Rehabilitation Psychiatry

Rehabilitation Psychiatry at GMMH

Rehabilitation Psychiatry at Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) provides specialist care for people with severe and enduring mental health conditions. The service primarily supports individuals with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, severe bipolar disorder with psychotic features, and other complex psychiatric illnesses where there is a primary psychotic disorder. Many service users have multiple diagnoses and significant functional impairment, and may struggle to live independently or engage with standard community services.

The service is designed for people who require longer-term, intensive, recovery-focused input. By bringing together rehabilitation services across Greater Manchester into a single, cohesive model, GMMH has created a specialist service with a clear identity, consistent pathways, and a strong clinical focus across the region.

The service has developed collaboratively across localities, supported by a visible and engaged senior leadership team.

A key strength of the service is its large and well-established consultant body. Consultants meet regularly, including weekly referral meetings, to share expertise, support one another with complex clinical decision-making, and shape the direction of the service. This collaborative approach allows clinicians to work effectively with individuals who are often considered difficult to engage, focusing on recovery journeys where small steps can lead to meaningful and life-changing outcomes.

Culture and Opportunities 

The culture within the service is highly collaborative, patient-centred, and recovery focused. Teams work closely together with a shared commitment to helping people progress. The complexity of presentations offers a uniquely rewarding clinical experience and exposure to illness pathology that is rarely seen in other areas of psychiatry.

Rehabilitation Psychiatry at GMMH offers an excellent environment for Consultant Psychiatrists who are interested in complex clinical work, teaching, leadership, and service development. The service provides rich opportunities for education and training, supported by a dedicated education lead, as well as opportunities to become involved in research and leadership roles. Consultants develop advanced skills in working with some of the most unwell patients, gaining experience that is highly valued across mental health services.

New Consultants are welcomed into a supportive and well-connected consultant group, with clear referral pathways, regular peer support, and access to clinical supervision. Collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues is central to our day-to-day practice, ensuring holistic and recovery-focused care. Consultants are actively encouraged to contribute to service improvement and innovation and are kept informed about developments, with opportunities to influence the future direction of the service. Recent developments include the expansion of community rehabilitation services, increased capacity, and a growing focus on supporting more people to be managed successfully in the community.

For prospective Consultants, the service offers supportive colleagues, a strong professional identity, an expanding and evolving community rehabilitation model, and a positive on-call experience. It is a service with a clear vision and an exciting future, offering meaningful, challenging, and highly rewarding work.