The biggest ever transformation of community mental health services is underway across Greater Manchester.

The focus is on non-crisis services for adults and older adults (aged 18+) with severe mental illness and complex needs (e.g psychosis, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, severe depression, trauma).

Known as living well, it involves mental health, primary care, social care, colleagues from voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) services, people with lived experience and other key partners working together to ensure people can easily access the right mental health care when and where they need it.

We want to radically improve how we work together to provide more joined up care and bridge the gap between primary care (e.g. GPs) and secondary care mental health services (e.g community mental health teams and hospital wards). This means where people’s needs are too complex for primary care, but not complex enough for secondary care services.

Key aims of the transformation

  • People will easily and quickly be able to get more or less help, to meet their changing needs. This is known as stepping their care up or down.
  • Their all-round needs can be met in a joined-up way, including mental and emotional health, phsyical health and social issues (e.g. housing, finances).
  • There'll be a greater focus on people’s strengths, empowering them and improving their self-management skills, so they can play a more active role in managing their condition or their recovery.
  • Referrals won’t be “bounced back” to the sender. Instead, all referrals will be assessed and the person will be provided with the right care
  • A reduction in the number of times people have to “tell their story” to different services and professionals. 
  • Support will always be put in place when someone is discharged from a service. 

Benefits 

  • People will be supported to better manage their condition, or move towards recovery, supported by their families, carers, social network, and local community.
  • They can contribute and participate in their local communities.
  • They'll have a better experience.
  • Professionals will also see a range of benefits.

Progress and next steps

Transforming our community mental health services is very complex and it’ll take time to make sure the changes are safe and effective.  Current progress includes:

  • Living Well Tameside launched in 2019, after being chosen as one of the country’s four early adopter sites. The borough’s partners are exploring what’s working well and where improvements are needed.
  • Living well is being rolled out in a phased approach in the Rochdale borough. It’s currently live in Heywood, and the “Pennine township” (Littleborough, Milnrow, Newhey, and Wardle). We’ll soon be launching in other areas of the borough and will continually review where improvements are needed and share learning across our boroughs.
  • In Bury, Oldham  and Stockport, we’ve developed lots of strong partnerships and made some good progress. Our next step is to develop a clear roadmap – setting what we need to do and some realistic timescales.

  • Our leads recently visited colleagues in Lambeth, London. This is where the living well programme was first established over 10 years ago. Click here to read more about their visit.

We'll share progress via the latest news section of our website and via social media.