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Each month we provide an update on the key successes from NHS Greater Manchester as we continue to make significant strides towards improving health services and the health of the population.
Last month our national rankings out of the 42 ICBs showed we continue to rise with the latest data showing improvements in lots of our services. More people are being seen and treated faster in Cancer Care. 72% of patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral – up from 69% last year. 80% got a diagnosis within 28 days – an increase from 77% - and we’re now in the top half of all ICBs nationally.
We have seen faster ambulance response, our hospital waiting times are coming down and diagnostic tests are getting quicker. A&E core standards continue to improve by over 5% with 71.2% of patients attending A&E in March 2025 admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours compared to the same period last year. GPs across GM are seeing more people as more than 17 million appointments were delivered in 2024/25 – 3.6% more than the previous year.
Mental health access is getting better too. Out of area placements (mental health) have reduced from more than 100 in April 2024 to just 10 in May 2025, significantly better than our target of 51. More than 55,000 children and young people received support from mental health services. We also continue to be second highest nationally for dementia diagnosis.
In April, 2,253 taxi drivers across GM completed suicide prevention training as part of our Shining a Light on Suicide campaign to help spot the signs of someone struggling.
Together, we’re building a healthier Greater Manchester.
David Wakefield named first Joint Chair of Stockport and Tameside & Glossop NHS trusts
David Wakefield has been appointed the first Joint Chair of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. This new role strengthens collaboration between the two trusts.
David brings extensive experience, having previously chaired the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. A qualified accountant, he has held senior executive roles, including Commercial Finance Director at Royal Mail, as well as various non-executive directorships.
While both trusts remain separate organisations, sharing a Chair aligns with national NHS policy to enhance joint working for the benefit of patients, staff, and local communities.
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Tameside and Glossop appoints Jacqui Burrow to the role of joint chief nurse
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (TGICFT) has appointed Jacqui Burrow as its new joint chief nurse.
Jacqui, previously deputy chief nurse at the Northern Care Alliance, brings a wealth of experience spanning acute, community, and strategic roles. She began her nursing career at Manchester Royal Infirmary, later training as a health visitor and working across East Lancashire.
Initially, Jacqui will serve as chief nurse at TGICFT. In 2026, she will also assume chief nurse responsibilities at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, succeeding current joint chief nurse Nicola Firth upon her retirement.
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New chair appointed to lead Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA)
Sheena McDonnell has been appointed as Northern Care Alliance’s new chair effective from 1 June 2025.
With a wide range of experience from both the public and private sectors, Sheena will be stepping down from her position on as a non-executive director on the NHS Greater Manchester Board. She will also continue in her role as chair of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust until the end of June 2025.
She succeeds Eileen Fairhurst who stepped down as NCA chair in October 2024. Dame Robina Shah has led the trust’s board as interim chair over the past six months.
The appointment was made following a competitive recruitment process involving representatives from NCA’s Council of Governors as well as NHS England and NHS GM colleagues.
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On 9 May, members of the GM Provider Network Steering Group attended a very positive and productive meeting with Andy Burnham. The meeting came about as the group are keen to engage more with the mayoral manifesto, including the Live Well and Ageing Well programmes, as well as the newly formed GM Social Care Commission.
The providers’ standpoint, representing an array of community, domiciliary and residential provision across all ten localities, was one of eagerness to work more collaboratively with local authorities, the GMCA, and the ICB. Topics of discussion included market sustainability through the lens of national insurance increases, increased outgoings, and CHC within short-term funding scenarios.
They discussed the need for long-term commissioning and contracting, and leaning into the challenges ahead together. The steering group is looking forward to continuing conversations with the Mayor.
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Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has been named number one in the country for its work to check the accuracy of tests carried out in breast screening.
These results recognise that the Trust is able to provide robust guarantees in terms of investigations for patients, improving the quality of care, and ensuring patients receive correct treatment at the earliest opportunity.
The annual Breast Screening Pathology Audit is carried out to compare national performance figures. Good performance in this audit requires excellent working across a number of teams and specialties, from good radiology assessments and biopsies, to good pathology interpretation.
The first patients have been welcomed to Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s (WWL) newest Theatre at Wrightington Hospital.
The new Theatre 12 was achieved by creating a twin theatre alongside Theatre 11. They were built using Trust capital funds and an additional £6.1m of funding through NHS England’s Targeted Investment Fund (TIF) – a total of £9.6m.
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On 20 May, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust officially broke ground with construction partner, Robertson, on a £38 million redevelopment of the Maternity and Women’s Health Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital.
The new unit will provide state-of-the-art facilities for women, babies, and families across Bolton and beyond. The project is being funded by NHS England following the identification of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the existing structure in 2023.
Once work is complete in early 2027, the unit will provide:
- A new birthing suite with four modern birthing rooms, each equipped with birthing pools.
- A new seven-bed triage area.
- A new gynaecology and early pregnancy unit, designed to meet modern standards and models of care.
- New transitional care bays for Neonatal services within the postnatal ward.
- Refurbished maternity wards offering spacious, modern environments. for women during and after pregnancy.
- New modern façade/cladding to improve the building’s appearance.
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The Royal Oldham Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has become the first in the North West to introduce biometric fingerprint technology to give parents quicker and easier access to their babies.
This innovation aims to strengthen the bond between parents and their newborns by making visits more accessible, while maintaining high standards of safety and security.
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Greater Manchester has become the first location globally to pilot eFalls, a cutting-edge tool designed to help GPs identify older adults at moderate risk of falling. This proactive approach aims to prevent injuries and maintain independence by enabling early support.
One in three people over 65 falls each year, often leading to hospital stays, injury, and reduced confidence. The eFalls system uses GP digital records to assess frailty, fall history, medication, and chronic conditions to flag at-risk patients.
The South Wigan Ashton North (SWAN) primary care network, covering around 37,000 people, is the first to implement this outside of a research setting.
Identified patients are:
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Invited for a health check
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Offered a place on the Falls Management Exercise (FaME) Programme, which builds strength and balance
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Referred for additional preventative care, like vision checks
This pilot is a collaboration between NHS GM, local primary care networks, and academic partners.
In a recent NHS staff survey Penine Care Foundation Trust ranked as the best place to work out of all mental health and learning disability trusts in the North and the sixth best in the country.
The survey measured colleagues’ experience of working for the trust across nine themes, with 72.5 percent recommending the trust as a great place to work, which is the highest in the North and sixth overall. This is up from 70 percent last year, with the national average at 65 percent.
The shortlist for the only Greater Manchester-wide awards recognising the outstanding contributions from our whole health and care workforce, has announced its 2025 inspiring finalists.
This year, nearly 700 nominations were received from over 140 organisations, each highlighting an extraordinary story from our employed and unwaged workforce. Entries spanned 14 categories, including Leadership Champion, Team of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement.
This year’s shortlist features a mental health nurse, a volunteer motorbike mechanic for blood transport services, and a sexual health team addressing health inequalities by providing essential care to vulnerable and marginalised groups, including asylum seekers and refugees.
Visit the GM Health and Care Champion Awards GM Health and Care Champion Awards webpage to view the full shortlist. All shortlisted nominations will be considered by a judging panel and the winners announced at a special sponsored event in July.
Greater Manchester taxi drivers encouraged to take life-saving suicide awareness training
Taxi and private hire drivers across Greater Manchester are being urged to take a free 10-minute online suicide awareness training course, as part of the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign led by NHS Greater Manchester.
With over 200 suicides each year in the region, the campaign highlights that suicide prevention is everyone’s business. The training, developed by the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA), equips drivers with the skills to spot warning signs, start supportive conversations, and signpost people to help.
Greater Manchester has over 18,500 licensed taxi and private hire drivers, and the campaign recognises the unique opportunity these drivers have to engage with passengers who may be struggling.
Suicide prevention training is open to everyone. Find the right training for you and your colleagues, at: ZSA suicide awareness training courses
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Student suicide in the spotlight
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, NHS GM’s Suicide Prevention Lead, Adele Owen, hosted a screening and panel discussion on student suicide at the University of Salford. The event featured Contact Hours — a short film inspired by a real-life conversation with a caretaker who discovered a student who had died by suicide. It went on to win Best British Short Film at the BIFA-Qualifying Sunrise Film Festival over the weekend.
Held at the university’s Media City campus on 15 May, the screening aimed to raise awareness of student mental health and suicide prevention. The panel included the film’s writer Rufus Love and director Harry Richards, along with representatives from Papyrus, the University of Manchester, and a student from Salford with lived experience.
The event coincided with the release of a national review on university student suicides, underlining the importance of continued awareness and prevention efforts.
For more information about the Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Programme, visit www.shiningalightonsuicide.org.uk
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People across Greater Manchester who are experiencing emotional distress or mental health crisis now have access to a network of safe and welcoming support spaces. They offer urgent help without the need for long waits, referrals, or appointments.
These services, available in each of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, are run by the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector. They provide non-clinical crisis alternatives to A&E, where many people often turn in desperation. The hubs are staffed by trained peer support workers, volunteers, and mental health professionals, offering a listening ear, practical help, and where necessary, fast access to further mental health assessment. Find out more on the NHS GM website
Read Nev’s * story and hear how accessing one of the community crisis spaces supported him when he needed it the most.
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For Dementia Action Week Manchester Women Together filmed an engaging conversation with Jacqui Cannon (Chief Executive of The Lewy Body Society) Dr Rebecca Marchmont, (Salford GP and NHS GM Clinical Lead for Dementia), and Sarah Kirkland (Senior Project Manager at Dementia United) who shared their personal and professional insights into young onset dementia.
Young onset dementia affects people under the age of 65 and is often misunderstood or overlooked. In this conversation, they explored a range of topics including what inspired their work in this area, why greater public awareness matters, and common misconceptions and stereotypes. You can find out more on the Dementia United website.
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The Poetry Pharmacy Live is an unique initiative delivering printed poetry posters to every secondary school, GP practice, and A&E department in the region.
Each poster features a carefully chosen poem aimed at supporting emotional wellbeing, along with a QR code linking to more information about the poem’s relevance and space for feedback.
Whether you’re facing stress, grief, or simply need a moment of reflection, keep an eye out for these posters—and let poetry offer a quiet moment of healing.
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Amanda Whittle, one of Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust's (WWL) Health Care Support Workers (HCSW), has been awarded a national Chief Nursing Officer (HCSW) Award.
Amanda, who works in the Surgical Admissions Lounge at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, was nominated by colleagues for working together for patients, and delivering the highest possible patient care.
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This short video shows the heartwarming story of Brandon who faced devastating injuries following the Manchester Arena Attack. Brandon has benefited from the Major Trauma Enhanced Rehabilitation Service, which was initiated following the attack, bringing together sports science academia and the NHS to develop innovative pathways for rehabilitating the most severely injured survivors.
One year after starting the programme Brandon managed to complete the Great Manchester Run. The learning from the recovery of arena attack survivors is still benefiting others many years later.
On 22 May we marked eight years since the Manchester Arena Attack. Our thoughts are with all those who were impacted by this tragic incident, either personally or professionally.
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We were saddened to hear news of the recent incident at the title parade in Liverpool. Our thoughts are with those affected.
Greater Manchester Resilience Hub is offering support. Colleagues can contact the hub for support if they:
- Live in Greater Manchester
- Work in health and care, or police in Greater Manchester
- Have been impacted by the recent incident in Liverpool - either personally or professionally
- Were previously affected by the Manchester Arena attack and have experienced distress or triggering effects
Phone: 03330 095 071
Email: GM.help@nhs.net
The hub is open from 9am-3pm, Monday - Thursday (excluding bank holidays).
Consultation: adult ADHD services
A public consultation is underway to help shape the future of adult ADHD services across Greater Manchester.
NHS GM is seeking feedback, particularly from individuals, their families, carers, and professionals about two potential options for improving access to adult ADHD services and support.
Responses will help to make sure we understand what is important to those who may be affected by the proposed changes and what their needs are.
We have developed a toolkit to help raise awareness of the ongoing consultation and encourage participation. It can be used to engage with colleagues and patients. The toolkit includes newsletter content, suggested text for SMS messages, flyers, posters, social media assets, a presentation, and an engagement workshop template.
Challenges and barriers in supporting clinical research in general practice
A new survey aims to better understand the challenges GP practices face when supporting clinical research. First-hand experience from practices will be crucial in helping to identify barriers, gaps in resource, and opportunities to improve general practice’s ability to support research.
GP practices play a vital role in advancing healthcare through research. By sharing your perspectives, you’ll contribute to a clearer picture of how challenges such as staffing pressures and time constraints can be overcome.
The survey takes just 5-10 minutes and is completely anonymous. This research is part of a PhD with the University of Salford.
If you have questions, or require further information contact James Bond-Simmons, Lecturer in Business Data Analytics at Salford University at j.h.bond-simmons1@salford.ac.uk.
Engagement on eye care services in Greater Manchester
NHS GM is inviting local residents and patients to share their experiences of ophthalmology services – the diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or emergency eye issues.
The feedback provided will help shape a new Greater Manchester Ophthalmology Strategy – aimed at delivering faster, fairer, and more personalised eye care services across the city region.
The engagement period will last from 2 June to 5 July. People can take part via:
We will also be engaging with voluntary sector organisations and attending where local services are provided.
To get involved, contact gmhscp.engagement@nhs.net
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