A MENTAL health service which helps people in Tameside is up for a national award after being crowned north-west champion.
The mental health joint response service is a collaboration between Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s mental health teams in the borough, as well as nearby Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Stockport along with Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service.
Now it is in the running to win an NHS Parliamentary Award, after being picked ahead of hundreds of submissions from across the North West for the ‘excellence in mental health’ category.
The pilot – which runs from 5pm to 1am, seven days a week – sees one of Pennine Care’s mental health clinicians and a police officer attending incidents where someone is experiencing a mental health crisis.
That means local people quickly receive the right support, in the right place.
The clinician can assess patients at the scene to ensure every appropriate community-based care option is considered, so that accident and emergency units or an admission to a secure section 136 suite are a last resort for those who really need it.
The NHS Parliamentary Awards were launched in 2018, to celebrate the NHS’ 70th birthday, and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working across the health and care sector, in local communities.
Karen Maneely, network director of operations for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be crowned the North West excellence in mental health award winner.
“The service is having such a positive impact, so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to share our learning nationally.
“Developing the service has been a real labour of love for me, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise and commitment of everyone involved.
“This includes the mental health practitioners and officers who provide frontline care, the myriad support staff who plough away behind the scenes and the leads who helped break down barriers and drive forward the project.
“The success of the Oldham and Tameside pilot has led to the service being rolled out across all five of Pennine Care’s boroughs.
“We’re committed to building on this success, so we can continue to provide the right care to people experiencing a mental health crisis and better support their family and friends.”