Latest updates from North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

People using North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust services will soon be able to see their outpatient appointments through the NHS App. The new feature links the trust’s PatientAide portal with the NHS App, helping service users find important information in one simple, familiar place.

The Transforming Care Programme has transferred from Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU) to Combined Healthcare this week, following a commissioning decision by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Calling all consultants, GPs, nurses, allied health professionals – don’t delay, book your place today! The 9th National Neuropsychiatry Conference from Combined Healthcare is taking place on Thursday 15 October from 9am to 4:30pm at Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5BQ.

Combined Healthcare is pleased to announce that two projects from the trust’s learning disability services have been shortlisted for the 2026 Nursing Times Awards. The projects have been shortlisted for individual awards within the Learning Disability Nursing category.

Combined Healthcare, alongside other organisations within Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, are looking for organisations that are key contributors to serving our community’s health and social needs for our local population who would be interested in providing stretch placements for the 2026-2027 cohort of the High Potential Scheme (HPS).

The Oliver McGowan recruitment day focussed on employing more experts with lived experience of autism or learning disability, to support this essential training as co-facilitators. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training. This training is now standardised and recommended for all health and social care staff.

As NHS staff across the country continue to work under intense pressure, Combined Healthcare will be able to provide crucial support to help improve the wellbeing of local NHS staff, both now and in the future, thanks to a £49,998 grant from NHS Charities Together and NHS England. The grant has been awarded as part of an £11 million programme – which includes a £5 million contribution from NHS England – and is one of 61 ambitious projects across England to receive funding from the programme since its launch in 2024.

The latest digital learning film from Combined - unveiled today - features its Digital Trainer FRED (Finance and Resources Expert in Delivery) explaining the principles and practice lying behind our Cost Improvement Programme (CIP). The film is available in two formats. The first is a traditional 16:9 film, suitable for screens, mobile devices and tablets. The second places FRED in a fully immersive 360 degree virtual reality environment, and can be watched online or for the full immersive experience via a VR headset such as Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest Pro.

The latest edition of the “Combined Minds” show features a presentation, led by Associate Director of Communications. Joe McCrea, showcasing how North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is using innovation—particularly artificial intelligence (AI)—to transform risk management earning and training.