Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework

We continue to support the roll out of NHS England and Improvement’s Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) across four pilot sites.

The PCREF is a competency framework that is a key part of NHS England and Improvement’s Advancing Mental Health Equality Strategy.

It was initially developed by the College’s National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH), as part of the Mental Health Act Review. It was informed by a range of surveys that highlighted the need for action to reduce racial disparities in mental healthcare.

These four pilot sites are:

• South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• East London NHS Foundation Trust
• Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

The sites have been engaging with their local communities to develop competencies that will enable them to best meet the needs of patients from ethnic minority groups in the populations they serve.

We recently shared our support for this work with members of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, with our two Presidential Leads for Race and Equality (Dr Shubulade Smith and Dr Raj Mohan) presenting a webinar on systematic approaches to achieving equality in mental health.

Dr Smith, Presidential Lead for Race and Equality and Clinical and Strategic Director of NCCMH, says:

“The PCREF will be critical in helping address longstanding issues that impact access, experience and outcomes for ethnic minority groups in mental health services.

“The College was one of the driving forces behind ensuring the PCREF recommendation was taken forward by the Government.

“The progress made by the pilot sites will inform and advance this important national work as it moves to its next stage in 2022.

“The College will support mental health organisations to achieve the necessary competencies to advance mental health equality in a systematic manner.”

Back to our November 2021 eNewsletter.