Manchester Menopause Hive

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

This is the first inspection for Manchester Menopause Hive since its registration with CQC in May 2025. This key question has been rated as Good.

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance, assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

We found that the provider had clear and effective governance processes, which supported the safe delivery of care and customer satisfaction.

Staff were clear about their individual responsibilities and knew who was accountable for each aspect of the service.

This service scored 86 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity of experience and improving patient experience. This sentiment was evidenced as embedded from the staff meeting records, information provided by staff we talked with and by the completed CQC staff feedback forms.

Records from meetings and feedback from staff indicated the service had inclusive leaders who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support. The content and tone of meeting records indicated the provider had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively.

The tone and manner of interactions experienced during the inspection and observed between visitors to the location and the lead GP indicated leadership led with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders provided evidence of outstanding examples of community and outreach work with communities where women might find it difficult to access information about the modern care treatment and philosophy concerning the management of menopause symptoms.

The service participated in or held at least seven educational or advisory events, since registering with CQC in May 2025, targeted at groups of women from all socio-economic backgrounds. This has been in a variety of community settings in all parts of the Northwest.

Specific hard to reach communities they worked with included people with refugees and asylum seeker status, black and minority ethnic communities, and communities in towns identified as having health disparities for socio-economic reasons.

Leaders were active in finding forums to educate people about the menopause in diverse ways. The agenda for the different types of events included facilitating discussions; imparting information; teaching coping skills such as breathing exercises; updates about what is available on the NHS and guidance on how to access. These activities were free of charge.

MMH also provided training to independent companies who want their staff to have a better understanding of menopause and how to ensure all staff are able to be their best selves, and able to provide and request support at work.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voices would be heard. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns outside of MMH.

The Freedom to Speak Up protocol is only a statutory requirement for NHS Trust and considered best practice in primary care.

Processes in place promoted the possibility of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Staff had attended Equality, Diversity and Human Rights training. An equality and diversity policy was also in place.

The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took confidentiality and information security seriously and were signed up for meeting ISO standards for information security. The leader of Manchester Menopause Hive supported staff who were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. Leaders also had their own practice peer reviewed from a colleague independent from MMH. Evidence indicated action was taken in response to appraisals and peer review.

Leaders provided evidence of outstanding examples of community and outreach work with communities where women might find it difficult to access information about the modern care treatment and philosophy concerning the management of menopause symptoms.

The service participated in or held at least seven educational or advisory events, since registering with CQC in May 2025, targeted at groups of women from all socio-economic backgrounds. This has been in a variety of community settings in all parts of the Northwest.

Specific hard to reach communities they worked with included people with refugees and asylum seeker status, black and minority ethnic communities, and communities in towns identified as having health disparities for socio-economic reasons.

There was an exceptional focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement at Manchester Menopause Hive. The team were enthusiastic about the learning opportunities available for improving and enhancing menopause care and treatment.

The team measured outcomes to identify possible improvements through internal audits. The clinical team attended subject matter expert conferences to ensure they were updated about new innovations and changes to established treatments.

The service subscribed to gold standard menopause advisory organisations and publications.

There was a programme of regular auditing to review the experience and outcomes for people, this focused on improving care and treatment.

All feedback from patients was recorded and used for monitoring and learning.

The provider described that future plans included participation in research initiated by reputable menopause organisations and universities.