Our PCREF Plan
To inform the development of this Patient Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) Plan, we commissioned the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) and its partners, Lingua GM and Jewish Action for Mental Health (JAMH), to undertake community engagement with racially marginalised communities across our Trust footprint.
Engagement with people with lived experience, carers, community leaders and faith groups highlighted recurring priorities for mental health service improvement, including trauma-informed approaches that are culturally responsive, human-rights based and shaped through genuine partnership with diverse communities.
Key themes identified through the engagement included:
- Earlier access to support and intervention
- Culturally responsive and culturally safe care
- Improved communication and language support
- Reduced reliance on crisis-led and restrictive pathways
- Stronger partnerships with community and voluntary sector organisations
- Increased accountability and transparency
Some participants described their experience as a 'cycle where language exclusion worsens access, poorer access increases crisis, crisis responses shape distrust, distrust reduces early help-seeking; and weak accountability sustains the cycle' (CAHN Community Engagement Report, 2026).
The evidence gathered through their engagement sessions reflects the lived experiences of the communities we serve and has informed the commitments we have made in this plan.
This initial engagement is a starting point will shape future community engagement activities with groups as we look to implement the plan.
The PCREF Community Engagement Report and our PCREF Plan are available to download below.
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