Mental health employment service helps 4,300 people across Greater Manchester

An NHS employment support programme in Greater Manchester has helped 4,300 people with severe mental illness since April 2025, exceeding its NHS target by more than 40%.

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service helps people receiving mental health care to find, remain in and progress in paid employment, with employment support provided as part of their wider mental health treatment.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust delivers IPS services across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs in partnership with social enterprises Pure Innovations, PossAbilities and The Growth Company. This sits alongside a complementary primary care IPS service commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Around 70 employment specialists work across Greater Manchester mental health services, supporting people with areas including exploring career options, developing skills, completing applications, preparing for interviews and settling into employment.

Just under half of people who start IPS move into paid employment, with people supported into roles ranging from joiner and prison officer to special educational needs teaching assistant and water technician.

Pennine Care said evidence indicates IPS generates around £6,000 in savings per person through reduced hospital admissions, fewer relapses and lower rates of readmission. Based on this year’s figures, the trust estimates the Greater Manchester service generated savings of £25.8 million for the NHS during 2025/26.

Anthony Hassall, Chief Executive of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said the programme was helping address the exclusion from employment experienced by many people with severe mental illness, while improving wellbeing, reducing inequality and supporting greater independence.

Additional funding has now been confirmed for 2026/27, allowing the service to expand further across Greater Manchester as it works towards becoming a centre of excellence.

IPS forms part of wider efforts to combine employment support with mental health treatment and help more people experiencing severe mental illness access meaningful paid work.

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