Better care, lower carbon
September 2025
October 2025
We completed to our switch to NHS 111, moving away from the old system of having local 0800 numbers for each area.
We launched our new Green Plan for 2025-2028, setting out what we’ll do over the next three years to reduce our carbon emissions and provide more sustainable care.
November 2025
We launched ‘Hospital to Home’, a new discharge model designed to ensure patient’s needs and individual circumstances are fully understood before leaving hospital. Each locality now has dedicated resource including bed management, discharge facilitators and social workers, collaborating to remove barriers for people who are clinically ready to be discharged.
We welcomed Lis Dunning as our new Executive Director of Finance.
We also began our pilot of the Learning Disability Inreach Transitions Team during the temporary closure of Rose Lodge, the first step in our extensive work to transform how we support people with a learning disability and autistic people who also have mental health needs.
December 2025
Five healthcare support workers - Kendall Robinson, Shola Daniel, Simon Connon, Alison Clarke and Gemma Hepple - were awarded the prestigious Chief Nursing Officer award, which recognises staff who consistently demonstrate NHS values in their everyday roles.
Our charitable SHINE Fund began a year-long partnership with St. Paul’s CE Primary School in Ryhope, Sunderland. Together, we will raise awareness of mental health, improve community connections, and support the next generation in developing tools to look after their wellbeing.
January 2026
We announced a major new research project which will examine how changes to police involvement in mental health crisis responses affect people, services and communities across England. The ‘PIONEER-MH’ study is being led by CNTW, Northumbria University and Newcastle University and is supported by £1.3 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
February 2026
We were honoured to be able to plant one of 49 saplings grown from seeds from the beloved Sycamore Gap tree. The sapling has been planted outside our Sycamore Unit in Northumberland, which was named after the iconic landmark.
March 2026
We opened the doors of Hope Haven in Whitehaven, a partnership hub which is one of six national pilots pioneering ways to provide more mental health support in local communities. 200 people walked through the door for support in its first week of opening.
April 2026
The CNTW Charity team were honoured to unveil a memorial bench in tribute to Clifford Knaggs, who left a generous legacy donation to our charity. The bench stands not only as a place of reflection, but as a symbol of Mr Knaggs’s kindness, compassion and enduring generosity.
May 2026
Our Newcastle and Gateshead Older Adult and Adult services completed their move from the Campus for Ageing and Vitality to St. Nicholas Hospital. The new facilities will provide an improved environment for patients, carers and staff.
June 2026
And 20 more colleagues and teams took home awards at our 2026 Staff Excellence Awards, which received over 1,220 entries.
July 2026
A special celebration marked the official opening of a newly developed outdoor space at Sycamore Unit, Northgate Hospital, centred on the Sycamore Gap sapling planted there in February. It has become a symbol of growth, hope and resilience for patients and staff at the unit.
To keep up with the fantastic things going on across CNTW throughout the year, you can visit the ‘news’ section of our website, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
This article is part of our 2026 Annual Magazine, all around the theme of 'learning and improving'. You can read the rest of the articles here.