Greater Manchester Adult Community Mental Health Transformation

Greater Manchester are continuing to improve community mental health services to meet the needs of our service users and their carers/family.

The Greater Manchester vision for community mental health is:

We will promote mental wellbeing and prevent mental ill health in Greater Manchester by improving quality and increasing access to help, care and support for people when and where they need it. We will help people in Greater Manchester wherever they live, and whatever their background to stay well, play an active part in their communities, and have greater choice and control of their care.

Across Greater Manchester, we are continuing to implement a place-based approach to mental health care with all ten Greater Manchester localities to increase access to care and support for people with serious mental illness and high levels of complexity who are seeking help and advice with their mental health. Access will be at a neighbourhood level within primary care networks with close connections to a local network of community groups and voluntary organisations. People will be able to access redesigned community mental health services and multidisciplinary teams including: mental health practitioners, social care staff, voluntary sector staff and peer workers.

Some people who have accessed short term interventions through primary care networks will need more intensive and extensive help, risk support and longer-term care. These people will have access to specialist community-based pathways for personality disorder, eating disorders and community rehabilitation.

The model of care is trauma informed and person-centred and the place-based approach allows us to :

Better understand and respond to local demographics
Address health inequalities and the social determinants of mental ill health at an earlier stage
Prevent and delay the need for crisis care or risk support
Engage in meaningful co-production and co-design with our service users and carers

Localities in Greater Manchester are at different stages in development but all are making good progress to achieve the Greater Manchester community mental health transformation vision.

What does this mean for people with serious mental illness?

Greater Manchester will start to embed the changes needed to better support people with serious mental illness and their family and carers by linking in with the external partners in primary care, the voluntary sector, and social services. We hope the new pathways and working relationships will:

Help people receive their treatment sooner, intervening early and working preventatively with a range of partners
Ensure care is more personalised as the service is tailored to need
Make the process easier to get help with less need for people to repeat their story

On Monday 30 March 2026, all 10 living well services across Greater Manchester changed their name to neighbourhood mental health services (e.g. Bury living well service will become Bury neighbourhood mental health service).

We’ve also refreshed the service identity – which includes things like the logo on the top of letters, leaflets and forms. The new name and brand have been developed with people who have lived experience and colleagues.

Most changes will be digital, meaning costs are minimal. A consistent name and identity across Greater Manchester will make it easier for everyone to recognise and understand who we are and what we do.

There will be no change to the service itself. People will continue to receive the right care for their needs.

Pennine Care news

News from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT