Triangle of Care is a nationally recognised programme that encourages a three-way relationship between healthcare staff, carers and the person receiving care to work together in partnership. By involving and supporting unpaid carers, this collaborative approach promotes safety, supports recovery and sustains wellbeing.

The national pilot, run by the Carers Trust, will look at how the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) can be integrated into the Triangle of Care, and how mental health services can better understand and respond to the experiences of racially marginalised carers.

These principles closely align with our carers charter and strategy, particularly our commitment to recognising, involving and supporting all carers. The pilot provides another valuable opportunity to strengthen and evolve our carer-friendly culture while promoting equity across our services.

Over the next 12 months participating organisations will put the Triangle of Care and PCREF guidance into practice, testing and refining, sharing learning on what works, and helping shape final recommendations to support wider adoption across mental health services.

Taking part in the pilot reflects our commitment to working in partnership with unpaid carers to improve experiences and outcomes and help build truly carer-friendly communities. This collaborative approach is essential to ensuring that services are developed in ways that are practical, inclusive and sustainable.

““We’re delighted to have been selected to take part in this important pilot. Unpaid carers play a crucial role in supporting the health and wellbeing of those they care for, and it’s essential that their voices are recognised and valued. “Our Carers charter and strategy are underpinned by the Triangle of Care and we’re delighted to support the Carers Trust to refresh and strengthen these principles. “Our recently published Health Inequalities Strategy also reaffirms our commitment to reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for all communities. This pilot provides an excellent opportunity to build on that commitment, working alongside carers and community partners to develop more inclusive, equitable and culturally responsive approaches to care. “We would particularly like to hear from racially marginalised carers who have supported someone accessing our mental health services. If you would like to get involved, please contact us"”
Kathryn MacDermott, Director of Strategic Planning at Berkshire Healthcare

Friends, Family, Carers team

Email: FriendsFamilyCarers@berkshire.nhs.uk

Supporting carers from overlooked communities

Anastasia Blaize chaired the PCREF and Triangle of Care Task and Finish Group, which co-produced the draft guidance alongside carers, and is Experience of Care Manager at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. 

““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.””
Anastasia Blaize, PCREF and Triangle of Care Task and Finish Group
““Supporting someone experiencing mental illness can be very challenging, and carers from racially marginalised communities often face additional barriers. We are grateful to Berkshire Healthcare 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.””
Mary Patel, Triangle of Care Programme Lead at Carers Trust

Find out more

You can find out more about our commitment to friends, family and carers