Thanks to everyone who joined us for our annual members’ meeting yesterday. The videos and presentations will be available to view on our website soon. We also shared this video with some highlights from the 2024-2025 financial year across Pennine Care: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPCO...

Our vaccine team leads are busy rolling out the flu vaccine for NHS colleagues. Don't forget to book! These new NHS uniforms they're wearing are cheaper to produce, purchased nationally, made from sustainable materials and designed to last longer. This will save an estimated £7m a year.

Hope, connection and compassion remain so important in suicide prevention. Dr Sarmad Nadeem spoke at the Bury vigil & reflected on how moving it was. You can still get involved with the #MonthOfHope by taking Zero Suicide Alliance free online training or joining a Kooth suicide prevention webinar.

It was great to welcome Patricia Hughes, Jonathan Beebee, and Simon Browes from @rcn.org.uk to Pennine Care. They met with our colleagues to discuss the professional nursing strategy, tackling racism and hate crime, and reducing health inequalities for people from diverse backgrounds.

We're pleased to announce our #PennineCarePeople Award finalists 2025 🏆 It was a fantastic response, with 516 submissions across nine categories. Well done to all the nominees! Check out the full list of finalists and runners up: www.penninecare.nhs.uk/awards2025

Top effort from Beth, Kelly, Joey and Olivia, who took on Tough Mudder 15km, raising over £1300 for Pennine Care Charity and Hope unit 💪 Pennine Care Charity has 5 places at Manchester Marathon in April. Get in touch if you're up for a challenge to raise money to support mental health services.

Best wishes to our Jewish patients, colleagues & communities for Rosh Hashanah today & Yom Kippur next Wednesday. Chag Sameach (happy holiday) for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. G'mar chatima tovah (a good final sealing) for Yom Kippur the day of atonement. Wishing you a happy, healthy year.

The legendary Bunksy has been busy creating more art to celebrate some phenomenal #PennineCarePeople. Do you recognise any of these NHS heroes? Check out 'Pennine Bunksy' on Facebook and X for more masterpieces and to suggest someone who deserves a portrait 🖼

We were proud to welcome the Baton of Hope on its tour through Tameside on Friday. It was an incredibly moving and inspiring event, raising awareness of suicide prevention and mental health. Thanks to Anthony Seddon Fund for doing such a brilliant job of organising it. #BatonOfHope

It was great to welcome Louise Shepherd, NHS North West regional director, and @furbera.bsky.social last week. They met with Tameside living well service and heard from our military veterans' services. They also spoke with our chief executive Anthony Hassall, and chair Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE.

"I didn’t want either of [my sons] to feel the same silence I did when I lost Steph. I want them both to know they are never alone, that they can talk openly about their grief, & that there’s no shame in speaking about suicide." Tasha is carrying the #BatonofHope as it comes to Tameside on Friday.

Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day and the start of Greater Manchester Month of Hope. Events to get involved with: 👣 Bury memory walk, Kay Gardens, 6pm 🪨 Oldham positive pebble walk, from TOG Mind, 12 noon. 🕯️Tameside vigil at Anthony Seddon Centre, 8pm 💻 Online suicide prevention event, 10am

Walkerwood, our male psychiatric intensive care unit in Tameside, hosted their first carers event recently. The team shared valuable insights into the unit, their roles, and how they support patients during their stay. They also provided info about carers rights and support available to them.

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale mental health support team, parent infant mental health service, and #Thrive have been settling into their new base at Croft Shifa Health Centre. The new location is bright and airy, with a spacious waiting area and larger therapy rooms.

“By discovering the root cause of his issues, we could then develop the right coping mechanisms to allow him to improve his life." Noreen from Bury talking therapies service helped dad-of-three Aaron reclaim his life from increased levels of anxiety, anger and paranoia. Full story on our website.

This post box is a thoughtful example of personalised dementia care and a non-pharmacological intervention, created by technical instructor Sarah. The post box serves as a distraction tool and reduces the need for medication, which Sarah provided to the care home with numerous tips and suggestions.

The Baton of Hope comes to Tameside on Friday 12 September. It's about suicide prevention - raising awareness and encouraging conversations about suicide and mental health. We're proud to be a stop on the baton tour. Ria from our early intervention team has more info www.youtube.com/shorts/bCWLb...

“The dark memories will stay with me forever, but they no longer control me. I can smile again and embrace what is good in my life.” Our Military Veterans' Service helped army veteran Kris 'get his life back', through therapy sessions. Read the full story at: www.penninecare.nhs.uk/about-us/lat...

Join us for our annual members meeting – a chance to connect, reflect, and look ahead together. 🗓️ Thursday 25 September 🕒 5-7pm 📍 Earl Business Centre, Oldham (Earl Mill) Expect updates, inspiring stories, a celebration of progress, and opportunities to ask questions. RSVP on our website.

The rumours are true, #BunksyIsBack! The elusive artist 'Pennine Bunksy' has returned for a limited time to celebrate and showcase more of our amazing colleagues. Here are some of their first portraits since returning. They also accept nominations through their Facebook and X/Twitter pages.

Rowan ward's culture days are helping patients and colleagues to celebrate diversity. The service recently held a Spanish-themed event, led by student nurse Celia. Celia shared her Spanish heritage through music, dancing, quizzes, interactive sessions and traditional Spanish food.

“The atmosphere was amazing, as we walked through the crowds, you could feel a real sense of love and gratitude for the NHS and the work we do." Cassy and some of our #PennineCarePeople took part in the #ManchesterPride parade at weekend, alongside NHS colleagues. Did you spot them in the parade?

We’re now smokefree across all our hospital sites and services, meaning smoking won’t be allowed anywhere in or out of our hospitals. Our treating tobacco dependency team and ward staff can help you to find the best support option, if you are staying on our wards.

Stockport young and rare dementia group in have been sharing their lived experience with nursing students @salforduni.bsky.social The EDUCATE group includes people living with young onset and rarer forms of dementia. Their stories challenge misconceptions and gave students a deeper understanding.

The allotment run by Stockport young and rare dementia service is a space for friendship, therapeutic activity and building confidence. It gives people purpose and a safe, familiar environment with new friends who understand them. They recently help a strawberry fair to enjoy some of the produce.

“I’m no longer binge eating and it’s becoming more natural. I’ve seen a real shift in the past few weeks, and I feel really close to full recovery.” Carl has thanked Tameside living well service and eating disorders service for changing his life. Read the full story on our website.

Across Greater Manchester, 30 children have joined a research trial for pioneering talking therapy to help those who hear voices, see visions and experience or feel presences that others don’t. The 'ChUSE trial' is a feasibility study exploring tailored support for children. Details on our website.

Congrats to Cheryl Algie, assistant practitioner at Cambeck Close short break service, on the 'support worker excellence award' from NHS England's chief nursing officer. The award recognises Cheryl's outstanding work and commitment, having worked in learning disability services for over 20 years.

Congratulations to our young people’s mental health research centre on making the shortlist for the @hsj.co.uk Awards 🙌 The team is a finalist for the ‘reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for children and young people’ category. Winners are announced in November 🤞

Three of our child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Rochdale are moving to Croft Shifa Health Centre, from Tuesday 12 August: - #Thrive - Parent infant mental health services - Mental health support team Contact details and services will remain the same. More info on our website.

Well done these fab five CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) colleagues who took on the Cheshire Inflatable 5k for Pennine Care Charity. Lauren, Lisa, Mandy, Abigail and Katie raised £500, which will go directly towards supporting young people and their families.

We've replaced outdated fluorescent lighting with energy-efficient LED fittings at nine of our sites. These improve lighting quality and cut down on maintenance, running costs and carbon emissions, in line with our green plan. The upgrade will save over £82k per year and 330 tonnes of carbon.

We're supporting the #CONNECTDigitalStudy, to test if a smartphone, wearable device & questionnaires can collect info to predict relapse of psychosis. The study team @manchester.ac.uk are looking for over 16s with experience of psychosis, willing to use smart devices to monitor their mental health.

"What Danielle did that evening was simply amazing. She handled it perfectly, kept me informed and calmed my mum down – which is rare. She didn’t just help my mum; she helped all of us.” British transport joint response helps people in mental health crisis: www.penninecare.nhs.uk/about-us/lat...

Our child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) colleagues were on Oldham Community Radio to talk all things mental health. Lauren & Lisa spoke about the role of mental health support teams, early help & the CAMHS marketplace at Mahdlo on 20 August. Listen: www.mixcloud.com/OldhamCommun...

Have you tried mindfulness before? Our Oldham child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) have created this new interactive mindfulness board, with tips and practices to help with stress, anxiety and focus. You can also find some practices to try on our website.

Joanne Ellis, our clinical lead for early intervention in psychosis, has been awarded a @nihr.bsky.social fellowship for groundbreaking suicide prevention research. Joanne will use this to develop the UK’s first tailored suicide prevention intervention for people at risk of psychosis.

Our new Café Connect at Birch Hill Hospital raises money to help people’s mental health. Profits go towards Pennine Care Charity, to fund community-based groups and enhancements to therapeutic environments. It serves Starbucks drinks, hot and cold food, with space to relax and recharge.

Congrats to Saira Tareen, consultant psychiatrist at Stockport CAMHS, on being named our latest research star of the month. Saira won the award for her contribution to the Arts4Us study, which explores how creative activities can support the mental health of children and young people.

Just like today's date, @samaritans.bsky.social are 24/7 - you can call them any time you need someone to talk to. Phone 116 123 #SamaritansAwarenessDay

“Everyone who comes to live with us becomes part of the family and it’s been a hugely rewarding experience.” We’re a foster friendly employer, with flexible working and paid leave to support colleagues like Steve, a foster carer with his wife Donna for 13 years. Full story on our website.

Congratulations to Sarah, Bryan, Clinton and Taylor, our four corporate apprentices, who recently finished their apprenticeship programme. They each brought excellent skills and personality to placements in finance, pharmacy, education and training, information governance and records management.

Café Connect is our new charity café at Birch Hill Hospital, John Elliot Unit. It offers Starbucks drinks and a selection of hot and cold food. The money raised goes to Pennine Care Charity. We have an official launch later this month, but you can still call in for a coffee in the meantime.

All our inpatient wards and units across Rochdale are now officially smoke-free. Work is also underway at The Meadows in Stockport to make the site smoke-free by September. If you are staying on one of our wards and usually smoke, we have a variety of options to support you while in hospital.

Our early intervention in psychosis teams and partners in Rochdale, Bury and Stockport have been using nature to support people with serious mental illness. Early findings show that the project has been valuable - some patients have gone on to volunteer or even start work.

Liam and Noel were Definitely Maybe at Fairfield hospital yesterday to warm up for their next gig at Heaton Park. Some Might Say this was their best performance since the reunion. Everyone on North Ward was feeling Supersonic after an Oasis-inspired event with classic tunes and karaoke.

“I’m determined to use my career to help bridge the gaps that exist within healthcare to ensure people access support they need to live a healthier and longer life.” Stockport student nursing associate Phoebe has made a huge impact early in her NHS career: www.penninecare.nhs.uk/about-us/lat...

Sue, Eilis, Tracy and Belinda from our Tameside and Glossop autism assessment team have been taking on a step challenge and helping to raise autism awareness. If you live in Tameside and Glossop, you can find more information about autism and how to refer for an assessment on our website.

Looking to advance your research career and learn about creative research methods with young people? This new role with our Research Centre could be for you www.nhsjobs.com/job/UK/Manch... Guidance for applications: www.bps.org.uk/psychologist... @penninecarenhs.bsky.social @arc-gm.bsky.social

Congrats to Oldham community mental health champions on winning equalities champion at Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards. We're also proud to three other finalists: Rochdale Living Well Team (collaboration), Baba Babalola (people’s champion), and Phoebe Hall (learner of the year).