A Greater Manchester mental health collaboration has been named regional champion at the NHS Excellence Awards
A pioneering Greater Manchester mental health programme has been named a regional champion at the first ever NHS Excellence Awards, recognising outstanding work to reduce out of area mental health placements and keep people closer to home.
The ‘Care Closer, Care Smarter: Transforming Mental Health Flow in Greater Manchester’ programme - delivered in partnership by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), NHS Greater Manchester, and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust - was named regional winner in the ‘Delivering Value’ category.
The programme takes a system wide approach to tackling out of area placements by using a shared fund, enabling partners to take collective responsibility for acute mental health inpatient care, reinvest savings into local services, and support people in their own communities wherever clinically appropriate.
Since the programme began, the impact has been significant:
- The number of people in placements reduced from an average of 193 in 2024 to 101 by February 2026
- Out of area placements have reduced by over 100. People are placed out of area only where it is the clinically appropriate option.
- More people are being supported safely through community and crisis alternatives, reducing unnecessary admissions and restrictive inpatient stays.
Keeping people closer to home has improved continuity of care, supported recovery, and reduced inequalities across the system.
The collaborative approach has also delivered substantial financial benefits:
- £23.2 million saved in 2025/26, with 50% reinvested into new and expanded mental health services and potentially over £30 million recurrently.
- £11.6 million set to be reinvested in 2026/27 to strengthen community and crisis pathways.
Partners have committed to reducing the remaining 101 placements to zero over the next three years, wherever clinically appropriate. Achieving this ambition could unlock a further £35 million for reinvestment, with half directed toward priority mental health services including prevention and early community support.
David Warhurst, Chief Finance Officer for GMMH, added:
“By working collaboratively with our partners over the last year, we have reduced Greater Manchester’s out-of-area placements by over 100 service users.
“This has saved the system more than £20 million in 2025/26, which we are reinvesting directly into community services as we know this really matters to the people we serve, our service users and their families.
“I am incredibly proud of what our teams have achieved and the difference this programme has made to people’s lives.”
Claire Wannell, Pennine Care Deputy Chief Operating Officer, said:
“This programme shows what can be achieved when we work together. By reducing the number of out of area placements, more people are getting the support they need closer to home, which we know is better for their recovery.
“We’ve been able to reinvest the money saved back into services - including strengthening and expanding home treatment teams into 24/7 crisis services to help people avoid going into hospital unnecessarily.
“At its heart, this programme is about improving care for patients while making best use of our resources for the future.”
Dr Nishan M Bhandary, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director for GMMH, said:
“As a frontline clinician and consultant psychiatrist, I know first hand how distressing it can be for patients and their loved ones to be placed far from home in out of area placements for mental health inpatient care.
To address this, our executive leadership team empowered us to use the integrated fund to establish a dedicated, multi professional integrated discharge team which resulted in shared work on discharge planning, housing, and wrap around support. This team reviews patients weekly and works closely with colleagues across the Trust to ensure people are supported to return to their local communities as quickly and safely as possible.”
The NHS Excellence Awards are run by, and for, the NHS, celebrating local teams and projects that make a tangible difference to patients and communities. Being selected as a regional champion for the North West places the partnership among the most impactful NHS initiatives in the country.
The team will now go forward to the national NHS Excellence Awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday 10 June 2026 at NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester.
