Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester visits Bolton services
From left to right: Carmain Gibson-Holmes, Candice French, Colin Scales and Simon Johns.
On Thursday 31 July, GMMH welcomed Colin Scales, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester, to our Bolton mental health services.
Colin was given a tour of a number of different services on location, to see the facilities, greet service users and staff, and witness first-hand the delivery of care to service users in different settings. During his visit, he spoke with a variety of staff members to find out more about the breadth of the support offered to Bolton’s communities, and discuss our collaborative, open and person-centred approach to care.
Colin was greeted at the recently refurbished reception area of Rivington Unit by Candice French (Service Manager - Bolton Inpatient & Urgent Care Services), Simon Johns (Head of Operations for Bolton), and Carmain Gibson-Holmes (Deputy Chief Operating Officer).
The scene was set with an open discussion about the service user journey across our inpatient, urgent care, and community services. Conversations focused on the importance of joined-up working to support meaningful admissions and ensure smooth, effective patient flow.
Colin was then given a tour of Oak Ward, our female acute inpatient ward, and Maple House, our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). There he met with Katie Atherton (Inpatient Operational Manager) and Zena Bouharif (Maple House Ward Manager), who gave an overview of the compassionate care delivered by their teams.
Colin then spent time with our Bolton Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT), where Senior Practitioner, Chris France, explained how the team provides face to face support in the home environment, as a safe and effective alternative to hospital admission. He highlighted the team’s expertise and responsiveness, which is vital to ensuring quality care in this setting.
The final stop was a visit to our Bolton Mental Health Liaison Service (MHLS), where Team Manager, Rebecca Whatmough, gave an overview of their work within the busy A&E department at Royal Bolton Hospital. Rebecca highlighted the importance of maintaining strong, open relationships with acute care colleagues to ensure we work together seamlessly to meet the needs of those in crisis.
Colin Scales, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester, said:
“It’s been incredibly valuable to see first-hand the dedication and compassion shown by colleagues across Bolton’s mental health services. Their work is making a real difference to people’s lives every day. We’re committed to supporting and strengthening this vital work as part of our ambition to improve mental health and wellbeing across Greater Manchester.”
Candice French, Service Manager - Bolton Inpatient & Urgent Care Services, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Colin Scales to our Bolton mental health services last week. I cannot begin to capture the depth of the discussions that we had across all services, which were so valuable in paving the way for the next steps in our partnership.
“One key theme across all our conversations was the power of collaboration in understanding and meeting the needs of our service users. As was the importance of a positive, inclusive culture in supporting quality care, open dialogue, staff wellbeing, and recruitment and retention. We also recognised the invaluable skills, knowledge and expertise of our Health Care Assistants across all of our teams.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely together to ensure the very best outcomes for those we care for and their families.”
To find out more about all mental health services available in Bolton, visit: https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/services-in-Bolton.
