Alistair Reid-Pearson visits our Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service
Did you know we have a service to help university students with their mental health? At the end of January, our Chief Information Officer, Alistair Reid-Pearson, visited The Greater Manchester (GM) Universities Student Mental Health Service to meet with staff and find out how they support Greater Manchester’s student population – one of the largest in England!
The Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service is a partnership between The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford, University of Greater Manchester (former Bolton University) the Royal Northern College of Music and GM ICB with the clinical service being provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH).
It is recognised nationally as reducing A&E and Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) presentations by students by 19%, which helps to free up capacity, allowing resources to be redirected towards other priorities, including supporting the wider population.
Alistair had a packed morning learning more about the service with presentations from Professor Sandeep Ranote, Clinical Director of Mental Health for NHS GM Integrated Care, Dr Tim Alnuamaani, Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Rosey Tattersall, Consultant Psychologist Lead, and service user Yeudis.
Also in attendance were Simon Merrywest, Head of Student Experience, for The University of Manchester and Jane Gray, Head of Student Disability and Wellbeing at the Royal Northern College of Music as well as Declan Meehan, Operational Manager and Suzanne Parker, Clinical Services Manager for our Specialist Services Care Group.
Sandeep provided an overview of how the service was created to tackle the rise in student mental health presentations at A&E nationally by bringing NHS and university providers together to tackle the problem. The service also aims to help break down stigma and raise awareness of mental health with the student population at a time when young people are often away from home for the first time and in one of the biggest transitions of their life.
Professor Sandeep Ranote, said:
“We wanted to ensure that we don’t lose our students to mental illness or mental health difficulties. The service is a partnership approach between GMMH and the universities in Greater Manchester and is co funded between the universities and the NHS to deliver a service that best meets the needs of our students in Greater Manchester.
“The service is about tidying up pathways and building on existing wellbeing and counselling services offered by the universities so that what we are able to provide is a much better specialist service for those students with more complex health needs."
The service is made up of a combination of nursing and staff with a psychological therapy or clinical psychology background. They offer a combination of case management or evidence-based psychological therapies helping students who are experiencing mental health difficulties such as psychosis, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention Deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism, eating disorders and emerging personality disorders.
Dr Tim Alnuamaani is a consultant general adult psychiatrist working with the service and has recently been appointed as RCPsych Special Advisor on Higher Education Mental Health, which is a credit to his work in this field. Tim will provide specialist and expert advice on the development and implementation of mental health support for higher education (university) students across the UK, being mindful of the experience of university students in international contexts.
Tim, said:
“Our model in GM has influenced the national model and we are one of only five dedicated student university mental health services across the country so are trail blazers in this specialist area.
“We want students to be supported with their mental health so that they can achieve their academic ambitions and work with university teams and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) partners so everyone feels supported. Our approach prevents long waiting lists and students ‘falling between the cracks’ and helps to create trust for students as they’re receiving continuous support for their mental health condition.”
The service operates from a central clinic at Crawford House in the heart of the University of Manchester Oxford Road campus with satellite clinics at the University of Salford and University of Greater Manchester.
Dr Rosey Tattersall, added:
“We offer a comprehensive range of individual and group interventions and support students with complex mental health needs from the UK but also internationally as international students attending a university in Greater Manchester are also included in the service.
“More recently we have developed a trauma informed service as we see more students exhibiting symptoms associated with complex trauma presentations. I’m really proud that we are a needs-led service so the care we provide is bespoke to our student’s needs.”
The Psychology team was recognised by the Psychological Professional Network receiving an award for innovative practice in their inaugural awards ceremony 2025.
After the visit, Alistair, said:
“Many thanks to colleagues at the Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service for hosting the visit. It was inspiring to see a service making such a real difference for students across Greater Manchester.
“The partnership, passion and expertise on display are truly exceptional, and hearing Yeudis' story really demonstrated how life-changing the support can be.”
Feedback from Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service students:
“The Mental Health services can be so dehumanizing. The biggest thing you can do is to treat the person like a person with feelings and needs. Listen, don't see them as a collection of symptoms or diagnoses. They are asking for your help as a human being. That’s what I found with you. You listened, cared and I felt validated as a whole person.”
Find out more about The GM Universities Mental Health Service.
