National recognition for initiatives tackling inequalities and transforming mental health care
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) has been shortlisted for two prestigious HSJ Awards this year, recognising both its commitment to race equality and its leadership in transforming mental health care across Greater Manchester by reducing out-of-area placements.
GMMH has been shortlisted in the NHS Race Equality Award category for the Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH) programme, while the ‘Care Closer, Care Smarter: Transforming Mental Health Flow in Greater Manchester’ programme has been shortlisted in the Provider Collaboration of the Year category in partnership with NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The dual recognition highlights GMMH's commitment to improving both staff experience and patient care through innovation, partnership working and sustained efforts to tackle inequalities.
Creating safer and more inclusive workplaces
Racism remains a persistent challenge across the NHS, with staff continuing to report their experiences of discrimination, abuse and inconsistent support. The Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH) programme was developed in direct response to concerns raised by staff about the impact of racism in the workplace, particularly within inpatient mental health settings.
Initially piloted at Meadowbrook Unit in Salford before being expanded across North View in North Manchester, the programme has helped create safer and more inclusive environments while improving confidence to report and challenge racist behaviour.
The impact of REACH has been significant. At North View, reporting of racist incidents by those directly experiencing them increased by 21%, while reports submitted by active bystanders increased by 36%, leading to a 24% increase in formal escalation of incidents. Across Meadowbrook Unit, 88% of individuals who received a sanction letter following a racially aggravated incident went on to have no further such incidents recorded.
Loveness Ncube, Quality Matron for Mental Health Urgent Care at GMMH and lead of the adoption of REACH at North View, said:
"Being shortlisted for an HSJ Award is fantastic recognition of the dedication and commitment shown by colleagues across GMMH. REACH was developed in response to staff experiences of racism, with the aim of creating safer, more inclusive environments for staff, patients and families. By bringing together colleagues, service users and partners, we have developed practical approaches that strengthen support, build confidence to speak up and help embed anti-racist practice across our services.
"While we are proud of the progress made so far, we remain committed to tackling inequalities, embedding anti-racist practice and ensuring all staff, patients and families experience the respect, dignity and belonging they deserve."
Transforming mental health care through partnership
The ‘Care Closer, Care Smarter’ programme brings together GMMH, NHS Greater Manchester ICB and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust to reduce out-of-area placements and ensure more people receive mental health care closer to home. The initiative uses a shared funding model that enables partners to take collective responsibility for inpatient mental health care, reinvest savings into local services and strengthen community-based support.
Since the programme began, the number of people in out-of-area placements has reduced dramatically, with more people receiving care within their local communities and significant financial savings being reinvested into mental health services across Greater Manchester. The partnership has already been recognised nationally after being named a regional champion in the Delivering Value category at the NHS Excellence Awards.
David Warhurst, Chief Finance Officer at GMMH, said:
"I am incredibly proud of what our teams have achieved and the difference this programme has made to people's lives. Being shortlisted for an HSJ Award is fantastic recognition of that collective effort.
"By working collaboratively with our partners, we have reduced Greater Manchester's out-of-area placements by more than 100 service users, enabling more people to receive care closer to home and closer to the family, friends and support networks that play such an important role in recovery. The programme has also saved the system more than £20 million, allowing us to reinvest in community mental health services that benefit local people."
Professor Manisha Kumar, Chief Clinical Officer at NHS Greater Manchester, said:
“This recognition reflects the power of partners working together to improve care for our communities. Through effective commissioning, shared planning and investment across Greater Manchester, we have helped create a model that enables more people to receive mental health care closer to home. This means people can remain connected to their families, support networks and local services, which means better experiences for patients, and recovery.”
The winners of the HSJ Awards 2026 will be announced later this year. For further information and updates, visit: https://awards.hsj.co.uk/
