The true cost to the public of two major external reviews into Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) has finally been revealed following a successful Freedom of Information internal review.
NHS England has confirmed that the combined cost of Professor Oliver Shanley’s Independent Review and subsequent Assurance Review was £937,531, including VAT. The figures were released only after NHS England overturned its original decision to withhold the information under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which relates to commercial interests.
The disclosed costs are:
- Independent Review (published January 2024): £805,194
- Follow-up Assurance Review (completed late 2025): £132,337
- Total public expenditure: £937,531
The decision to release these figures is significant in its own right. NHS England’s original refusal relied on the argument that disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. However, following an internal review, that position was abandoned, demonstrating that the exemption could not ultimately be justified in the public interest. Transparency was achieved only because the decision was challenged.
For CHARM and many others concerned with patient safety, organisational learning and accountability, the figures prompt a number of important questions.
Nearly one million pounds of public money has been invested in understanding and improving governance at GMMH. The obvious question is whether this expenditure has translated into measurable and sustainable improvements for patients, families, carers and staff. Have the recommendations resulted in demonstrable changes to safety, openness, family involvement and organisational culture, or do the same concerns continue to emerge?
The disclosure also raises wider questions about how NHS England evaluates the effectiveness and value for money of externally commissioned reviews. Independent investigations can provide valuable scrutiny, but they also represent a substantial investment of public resources. There should therefore be clear evidence that recommendations are implemented, monitored and lead to lasting improvement rather than becoming another report on the shelf.
Finally, the scale of expenditure reflects the exceptional level of external oversight that GMMH has required in recent years. Few NHS trusts are subject to repeated, high-cost independent reviews of this nature. This inevitably raises questions about the Trust’s internal governance arrangements, its learning culture and its capacity to identify and address serious problems without repeated external intervention.
These issues resonate strongly with concerns that have consistently been raised by families, carers and advocacy organisations. Transparency, effective governance, meaningful organisational learning and genuine engagement with those affected by service failures remain central to restoring confidence in mental health services.
CHARM welcomes NHS England’s decision to release this information. Openness about the use of public funds is an essential part of public accountability,
