Welcome fellow unpaid carers. This blog focuses on those caring for someone suffering through mental illness. I chair the Triangle of Care community meeting. You might have already heard about Triangle of Care from national carers charity Carers Trust.

Basically the Triangle of Care describes a therapeutic relationship between the patient, staff member and carer that promotes safety, supports communication and sustains wellbeing. Many NHS Mental health trusts across the country have taken up the challenge and signed up to the scheme.

However if you are a carer, knowing about the triangle of care is not enough. You should try work out what your NHS trust is doing with triangle of care policy.

Some questions you could ask

1. Have you as an NHS organisation signed up to the triangle of care?
2. What are your plans to get feedback from carers to help shape triangle of care at your organisation?
3. How do you promote triangle of care to unpaid carers?
4. How is triangle of care helping to change the experiences of carers at your NHS organisation?

There are many more questions to ask senior NHS staff at your local mental health trust, but it is so important carers do not just blindly accept carer policies without some scrutiny.

We have our next Triangle of Care community meeting for 21st of september. See below.

Remember, unpaid carers also use services and it is their right influence or feedback experiences of health care.