Monthly Archives: November 2025

Shaping the Future of Support for Unpaid Carers in Lewisham

By Matthew McKenzie FRSA BEM – Triangle of Care community chair

As a carer living in Lewisham, I know just how important it is that our voices are heard and that the support available truly meets our needs. Whether we’re looking after a parent, a partner, a child, or a friend, we all share the same challenges balancing care responsibilities, work, our own wellbeing, and often feeling invisible in the process.

That’s why I wanted to share something that directly affects all of us. Lewisham Council and the NHS South East London ICB are currently developing a new Action Plan for Unpaid Carers (2025–2028). This plan will set out how the Council aims to identify, value, and support more carers over the next few years.

The team leading this work, including a new member who recently joined the Adults Integrated Commissioning Team, is reaching out to carers across the borough to get our feedback.

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Ethnic mental health Carer Forum : October Update 2025

By Matthew McKenzie, Facilitator, National Ethnic Mental Health Carer Forum

Introduction: A Forum that Connects and Challenges

As the facilitator of the National Ethnic Mental Health Carer Forum, I never take for granted how special these sessions are. Each month, carers, professionals, and researchers from all over the UK log in to share knowledge, raise awareness, and push for change in how mental health services understand and support ethnic minority communities.

Our October 2025 session was a powerful one. Falling on the last day of Black History Month, it brought together crucial themes on race equality, co-production, research, and carer visibility.

We heard from two key areas shaping mental health equity right now:

  • The OSMOSIS Project, led by Dr. Jacqueline Sin and Sharon Galliford, focusing on developing social care-based support for carers of people with psychosis.
  • The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF), presented by Aboobaker Bhana, Equality and Involvement Manager for South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
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