There is currently no single waiting list in Greater Manchester for adults waiting for ADHD services, but we estimate 25,000 people are waiting for an assessment, and this is growing every day.
You can read our consultation and find out more on our website or you can write to us, email us, ring us, contact us through our social media, or come along to one of our focus groups. Contact us on 07786 673762, or email gmhscp.engagement@nhs.net.
Find out more.
Local Area SEND Inspection: Survey information
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are visiting Tameside as part of the Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Inspection. They will look at Tameside Council's arrangements for children and young people with SEND across the local area partnership which is education, health and social care.
There are three surveys available for completion:
- One for children and young people with SEND
- One for parents and carers of Children with SEND
- One for professionals who work with Children with SEND
The surveys will be available for completion until 9am on Tuesday 6 May.
You can provide your views by completing the surveys here. Please can you share this information with your families.
Further information about the SEND inspection framework can about found here.
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