Our Services
Our self care Wellbeing Advent Calendar returns
Throughout December, our Wellbeing Advent Calendar will share daily tips to help you look after your health. Each day will have a new tip to help you stay well and healthy during the run up to Christmas.
We know it can be hard to prioritise your mental health, especially at this time of year. That’s why our calendar is designed to inspire you to take a moment each day to check in with yourself and practise a bit of self care.
And just like any Advent Calendar, each “door” can only be opened on the day – so there’s always a little daily treat to look forward to. Please follow our social channels and join us as we count down to Christmas, staying healthy and positive together.
Newest health care facility in the NHS becomes operational
Mossley Hill, the newest building in the NHS, has become operational and officially opened as a state of the art inpatient unit that ends dormitory style care for mental health patients in Liverpool.
The 80 bed facility was built on the site of the old Mossley Hill Hospital and completed last month (October 2025). Final checks took place before patients moved into the £80 million site. It was partly funded from Public Dividend Capital (PDC) from the Department of Health. More information is available in the news pages of our website.
New training dates released for Autism and Mental Health training
A new set of training dates for our Autism and Mental Health training, delivered by our Autism and Mental Health Support Team, has been released. It’s aimed at health and social care professionals to help you understand and work effectively with adults with autism in your services.
More information about the courses and how to register for the training, can be found on the specialist webpage on our website.
New video released to allow users to prepare for NHS Talking Therapies
A new video which aims to prepare people before they access NHS Talking Therapies has been released and explains how to make the most of sessions and begin their journey towards improving their mental wellbeing.
The new video, produced by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, is called 'Readiness for Therapy' and has been developed to help those attending sessions to understand what therapy involves, what they can do to get the best from their sessions and how to prepare for the changes ahead. More information available in the news section of our website.
Physical health care in mental health wards
We’re transforming care in our mental health and learning disability wards by integrating physical health support alongside mental health treatment. This approach ensures every patient receives proactive, preventative and responsive whole person care.
People with severe mental illness often face significant physical health challenges. Our new approach aims to improve management of long term physical health conditions, prevent avoidable deterioration, reduce unnecessary hospital transfers and enhance patient experience and staff confidence.
The new model’s been fully tested and evaluated on five of our wards and will now be rolled out to all inpatient wards in Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley via a phased implementation, ahead of winter. Planning in Halton, Warrington and St Helens, where the Trust does not provide community physical health services, will involve collaboration with local partners to ensure equitable provision across our footprint. More information is available on our website.
Thinking of a career in psychological practice? New book release: Building a Career as a Psychological Practitioner
A book co-authored by Elspeth Ward, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner in our Talking Therapies service, was published on 1 December.
Building a Career as a Psychological Practitioner is designed as a practical and accessible guide for anyone interested in pursuing roles such as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP), Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), or Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner (MHWP) - several of which we have at Mersey Care.
The book also offers clear advice on career pathways, skills development and what to expect in these rewarding roles. It’s a resource for anyone considering a future in psychological practice.
More information can be found on the publisher’s website and you can also read a free article on the British Psychological Society’s website called ‘Navigating your career as a Psychological Practitioner.’
Mersey Care trials initiative to reduce falls with 'Ready, Steady, Go'
Mersey Care is trialling a new dedicated falls prevention campaign which aims to reduce the incidence and impact of falls within inpatient services.
National statistics estimate falls cost the NHS around £2.3 billion annually (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) affecting patient physical and psychological wellbeing and independence.
As one of the largest mental and community health trusts in the North West, Mersey Care has structured a three stage exercise programme tailored to patient’s individual needs called, ‘Ready, Steady, Go,’ which is being trialled with a view to extending it throughout the Trust. More information in the news section of our website.
Our Achievements
BABS service featured as Cheshire and Merseyside’s best practice
Our Building Attachment and Bonds Service (BABS) was featured recently as a best practice case study in the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s ‘Connect’ publication, highlighting its services as demonstrating what “neighbourhood health and care integration looks like”.
It includes moving videos of parents and families explaining what the BABS service has done for them and contributions from those who helped shape the service, which is co-located within family hubs across Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Warrington. More information about the service can be found on their specialist webpage.
RCP award for Professor Nusrat Hussain
Huge congratulations to Professor Nusrat Husain, the Trust’s lead for the Global Centre for Research on Mental Health Inequalities, who was awarded the 2025 President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
This prestigious award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to improving mental health policy, public knowledge, education and patient care in challenging circumstances. Recipients are chosen by the College President and approved by the Nominations Committee.
Merit Coin awarded for support of veterans
Chris Ormandy-Brooks, our Integrated Care Team Co-Ordinator, has been awarded the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) Merit Coin - an honour given to those who make a significant impact on the lives of veterans and their families.
He is an ex-service man, serving for nine years in the RAF before leaving in 2011. After his military service, Chris retrained as a nurse, graduating in Adult Nursing from Edgehill. He went on to become a District Nurse Team Leader at Mersey Care and in March this year, joined the interdisciplinary Integrated Care Team (ICT).
Our Organisational Effectiveness team leads the way
Congratulations to our Organisational Effectiveness Team, who have won Best Public Organisation Award at the national Business Culture Awards. This prestigious recognition marks the team’s outstanding work in cultural innovation and the development of an assessment and triage model.
In addition to this achievement, the team was also shortlisted for Best Employee Initiative for the ‘Your Voice Your Change’ methodology which we have used to listen to our workforce in a more in-depth way rather than the use of traditional surveys.
Our Research
Mersey Care and M-RIC awarded funding to transform mental health research through a Secure Data Environment
Mersey Care and the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) have been awarded funding by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to lead a groundbreaking mental health data initiative.
The Trust and M-RIC will work in partnership with DATAMIND to establish a Secure Data Environment for NIHR’s UK Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration. This will make it easier for researchers to better understand mental health conditions and improve treatments. More information is available on the M-RIC website.
Mental health project for children wins significant government funding
The Arts for the Blues programme, developed to support people with depression through creative arts, has been awarded funding by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The award, from NIHR’s Research for Patient Benefit programme, will fund a feasibility study to assess how well the programme works for children and young people in several hospitals, exploring which aspects are positively received and any areas for improvement.
Professor Vicky Karkou, director of Edge Hill’s Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, will lead the study in collaboration with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and the Universities of Salford, Liverpool and Greenwich. More information is available on the M-RIC website.
Representing research at Nursing Live
M-RIC team members Oladayo Bifarin and Michelle Harvey presented at this year’s prestigious Nursing Live event in Birmingham, which is attended annually by thousands of clinical staff.
They spoke at the event about building research capacity in underrepresented disciplines and how Count Me In is widening participation in research.
Get Involved
Mersey Cares’ Secret Santa Appeal – just a few days left to buy a gift
Our Secret Santa Appeal is well underway to support children and young people, who access our services, with a Christmas gift. Many are facing challenging circumstances, so your kindness really will make a difference.
- Last date to choose a gift from our Amazon Wishlist, curated by nurses who care for patients and service users within our services, is Monday 8 December (so don’t delay if you’d like to get involved)
- If you miss this date don’t worry, you can still make a monetary contribution to our Secret Santa Fund and we will buy and send a gift for you.
Please have a look at our new video from our Children in Care nurses to see how our appeal can make a real difference.
Halton CYPMHS join Liverpool Santa Dash to raise funds
Halton Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (CYPMHS) are running the Liverpool Santa Dash on 7 December. The service supports children and young people with their emotional and mental health and wellbeing across Widnes and Runcorn. All money raised will support the service to improve both service user and staff experience.
You can help them to reach their target by pledging a donation on their page and if you would like to take part in the event for Mersey Cares, although the online entries are now closed, you can still register and collect your Santa suit at the pop-up shop in St Johns Centre, Liverpool until Saturday 6 December. More information is available on the website.
Other fundraising opportunities with Mersey Cares
Run Aintree (14 December): Join us for a unique fundraiser at the world famous Aintree racecourse. Swap Christmas wrapping for running with a 5k, 10k or half marathon distance on offer.
Liverpool Half Marathon and 10 Miler 2026: Looking ahead to the New Year, the Liverpool Half Marathon is well on its way to selling out, with 10 Miler places already full. If you'd like to take part for Mersey Cares, don't delay in reserving your place. Find out more about the Run Aintree event and BTR Liverpool Half and 10 Miler 2026 on the website.
If you want to know more about where the money raised goes, please take a look at our latest Impact Report for 2024-25.
MC Magazine
Available now: MC Magazine winter issue
Read real life stories:
- Music as medicine – how the power of music can benefit health
- Winter well – ways to stay healthy in the coldest season
- Unforgivable – how a Mersey Care psychologist’s work inspired a BBC drama
- Protein packing – a dietitian explains if it’s health or hype
- Perinatal mental health – a mum describes how support changed her life
- Benefits of volunteering – why it’s good for you to volunteer your time
- Falls prevention – a new campaign by Longmoor House to keep patients safe.
Join our stakeholder news mailing list
Do you know someone who wants to learn more about Mersey Care by joining our stakeholder mailing list? Please ask them to fill in the form on our website and they’ll be the first to hear all our news.