FOI 2025/1508

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from your ICB:

Section 1: Information about completing this FOI request

a. Who has contributed to this FOI response? Please provide job titles, not names.

Section 2: Information about children and young people

a. Do you have an Executive Lead for Children and Young People (0-25)? [Y/N].

i. If yes, what is their name and email address?

b. Please can you share your ICB’s plans or strategies relating to children and young people?

i. Within these plans or strategies, please can you highlight where therapeutic play (sometimes referred to as health play) or play is featured?

c. Do you have any guidance/policies on how play should be delivered in the healthcare settings in your ICB? [Y/N]

i. If yes, please share it with us if you can.

Section 3: Information about play budgets

a. Does your ICB have an annual budget/fund specifically for play in healthcare? [Y/N]

• • If yes:

• • 1. How much was this budget/fund in FY24-25 (from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025)?
    2. What percentage/proportion of funding in paediatric services was allocated to play services in FY24-25 (from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025)?

Section 4: Information about the Play Well Toolkit

a. Has your ICB adopted or committed to adopt the Play Well guidelines (NHS England, 2025) in your commissioning of paediatric services? [Y/N]

i. If not, please say why not.

b. Does your ICB follow the NICE guideline on Babies, children and young people’s experience of healthcare (NICE, 2021)? [Y/N]

i. If yes, what measures has your ICB put in place to implement that part of NICE’s guidance specifically on play in healthcare? [Y/N]

Section 5: Information about measurement tools for 0-17 year olds

a. Do any of the non-mental healthcare settings in your ICB collect any data on children and young people’s mental health? [Y/N]. If yes, please share the measurement tools if you can.

i. Do any of these data relate to mental health indicators arising from patients’ healthcare experiences? [Y/N]

Section 6: Information about your ICB’s Neighbourhood Health Service

a. Does your ICB’s Neighbourhood Health and Care Model feature or mention play in healthcare? [Y/N]. If yes, please share where it is featured if you can.

b. Does your ICB host any of the Neighbourhood Health Service pilot areas? [Y/N]

1. If yes, how many?
2. If yes, do these pilot areas include children and young people’s multi-disciplinary teams? [Y/N]
3. If yes, do these children and young people’s multi-disciplinary teams include health play professionals (e.g., community health play specialists)? [Y/N]
4. If yes, within these pilot areas, does the integration with wider services include the involvement of any play services or projects? [Y/N]

1. Associate Director – Strategic Commissioning

Associate Programme Director Children & Young People

Director of Strategy

2.a. Yes

Katherine Sheerin, Chief Healthcare Commissioning Officer (from 1 January 2026)

Email: gm.icp@nhs.net (please mark for the attention of the title of the colleague/s you would like to contact in the subject field).

b. Greater Manchester Children & Young People Joint Forward Plan.

Joint Forward Delivery Plan for Children & Young People 2024

c. No

3. NHS Greater Manchester commissions a wide range of healthcare services from a large number of providers. Budgets are set to fund the value of contracts. Budgets are not specifically recorded for play in healthcare. In respect of contracts with NHS providers, block contracts exist which do not separately identify the costs of individual services, which may or may not include play in healthcare services. In respect of individually commissioned care, packages of care are commissioned to meet the health needs of the individual; these are not separately recorded as play in healthcare. No specific budget or fund exists for play in healthcare services.

4. NHS GM are not aware if the guidelines have been adopted, however, there are play specialists in provider trusts who may be able to provide you with the information you seek. To assist you please find links to the Trust’s websites and information about how to make a Freedom of Information request below.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs.uk)

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

5. NHS GM does not hold the level of detailed information requested; it will be necessary for you to contact the Provider Trusts commissioned in Greater Manchester for the information you seek. To assist you, please find below links to their websites with information about how to make a Freedom of Information request.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs.uk)

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

5. NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) does not hold the level of detailed information requested; it will be necessary for you to contact the Provider Trusts commissioned in Greater Manchester for the information you seek. To assist you, please find below links to their websites with information about how to make a Freedom of Information request.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs.uk)

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

6.a. No.

b. Yes.

i. Two – Stockport and Rochdale

ii. Yes.

iii. No.

iv. N/A