GMMH Wins Caribbean and African Health Network Award
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (GMMH) Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH) Community of Practice team has won another award for its anti-racism efforts.
REACH has been awarded Anti-Racist Initiative of the Year at the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) Black History Month Gala 2025.
In addition, Loveness Ncube, Quality Matron at GMMH’s North View, was Highly Commended in the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year Award category.
Loveness, said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured that we’ve won the CAHN Award for the REACH Community of Practice! This recognition is a testament to the passion, dedication, and collaborative spirit of our team, and it reflects the meaningful impact of our work in promoting equity, inclusion, and high-quality care.
“I was also excited to be nominated for the EDI Champion of the Year (Highly Commended!) It was truly affirming to be recognised in a role I care deeply about. Inclusion for both staff and patients is at the heart of everything I do, and being part of REACH has made this journey even more rewarding through the power of collaborative working.”
The project and team were awarded Anti-Racist Initiative of the Year for their hard work and dedication to education, support for staff, and creation of a more inclusive environment for all those within GMMH services.
REACH is a pioneering project dedicated to fostering an anti-racist approach. It aims to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all patients, staff, families, and visitors, by promoting a positive culture and enhancing wellbeing. The project has seen anti-racism ‘change’ initiatives create a meaningful impact across Greater Manchester.
Since the REACH project began, it has grown significantly. What started as an initiative in one mental health unit in Salford - Meadowbrook Unit - now encompasses six of GMMH’s inpatient services across Greater Manchester - including North View (Manchester), Atherleigh Park (Wigan), Rivington Unit (Bolton), and Junction 17, Gardener and Community (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) – and extended collaborating with two teams from external mental health Trusts - Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Since the first award win in summer, work has continued to progress, with a focus on patient engagement and support.
North View has introduced Patient Champions to ‘Be Inclusive’ meetings, enabling service users to hear directly about the impact of racism on staff, encouraging wider awareness and advocacy on the wards. And Meadowbrook is launching group sessions that explore personal values and what matters most to service users.
The REACH team has also launched targeted surveys across all services involved, to better understand the sources of racist abuse in each area. Insights will inform tailored initiatives in response to local need.
Alison Schofield, Interim Head of Quality Improvement at GMMH, said:
“We are so proud to have been awarded Anti-Racist Initiative of the Year at the CAHN Black History Month Gala 2025. We were amongst a line-up of absolutely fantastic nominees in this category, and it was brilliant to be able to come together at the event to celebrate the hard work and commitment taking place across the UK, and the tangible impact this is having.
“We will continue to work with our colleagues, service users, and partners to scale up our programme, share our learning, and achieve impact across Greater Manchester, and nationally.
“To date, most change initiatives have focused on how wards respond when patients are perpetrators of racist abuse. In the coming weeks, the project will begin exploring how we can address institutional racism experienced by our colleagues more widely, and how we can support reporting and resolution in a safe and constructive way.
“Whilst there is still much to do, we are incredibly proud of every team member who has contributed to the REACH project, whether by attending meetings, supporting colleagues facing abuse or completing surveys that offer insight into the realities of their workplace. Their courage, commitment and candour are driving meaningful change.”
Caribbean and African Health Network
The Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) was set up in 2017 to address long-standing health inequalities disadvantaging people of Black Caribbean and African heritage.
Doctorate research undertaken by our Chair and Founder, Dr. Faye Ruddock provided the evidence base which led to CAHN being established as a community interest company (CIC). After the completion of her research in December 2016, Dr. Ruddock proceeded to analyse the data, which compellingly highlighted significant health disparities facing Black people in the Greater Manchester area.
CAHN continues to develop proactive initiatives informed by those early conversations, working alongside the Black community and cross-sector organisations to build community resilience, relationships, and a social movement whereby equity is achieved for all.
CAHN’s vision is to end health inequalities and wider disparities for Caribbean and African people in a generation.
Their mission is to ensure that the strategic and operational actions of service providers across health and cross-sector agencies and commissioners, lead to racial and social justice for Black people.
Their core values guide them to act with integrity, respect, openness, and transparency, all within a framework of good governance.
