Stakeholder Newsletter - April 2026

Welcome to our April stakeholder newsletter from Trish Bennett MBE, Chief Executive Officer

Welcome to our latest stakeholder newsletter, with updates on the news and initiatives from across our Trust to share with your teams, communities and stakeholders.

I’m delighted to welcome our new Chair, Sheena Cumiskey MBE, who will take up her role in July subject to completion of employment checks. She brings extensive experience of working in mental health, community health, learning disabilities and autism. I’m sure she will strengthen our Executive Board and bring fresh ideas as we progress over the coming years. There is more information about Sheena’s appointment included below.

We’re also thrilled to be awarded the highest Triangle of Care award, Star 3, which recognises our commitment to partnership working between people receiving care, unpaid carers and health care professionals. We’ve worked hard to support and recognise carers at Mersey Care, including developing our Carers’ Strategic Plan and divisional strategic leadership roles dedicated to supporting carers, and it’s great to be recognised in this way.

Another form of recognition for everyone who works so hard at the Trust also arrived after I collected an MBE at Windsor Castle for services to the NHS on Merseyside. I’ve always regarded the award as one for everyone who works here at Mersey Care, for their hard work, innovation and determination to provide the best health care available for our communities. On behalf of everyone who contributes to that, I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has contacted me since offering congratulations.

Finally, if you have any queries or would like more information about any of the items in this newsletter, please let us know by emailing our communications team: communications@merseycare.nhs.uk

Our Services

Sheena Cumiskey MBE appointed as Trust’s new Chair

Sheena Cumiskey MBE has been appointed Mersey Care’s new Chair by the Council of Governors, subject to employment checks. She is expected to take up the role in July and succeeds David Fillingham CBE, who was appointed Interim Chair last December.

During a long and distinguished career in health, Sheena was awarded an MBE for services to mental health in 2022 and named HSJ’s Chief Executive of the Year award in 2015. She currently serves as Vice Chair, Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Quality and Outcomes Committee at Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Sheena has also held local, regional and national advisory roles, including Chief Executive Advisor for the creation and production of the NHS Mental Health Long Term Plan in 2015. She also helped to develop the North West Leadership Academy and chaired it for 10 years. More information is available on the news pages of the website.

Mersey Care earns maximum Star 3 Award for Triangle of Care

Mersey Care has achieved the maximum Triangle of Care award, which recognises its strong commitment to partnership working between people receiving care, unpaid carers and health care professionals.

The Trust has been awarded Triangle of Care Star 3 following an independent peer reviewed assessment of physical and other services, which builds on previous one and two star awards achieved for its mental health, learning disability and other inpatient and community services. The Triangle of Care is a national quality improvement scheme led by Carers Trust. More information on the news pages of our website.

Save the date: Celebrating 10 years of The Life Rooms

The Life Rooms are celebrating their 10^th birthday in May by hosting open days

in Walton and Southport. Mersey Care staff, service users and the public are invited to find out more about the service through interactive stalls, performances and activities from partner organisations. We’ll also premiere our 10 year anniversary video – a poem written and delivered by our service users. More information is available at the Life Rooms website.

Our Achievements

Regional Award for Liverpool Place team

Congratulations to our Liverpool Place Population Health Team, who have been confirmed as regional champion in the Neighbourhood Health category for the first ever NHS Excellence Awards.

They achieved the award by highlighting a range of collaborative activity across the system, including proactive use of Combined Intelligence for Population Health Action (CIPHA). This is an NHS data driven programme and secure intelligence platform designed to integrate health and social care data to improve population health, within our integrated care teams, Telehealth, and other specialist services led by partner organisations.

Regional champions for all 10 categories are now invited to the awards ceremony at NHS ConfedExpo 2026 in Manchester on 10 June when they will be assessed for a national award in each category, which will be selected by panels of senior leaders and award partners. 

Winner of Nursing Times Apprentice Nurse of the Year

Philip Lamb, one of our mental health nurses, has won the Nursing Times Apprentice Nurse of the Year and was also a finalist for the Mary Seacole Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion.

He has demonstrated exceptional resilience, courage and compassion throughout his nursing journey, using a wide range of experiences to shape a deeply inclusive and holistic approach to care. Philip has also shown a clear commitment to looking beyond the immediate clinical presentation to understand the wider needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged service users, while also advocating strongly for dignity, safety and equitable support.

Our Research

Mobile app study for low mood and motivation in young people

The Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) is inviting young people who are experiencing low mood or struggling with motivation to take part in a new study on an app called Oshn. Participants will receive vouchers as a thank you.

Register for the LCR ACES Conference 

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Research Alliance led by Liverpool John Moores University and M-RIC, is inviting interested parties to join their conference on 25 June in Liverpool to learn more about ACEs research which explores prevention and improving support for people who experience childhood trauma. The Alliance brings together the NHS, universities, local authorities and voluntary sector partners.

Research explores new treatments for bipolar depression

Mersey Care, in partnership with NHS University of Liverpool Hospitals Group and ALTO Neuroscience, is leading recruitment for a new study exploring a potential treatment for people living with bipolar depression.

The ALTO-100-211 research study is looking at people living with bipolar disorder who are currently experiencing symptoms despite ongoing treatment. If you’re living with this condition, you may be eligible to participate in the study. Find out more about the study on the M-RIC website.

Get Involved

New fundraising events added for 2026 – please help Mersey Cares

New fundraising events have been added for 2026 if you would like to get involved in raising vital funds for Mersey Cares, our dedicated charity. The additions include Tough Mudder 2026 and the Inflatable Obstacle Challenge (giant inflatables across 5 or 15km courses) which are perfect for teams and colleagues.

There are also options for those who like something different, including the UK’s highest regular bungee jump, events at Alton Towers (including ride access) and multiple dates at Aintree Racecourse for ‘Run Aintree’.

To mark Mersey Care turning 25, Mersey Cares is aiming to raise £25,000 through fundraising challenges over the next 12 months. Money raised enables the charity to fund projects that typically fall outside of NHS funding but make such a difference to service users, patients and staff. More information is available on the charity’s website.

‘Creative Connections’ art project begins at Thorn Road Clinic

An exciting new art project funded by Mersey Cares in collaboration with Mersey Care got underway in April to support service users and staff within Thorn Road Clinic and the Brooker Centre as part of Culture 26 celebrations.

The funding was secured by the charity to support Halton Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) with a ‘Creative Connections’ art project involving a six month programme of artist led workshops designed to support wellbeing and self expression. The project, which is part of a wider initiative to celebrate ‘Halton made creativity’, will culminate in a shared public exhibition celebrating participants’ artwork. More information can be found on the Mersey Cares website.

Upcoming charity events

Port Sunlight 10k, 5k and Kids’ Race

Join us in a month’s time on 7 June 2026 for a fun filled community event at Port Sunlight; the celebrated model village built by the Lever Brothers to house their soap factory workers. Today, it’s a stunning destination with over 900 Grade II listed buildings, 130 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens and an award winning museum.

The BTR Liverpool Port Sunlight events are a brilliant day out for friends, teams and individuals and a great choice for a first road race. From the scenic 10km to the more relaxed 5km, plus a kids’ race (1km) there’s something for everyone.

Jubilee Bridge 10k and Half Marathon

Want to add another road race to your achievements? This unique event on 7 June 2026 over the Grade II listed Jubilee Bridge, runs between Widnes and Runcorn stretching over the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. We’re offering our fund raisers subsidised places for just £20 so please help us raise funds to support the ‘extras’ that make such a difference to service users and patients accessing our services as well as our amazing NHS staff.

Why not register for the Jubilee Bridge 10k and Half Marathon or the BTR Liverpool Port Sunlight events?

Thank you for supporting our Easter Egg Appeal

A big thank you to everyone who supported our Easter Egg Appeal, with £500 donated online and 442 Easter eggs donated to collection points. It allowed our children in care nurses to deliver them to vulnerable children across our region.

Shelley Simmons, Team Leader for Looked after Children in St Helens, said, “Delivering the eggs has been a highlight for our team. Seeing the smiles on the children’s and young people’s faces has been incredibly rewarding and it’s shown just how much these small acts of kindness mean to them. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supported the campaign.” More information about the campaign can be found on Mersey Cares’ website.

Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Training for community staff

We are providing online training sessions for any professional working in Cheshire and Merseyside. It’s for anyone working in community mental health teams, recovery teams, support teams - all multidisciplinary team professionals are welcome. Find out more.

The session will run twice on Tuesday, 16 June and Wednesday, 17 June (both are 12 noon to 2pm).

MC Magazine

The Spring 2026 edition of MC Magazine is now available, but there will be changes to how we share our stories about our services, people and communities. We are moving away from producing a printed magazine and our new approach will be digital online. This decision reflects our changing media landscape, rising demand for timely digital content and the evolving needs of our stakeholders, partners and communities.

Our commitment to high quality stories that share our message remains the same. Our focus on features will expand and reach wider audiences more regularly and more effectively on our website and will be promoted across our social media channels.

The Spring issue includes:

• Mossley Hill Hospital - perspectives from staff working in the new state of the art hospital and its impact on patient experience and recovery
• Sustainability and the Green Plan - how Mersey Care is reducing its carbon footprint across clinical and corporate services
• The Life Rooms - how a comedy course has improved confidence, connection and wellbeing
• Nutrition and lifestyle - increasing fibre intake, including a recipe shared by a service user
• Understanding stress - recognising when it becomes harmful and how to manage it effectively
• Breastfeeding support - guidance for when challenges arise
• Creative wellbeing - how origami is supporting both staff and service users through Mersey Cares Charity and our Wellbeing Hub
• Cyber security - practical advice for parents and young people on strengthening digital resilience
• Recovery through movement - the role of physical activity in trauma recovery
• Healthy ageing - promoting independence and activity in later life
• Organ donation - a powerful personal story connected to a Mersey Care member of staff.