Listening to people’s experiences is the foundation of a truly person-centred health and care system.

That’s why local Healthwatch organisations matter so deeply. They gather feedback from GPs, hospitals, dentists, social care and more – bridging the gap between service users and providers, turning lived experience into meaningful change.

As the Government considers closing Healthwatch nationally, we’re watching closely. Here in Greater Manchester, we’re showcasing how community insights drive better care, highlighting projects where local feedback has reshaped services for the better.

Thanks to our pioneering devolution arrangements, we’re uniquely placed to keep patient voice front and centre – whatever Healthwatch’s future format. Together, we’ll ensure every person is heard, every story fuels improvement, and our system grows stronger with every insight.

As we know, this summer saw the publication of two landmark strategies that will shape public service delivery across Greater Manchester for the next decade: the Greater Manchester Strategy 2025–2035 and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

Central to our approach is the Prevention Demonstrator – England’s first – which allows us to test how the NHS 10-Year Plan can work in a devolved city region and align with our broader strategic vision.

At the heart of this transformation is Live Well. This approach will enable us to co-design prevention services with local people, harness shared data and digital tools for proactive care, and build continuous feedback loops that keep communities at the centre of every decision.

Through this work, we’ll demonstrate what’s possible when collaboration drives a bold, prevention-first approach to health and wellbeing – one that listens, adapts, and delivers.

Andy Burnham

Mayor of Greater Manchester

Co-chair, Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership

Stephen Young has officially started in his role as Chief Executive of Salford City Council and Place-Based Lead for Salford at NHS Greater Manchester.

Stephen brings over three decades of public sector experience, including 17 years in senior leadership roles and a strong track record of delivering growth through regeneration, improving outcomes for children and young people, and working effectively within Combined Authorities.

A big thank you and well done to Melissa Caslake for her committed leadership as Interim Chief Executive and Place-Based Lead over recent months.

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) was delighted to welcome the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, for the official re-opening of the Chapman Barker Unit (CBU), its specialist adult inpatient drug and alcohol detoxification service.

The event marked the formal opening of the unit in Prestwich following major refurbishment with the Mayor meeting staff, volunteers and service users to celebrate the transformation.

The Chapman Barker Unit provides holistic physical and mental health support for individuals with complex needs related to substance misuse. The recent refurbishment has significantly enhanced the safety, comfort and therapeutic quality of the care environment. Key improvements include:

• Reduced ligature risks to improve patient safety
• Increased number of ensuite bedrooms
• Upgraded infection prevention measures
•  A newly created garden area for patient wellbeing

The Edenfield Centre in Prestwich, has been rebranded as the Riverside Centre announced by the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

The change of name follows extensive engagement earlier this year with around 45% of Edenfield inpatients, carers and staff who believed the new name reflects their views and wishes to look forwards. This recent announcement is seen as a significant milestone in the units recovery journey.

On Friday 1 August, Wythenshawe Hospital welcomed Ashley Dalton MP, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, to see the innovative AIRPORT AI Chest X-ray system in action — a cutting-edge tool helping to enhance early detection and diagnosis of lung conditions. The visit included a demonstration of the technology and discussions with their clinical teams about the impact of AI in improving patient outcomes.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s 32 inpatient mental health wards and units across Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside are now completely smokefree. This important step means that around 2,500 patients admitted each year will benefit from healthier, safer environments and specialist support for tobacco dependency.

People living with a severe mental illness have a life expectancy 15–20 years shorter than the general population, and smoking is one of the major reasons for this disparity. By tackling tobacco dependency, we can help reduce this health gap and support people in their recovery.

Going smokefree not only helps people who want to quit but also protects everyone from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Patients are offered evidence-based treatment and practical help to manage cravings, improving both their physical health and recovery outcomes.

NHS Greater Manchester has launched its Green Plan 2025–28, setting out how we will cut carbon, protect health and create a fairer, greener region for everyone.

Climate change is already harming health in Greater Manchester, from worsening asthma to heat-related illness, with the most disadvantaged communities hit hardest. Our plan makes sure the NHS is climate-ready, supporting both people and the planet.

The plan focuses on three key goals:

• Achieving net zero NHS emissions by 2038.
• Reaching net zero by 2045 for emissions we can influence.
• Building a climate-ready NHS that cuts pollution, supports nature, and promotes better health.

We’ve already made strong progress, including a 10% reduction in our carbon footprint since 2019, saving over 25,000 tonnes of carbon. The plan also builds on successes like expanding digital healthcare, boosting sustainable travel, reducing medicines waste, and increasing green spaces across NHS sites.

An organisation led by healthcare professionals, including local GPs, consultants and midwives, has released its 2024-25 impact report, packed with stories on how it is improving services for people. 

The Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks is spearheaded by 40-plus clinicians and the document highlights their impressive projects in communities, hospitals, GP surgeries, primary care and maternity units, improving the lives of people across Greater Manchester with projects which embrace the left shift of the 10-year health plan.

A pioneering talking therapy designed for children and young people who hear voices, see visions and experience or feel presences that others don’t, has reached the halfway point in its recruitment across Greater Manchester.

The ChUSE trial (short for Children with Unusual Sensory Experiences) is offering the opportunity of tailored support to children aged 8 to 16 and their families. Aiming to include 60 participants in total, the trial is a major step forward in early intervention for children with distressing sensory experiences.

Delivered in community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided by Pennine Care NHS, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS and Manchester University NHS, the ChUSE therapy trial provides person-centred and symptom-focused support that is not currently available to younger children within CAMHS. The goal is to reduce distress and the likelihood of more serious mental health challenges in later life.

With four months left for recruitment, the trial has now expanded to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, increasing access for families across Greater Manchester.

This year’s Month of Hope will once again shine a light on suicide prevention by encouraging open, honest dialogue and challenging the stigma that often surrounds suicide and mental health as we launch our 2025 Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Running annually in Greater Manchester from 10 September (World Suicide Prevention Day) until 10 October (World Mental Health Day), it invites people across Greater Manchester to come together, raise awareness, and support one another through meaningful conversations.

The Month of Hope is part of the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign, which aims to bring the issue or topic of suicide out of the dark. The campaign is working hard to change the narrative around suicide, highlighting that everyone can play a role in saving lives. Every conversation is an opportunity to make a difference.

After years of struggling with a binge eating disorder, Tameside dad Carl has thanked a local mental health service for changing his life.

Carl, 34, from Glossop is a CV writer and career coach and is happily married, with a little boy. He began working with Katie Holland, mental health and wellbeing practitioner from living well Tameside. Meeting weekly with Carl, she helped him understand binge eating and how behaviours, thoughts and emotions are linked.

“Working with Katie built on the skills I’d learned during private therapy. The therapy with Katie was behavioural focused, taking the emotion out of eating, changing habits and disrupting patterns."

Living well Tameside has supported just nearly 10,000 people since launching in January 2019.

A new Greater Manchester Primary Care Portal is launching soon – designed to make the working day easier for colleagues working in frontline primary care.

It will be a secure, personalised hub – built by GPs, pharmacists, dentists, and optometrists – to deliver service updates, guidance, templates, contacts, and more, straight to each user’s dashboard and regular email summary.

NHS Greater Manchester is bringing together stakeholders from across the city region to help ensure the portal contains the most relevant, up-to-date, and useful content for our primary care colleagues.

We’ll share the launch date soon – keep an eye out!

This September Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month will be raising awareness of inherited risks so that more people can identify any increased risks in their family histories, increase their awareness of signs, symptoms and risk factors, and access genetic testing if they are eligible.  

Occupational Therapy can be life-changing for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) – but it’s often misunderstood. Our new DRYMESTER podcast explores how OTs can help children and young people with FASD thrive, using a wide range of strategies that go far beyond fine and gross motor skills.

In this episode, expert voices and lived-experience parents discuss how sensory integration, environmental adjustments, and task breakdown can transform daily life, reduce shame and build independence.

Whether you work in health, education, or community services, this conversation offers practical insights and a better understanding of how to advocate for specialist assessment and targeted support.

Organ Donation Week

Organ Donation Week, Monday 22 to Sunday 28 September, urges the public to help to save lives, by asking those who haven’t yet done so, to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

One person can save up to nine lives as an organ donor. Get involved here.

Refresh of GM VCFSE Accord - please share your views

We're happy to share that wider consultation is now open to shape a refreshed GM Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Accord agreement from Wednesday 1 April 2026.

The GM VCFSE Leadership Group are welcoming input from members of staff cross the GM VCFSE sector, including small, grassroots community groups, and the Greater Manchester public sector (such as GMCA, NHS, Local Authorities, TfGM, GM Police).

To find out about the different ways you can take part click here. The deadline for all consultation is Friday 31 October. 

Theme for World Diabetes Day announced

World Diabetes Day will be held on Friday 14 November.

This year’s theme will be “Diabetes and well-being at work” and will focus on making workplaces more supportive, inclusive and health-aware including raising awareness of three key messages:

• Diabetes challenges at work: 430 million working-age people with diabetes face stigma, anxiety and limited support in the workplace.
• Unhealthy work environments: Many workplaces lack access to physical activity, nutritious food and mental health support putting employees at risk.
• Do more for diabetes at work: Employers must take action to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces for people with diabetes and those at risk.

To read more and get involved visit World Diabetes Day.