The aim of the project is to support mental health services to better understand the experiences of racially marginalised carers via the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF).
PCREF is a mandatory blueprint for all NHS mental health trusts and providers in England. It sets out clear actions they must take to reduce racial inequalities in their services, and forms part of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
A requirement for trusts to take part in the pilot is to be a member of the Triangle of Care, a nationally recognised scheme to ensure that unpaid carers are included, informed and supported throughout a person’s care journey. ELFT was confirmed as a member earlier this month.
Run by Carers Trust, the national pilot will support mental health providers over the next 12 months. ELFT will test and refine draft guidance aimed at improving how unpaid carers from racially marginalised communities are identified, involved and supported. The Triangle of Care and PCREF guidance will be put into practice, before ELFT shares learnings and helps to shape final recommendations for wider adoption across mental health services.
Commenting on ELFT being selected to join the pilot scheme, Director of Social Work, Mary Brazier, said: “ELFT is pleased to be selected to be a part of the second phase of this pilot, it will support us in insuring that our work supporting carers from our diverse communities is inclusive.”
Anastasia Blaize, who is the Chair of the PCREF and Triangle of Care Task and Finish Group, added: “PCREF is the first anti-racist framework of its kind, and encourages health professionals to have more open and direct conversations with patients and carers from Black, Asian and typically overlooked communities. We know that carers, friends and families from these communities can have difficulty trusting mental health services for a variety of reasons: by aligning the Triangle of Care with PCREF, we’re aiming to help health professionals understand the needs of families and carers and deliver the support and involvement these communities need.”
Mary Patel, Triangle of Care Programme Lead at Carers Trust, concluded: “Supporting someone experiencing mental illness can be very challenging, and carers from racially marginalised communities often face additional barriers. We are grateful to ELFT for joining this important pilot and helping us test how well the draft guidance reflects carers’ needs and experiences. We are also grateful to the carers and professionals across inpatient and community services who will share their insight, helping us to understand what works in practice and where further change is needed.”
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