This page explains a change to how Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust work together to support people who use mental health services in Manchester.

What is changing?

From 1 October 2026, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust will share responsibility for your care in a different way. This is to make sure each part of your care is provided by the organisation best placed to support you.

• Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust will be responsible for provide mental health care and treatment.
• Manchester City Council will be responsible for social care and support.

The change has been agreed by both organisations. It is being introduced carefully so your support continues safely.

Why is this happening?

Manchester City Council is responsible for adult social care in Manchester. For the last few years, some mental health social care services have been provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of the council.

This arrangement is ending on 30 September 2026. This means the staff who provide adult mental health social care in Manchester will move back to Manchester City Council employment from 1 October 2026.

These staff will continue to work in mental health social care and provide the same type of support. They will just become part of the wider adult social care team in Manchester.

What does this mean for you?

The most important thing to know is that you will continue to receive the care and support you need.

You do not need to worry about your care stopping because of this change. Your current care plan will continue to guide the support you receive.

We recognise that change can be unsettling. We are working together to do everything we can to make the transition as straightforward as possible.

GMMH and MCC will continue to work closely to ensure this transition is as safe, seamless and well-coordinated as possible. Our priority is the continued delivery of high‑quality community mental health care and support with minimal disruption.

Where possible, you will continue to see the same staff and be supported by professionals you already know. The main difference is that social care staff will be employed by Manchester City Council instead of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

In some cases, your support may involve more than one professional. For example, you may have support from a health professional and a social care worker. They will still work together to support you.

Do you need to do anything?

No. You do not need to take any action.

If you have questions, you can speak to your usual worker. You can also ask to speak to a manager from either health or social care.

Contact details for the people involved in your support should be in your care plan.

Help shape future mental health social care services

This change also gives us a chance to improve mental health social care services in Manchester for the future.

We are already working to strengthen teams and make sure we have the right staff in place to support people across the city.

We also want to work with staff, service users, families and carers to design the best possible adult social care service for people with mental health needs in the future.

There will be opportunities for service users to be involved. This is called co-production. It means people who use services help shape how those services develop.

If you would like to be involved in this exciting work, please email us at ourMHdeliverymodel@manchester.gov.uk