Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service sets national benchmark for best practice
“Without this support, I probably would have dropped out. Instead, I graduated with a First.”
- Yehudis, University of Salford graduate and former service user
The Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service, run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) in partnership with regional higher education providers has been featured as an example of best practice in a national report published by the Department for Education (DfE).
Since 2017, mental illness among young people across the nation has increased significantly, with 17 to 24-year-olds showing the highest rate of common mental health conditions.
The pressures of academic life, alongside major life changes like moving away from home for the first time, managing finances, and navigating other adult responsibilities, form a distinct set of challenges for students, which can make them particularly vulnerable at this formative stage of their lives.
Mainstream NHS mental health services aren’t always fit for purpose for the specific needs of students, which can lead to pressures on university wellbeing services. As a result, many students fall between service gaps, experience long waits, or see their mental health deteriorate.
The DfE report, published in January, highlights the need for tailored support to meet the unique needs of students, and outlines a national vision for strengthened partnerships between higher education providers and NHS mental health services across the country to provide this.
This University Health Day (12 March 2026), GMMH is highlighting the Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service (GMUSMH), an early adopter of this pioneering approach, which has been featured in DfE’s report as an example of best practice.
GMUSMH is provided by GMMH in partnership with the University of Greater Manchester (Bolton), University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), dBs Institute and UCEN Manchester.
The service serves the student population enrolled across the higher education partners, providing a single referral pathway to support to those who are experiencing mental health and wellbeing difficulties.
It aims to enable students to fulfil their university ambitions and experience, through access to timely and needs-based mental health assessment, support and treatment.
Staff and partners of the Universities Student Mental Health Service
Dr Rosey Tattersall, Consultant Psychologist and Clinical Lead at the GMUSMH said:
“Our students are the future, with so much to contribute to society, both professionally and personally. Our model is one of psychologically-based, inclusive treatment where the person is more than their diagnostic labels.
“We work with students to develop an understanding of the challenges they are facing, how these may have developed, and how previous life experiences may have contributed. Together we then work to create an understanding of how these experiences, and their mental health difficulties, can create barriers to independent life and studies. From there, we use a ‘psychological safety’ approach to collaboratively facilitate changes that can be taken forward into adult life.”
Yehudis, was a student at Salford University when she accessed support from the GMUSMH. She said:
“Coming into university from Manchester’s Haredi community, it was my first real experience of formal education. One of the first things that amazed me was how many services were set up to support me. It wasn’t just about keeping my academic output on track, and it never felt dependent on having a particular diagnosis. It was about the environment listening and helping me respond to very difficult life circumstances through tailored, kind, flexible support.
“I felt nurtured. University offered me a space to expand my knowledge and practise independent, critical thought for the first time, and the service wrapped around that. Without this support, I probably would have dropped out. Instead, I graduated with a First, completed my Master’s, and now I’m starting a PhD at Durham University.”
Yehudis, University of Salford graduate and former service user
DfE’s report highlights the significant positive impact of the GMUSMH since it launched, including:
· a 25% reduction in A&E presentations, a 9% reduction in referrals to liaison (urgent and emergency) mental health services, and a 19% reduction in community mental health service referrals,
· reductions in self-harm, safety concerns, and unhealthy weight,
· more efficient processes and reduction in the workloads of higher education provider staff, and
· improved collaboration between higher education providers and NHS staff, with increased access to NHS services.
Dr Tim Alnuamaani is a Consultant Psychiatrist at GMMH’s Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service, and has recently been appointed as RCPsych Special Advisor on Higher Education Mental Health.
Dr Alnuamaani will provide specialist and expert advice on the development and implementation of mental health support for university students across the UK. He said:
“This University Mental Health Day (12 March 2026), we are proud to share that our model in Greater Manchester has influenced the national model. We are one of only five dedicated student university mental health services across the country so are trail blazers in this specialist area.
“It is easy to feel overwhelmed at university, and no one should have to struggle alone. We work closely with university teams and community partners to make sure that every student has access to the right support at the right time in the right place. Our approach prevents long waiting lists and helps to create stability and trust for students as they’re receiving continuous support for their mental health condition. By doing this, we are helping students to stay well at university and achieve their ambitions.”
DfE’s report follows recent recognition of the GMUSMH by the Psychological Professionals Network at their inaugural awards ceremony 2025, where the team was awarded for innovative practice.
You can find out more about the Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service here.
You can read the Department for Education’s full report here.
If you are a university student and need some support with your mental health, please reach out to your university’s wellbeing service who can link you in with the right support for you. Or, speak with your GP.
If you need urgent mental health support, for example if you feel mentally unsafe or severely distressed, you can quickly and easily access support by calling NHS 111 and selecting mental health option 2. It’s available 24/7, free of charge and you can call for yourself or someone else. In emergency situations where there’s an immediate risk to life, or you need urgent physical care, you should contact 999 or go to A&E.
