Planned transfer of mental health services in Wigan revealed

The decision to press ahead with the next phase of the transfer was taken by NHS Wigan Borough CCG and Wigan Council and comes after NWBH announced its service and staff are transferring to Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in 2021.

GMMH are the largest provider of specialist inpatient and community mental health services across Greater Manchester, with services already provided in or bordering Wigan Borough.

Should this transfer go ahead, they will bring their long history of mental health service delivery to the next phase of transforming local services.

This will mean that it will be easier for local mental health services to work with their Greater Manchester colleagues and services and support the delivery of the Greater Manchester Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Wigan Borough Locality Plan.

They will work with our community and hospital provider, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, to continue to bring mental and physical health services closer together.

The staff who currently work in our local mental health services will be supported throughout the transfer.

Following a formal process and due diligence, a final decision will be taken later in the year and, if approved, it is expected that this transfer will occur in 2021.

This gives the opportunity to talk to local residents about what they need from mental health services in the future and how services can be improved and accessed.

Dr Tim Dalton, local GP and Chair of NHS Wigan Borough CCG, said, “North West Boroughs has done an excellent job of delivering our mental health services and I thank them for that.

"However, the acquisition of North West Boroughs by Mersey Care gives us the opportunity to review all our mental health services and consider a new way forward that brings us closer to wider Greater Manchester mental health services.

"We want to work with local residents during this process to update the service offer and access.Should this transfer go ahead, we are confident that Greater Manchester Mental Health

Trust will work with us to build on our successful services to get world-beating mental health services right here in Wigan and Leigh.”

Neil Thwaite, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “On behalf of everyone at GMMH, we are delighted to be welcoming Wigan Borough’s

mental health services to our Trust, subject to due diligence.

"We are confident that with their expertise, experience and local knowledge, we can work together to offer a high standard of care for people living in the Wigan Borough. By being part of the Greater Manchester locality, staff, service users and carers will have a key voice in shaping and improving mental health services for local communities.

"We are extremely enthusiastic about this opportunity to demonstrate how we can offer more integrated care pathways to ensure a sustainable future for the borough, and we look forward to working with our new colleagues, service users, carers, commissioners and the wider Wigan and Leigh community over the coming months.”

Simon Barber, Chief Executive at North West Boroughs Healthcare, said: “This decision is welcomed by our Wigan staff and services who are looking forward to the closer working it will offer with other parts of Greater Manchester.

“We’re confident the move for Greater Manchester Mental Health to deliver mental healthservice s in Wigan will benefit service users and staff and enable continued delivery of quality and safe care for the long term. A great outcome for local communities.”