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Strengthening Mental Health Nursing Through Lived Experience, Co-production and Psychosocial Interventions – 2nd RCN PSI Alumni Conference 2026

By Matthew McKenzie BEM FRSA – Unpaid Carer, Author, Poet and Mental Health Carer Advocate

Introduction – Bringing Mental Health Nurses, Carers and Lived Experience Together

On Monday 2 November 2026, I had the pleasure of attending and contributing to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Psychosocial Interventions (PSI) Alumni Conference.

The conference brought together mental health nurses, PSI course alumni, educators, researchers, facilitators, people with lived experience and unpaid carers from different parts of the country.

For me, it was another valuable opportunity to contribute the experiences of unpaid carers and families to the development of mental health nursing.

Having spent many years supporting my mother through her experiences of schizophrenia, alongside my responsibilities involving my two autistic brothers, I understand how important compassionate, skilled and knowledgeable mental health professionals can be to families.

I was particularly pleased to participate in the conference’s lived-experience co-production panel, where we explored how working relationships develop between professionals, patients and carers, and why meaningful involvement must extend beyond simply inviting people to share their stories.

Throughout the day, I was reminded that mental health nursing is not only about clinical interventions, assessments or medication. It is also about understanding the person, their relationships, their cultural background and the people supporting them outside services.

Understanding Psychosocial Interventions and Their Importance

Psychosocial interventions provide mental health nurses with approaches and skills to understand and support people experiencing mental health difficulties.

These approaches encourage practitioners to think beyond symptoms and diagnoses, considering the psychological, social, emotional and environmental circumstances affecting an individual’s wellbeing.

The RCN PSI programme is a nine-month professional development course designed to strengthen registered mental health nurses’ therapeutic skills and evidence-informed practice.

An important message throughout the conference was that nurses should have the confidence and skills to develop therapeutic relationships, recognise trauma, engage families and help individuals participate in decisions about their care.

This particularly interests me as a carer advocate.

Families may spend years supporting someone through periods of crisis, admission, discharge and recovery. Yet their knowledge and observations are not always fully recognised within services.

PSI offers an opportunity to strengthen that relationship between the person receiving care, their family and the professionals supporting them.

I was encouraged by the number of nurses attending who were passionate about improving their practice and sharing what they had learned with colleagues.

Opening Reflections – Listening to Lived Experience

The opening session placed lived experience at the centre of the conference.

Hannah Cadogan reflected on her involvement in lived-experience work and the importance of psychosocial approaches in understanding experiences that people may struggle to communicate.

She discussed a collaborative quilt created through the involvement of patients, staff and carers associated with Castle Hospital.

The quilt provided a powerful example of how creativity can bring different people together.

It also demonstrated that people do not always communicate their experiences through conversation alone. Sometimes art, creative expression and shared activities provide different opportunities for people to explain what they are feeling.

This particularly resonated with my own interests in poetry and creative wellbeing.

Through the poetry groups I facilitate for unpaid carers, I have seen how creative expression can help people communicate emotions that may otherwise remain hidden.

Another opening contribution came from Sinead, a bereaved parent who spoke movingly about her daughter and the importance of services understanding the different aspects of a person’s life.

She highlighted the value of bringing together families, communities and professionals who each hold different knowledge about an individual.

Her contribution was a reminder that no single professional, service or family member necessarily understands every aspect of someone’s experiences.

It is through listening and collaboration that a fuller picture can emerge.

For me, this reinforced the importance of meaningful co-production and involving families before difficulties escalate.

Learning From a Personal Recovery Journey

Ashley Knight, a PSI alumnus, shared the experiences of patient whose journey involved neurocysticercosis, neurological complications and a period of severe psychosis that resulted in psychiatric hospital treatment.

The presentation explored how physical and mental health problems can overlap, and why assumptions about someone’s condition can have serious consequences.

What particularly interested me was Lowri’s reflections on what had helped her recovery.

She valued professionals who made time to sit with her, listened to her concerns and recognised who she had been before becoming unwell.

She also highlighted the importance of honest communication, avoiding premature conclusions and including her family in discussions, particularly when she was unable to participate fully herself.

This was a significant learning point.

Sometimes carers and families are given limited information or find themselves excluded from discussions, even when they have been supporting someone for many years.

While confidentiality remains important, services must also consider how they can communicate effectively and appropriately with families.

Listening, compassion and taking time to understand someone’s circumstances should never be underestimated.

My Contribution to the Lived-Experience Co-production Panel

One of the most meaningful parts of the conference for me was participating in the co-production panel alongside other lived-experience contributors, including Simon and Antonia, with Catherine helping guide the discussion.

The panel explored how partnerships develop, what builds trust and how involvement contributes to both personal and professional growth.

I spoke from my experiences of being an unpaid carer and from my wider involvement in mental health carer forums, service development and training.

For many years, I have witnessed the pressures experienced by families supporting relatives with complex mental health needs.

I have also recognised the considerable pressures experienced by mental health nurses, particularly during periods of increasing service demand and limited resources.

My message was that carers and professionals need opportunities to learn from one another.

Nurses bring clinical expertise, therapeutic skills and professional knowledge.

Carers bring observations and experiences gained from supporting relatives in everyday life, often over many years.

Both forms of knowledge are important.

Building trust through involvement

During the panel, we discussed the importance of developing relationships beyond traditional professional boundaries.

Trust cannot simply be expected because someone holds a professional role.

It develops when people are listened to, treated with respect and given opportunities to contribute.

For carers, this may mean being invited into discussions about care planning, participating in service improvement or contributing to the training of mental health professionals.

I explained that being involved in organisations and learning from professionals has contributed greatly to my own understanding of mental health services.

I am continually learning about the challenges nurses face, the approaches they use and the developments taking place within mental health care.

In turn, I try to share that knowledge with other families and unpaid carers through my forums, presentations, blogs and wider advocacy work.

Supporting professional growth through shared learning

Another question explored how involvement had supported recovery or professional growth.

I reflected on the value of learning from others and being part of organisations that are helping shape mental health services.

Although my experiences as a carer have involved considerable challenges, they have also given me opportunities to contribute to training, service development and national discussions.

I believe that meaningful involvement can encourage other carers to recognise that their experiences are valuable.

When people with lived experience see others contributing to conferences, workshops and professional education, it can demonstrate that their voices matter.

This should not be about providing a personal story and then being forgotten.

It should be about developing continuing partnerships in which carers and people with lived experience can influence how services operate.

What Makes Co-production Successful?

An audience member asked the panel for advice about establishing groups and encouraging people to participate.

This was a question I found particularly interesting because I facilitate several mental health carer forums and understand the difficulties involved in building participation.

I explained that it is important to listen to carers who are passionate about change and encourage those who wish to work constructively with others.

People often come to forums carrying years of frustration or disappointment about services.

Their experiences should be recognised, but there must also be opportunities to turn concerns into learning and practical improvements.

I also reflected on the importance of persistence.

A group may begin with only a handful of participants. Over time, as people hear about the work being undertaken and begin to see its value, further involvement can develop.

Other panel members highlighted the importance of psychological safety, recognising people’s vulnerability and ensuring that nobody’s contribution is treated as less important than another’s.

There was also an important reminder that success should not simply be measured by attendance numbers.

A small group of committed participants can still make a meaningful difference.

Another valuable suggestion was to involve carers or people with lived experience as co-facilitators rather than expecting one professional to lead every aspect of a group alone.

For me, this reflects the fundamental principle of co-production.

Co-production is not simply asking people for their opinions. It is about sharing responsibility, recognising different forms of expertise and working together towards meaningful change.

Networking With Mental Health Nurses and Sharing Carer Resources

Following the panel, I had opportunities to speak individually with several conference participants.

One particularly valuable conversation was with Hazel, a mental health nurse and PSI facilitator involved in teaching about working with families.

We discussed how her educational work had developed through contributions from parents and carers.

Rather than limiting participation to personal testimonies, she described how carers had helped design learning activities, provide feedback to students and contribute to reviewing the teaching module.

I was particularly encouraged by this approach.

I explained that one of the next stages of meaningful involvement should be enabling carers to contribute not only their stories but also to teaching, evaluating learning and shaping how courses develop.

This gives carers a stronger role in professional education.

Moving beyond telling a story

Sharing lived experience can be powerful, but there is a risk that organisations become too dependent on asking carers to repeatedly describe difficult experiences.

I believe there are further opportunities for carers to contribute through:

Co-designing learning materials and training sessions.
Participating in role-play and simulated assessments.
Giving structured feedback to professionals.
Reviewing educational programmes and service developments.
Supporting evaluation and identifying areas for improvement.

Our conversation reinforced how valuable this approach can be.

I also shared information about my Caring Mind Blog, my books, poetry and videos, including my work on the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF).

We discussed my recent involvement in the Sussex PSI event and how blogging can help promote good practice, share learning and encourage other organisations to become involved.

It was encouraging to hear about further conference activity being developed and the possibility of continuing these conversations.

From Voice to Impact – Addressing Inequality in PSI Training

One of the workshops I attended was titled From Voice to Impact, facilitated by Cheryl Mbando and colleagues.

This session explored representation and the barriers affecting participation in PSI professional development, particularly among nurses from Black and minority ethnic and Global Majority backgrounds.

The discussion was particularly relevant to my work around PCREF and tackling racial inequalities in mental health services.

The workshop explored why some groups of staff may have fewer opportunities to participate in professional development, despite the value that training can bring to both staff and patients.

Participants discussed several potential barriers, including limited awareness of courses, unequal access to training opportunities, lack of support from managers, staffing pressures, unclear information about benefits and insufficient representation in senior or mentoring roles.

It was interesting to hear participants share how some had discovered PSI training almost by chance, rather than through a consistent process of encouraging professional development.

The workshop also explored how organisational cultures and assumptions can influence who is supported to undertake additional training.

Moving towards practical solutions

Rather than simply identifying barriers, participants were encouraged to consider what individuals, teams and organisations could do differently.

Suggestions included clearer communication about training opportunities, better support for staff undertaking courses, stronger leadership commitment and sharing learning across teams.

Another important suggestion was embedding PSI knowledge and competencies into organisational structures, rather than treating the training as an isolated opportunity.

I was particularly interested in the discussion about representation.

When organisations want to improve culturally responsive mental health services, they must also consider whether development opportunities are accessible and equitable for the workforce.

A diverse workforce needs equitable opportunities to progress, develop and influence professional practice.

There is also an important connection with PCREF.

Improving racial equity in mental health care requires attention not only to the experiences of patients and carers, but also to how staff are supported, trained and valued.

What Does the PSI Evaluation Tell Us?

Another significant session focused on an independent evaluation of the RCN PSI programme.

The presentation explored how the course had influenced nurses’ confidence, professional identity, attitudes towards evidence-based practice and experiences of learning.

The evaluation included survey responses from 82 participants, alongside a smaller number of qualitative interviews.

The findings presented were encouraging.

Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with their learning and confidence in the skills developed through the course.

The evaluation also identified an important relationship between openness to evidence-based practice and reported confidence.

Qualitative feedback suggested that the course helped some nurses reconnect with their professional identity and reminded them of the value of therapeutic relationships and psychologically informed care.

However, the presentation also highlighted limitations.

The findings relied partly on self-reported experiences and did not establish long-term improvements in patient outcomes.

Participants also raised concerns about whether newly developed skills could be sustained without appropriate organisational support.

This is an important distinction.

Training can strengthen knowledge and confidence, but professionals also need opportunities to apply what they have learned.

From a carer’s perspective, I would welcome future evaluation that also explores what patients and families notice when nurses receive PSI training.

Are families more involved?

Do carers feel listened to?

Are patients better supported to understand their treatment and recovery?

Do services provide more opportunities for therapeutic conversations?

These are some of the questions I believe would help demonstrate the wider impact of PSI.

Making Psychosocial Interventions Sustainable

Further conference discussions examined how PSI could become embedded within everyday mental health services.

Participants explored the responsibilities of individual professionals, clinical teams and organisations.

Examples from Berkshire Healthcare demonstrated approaches to integrating PSI skills into clinical pathways, supervision, mentoring, competencies and staff development.

There was particular discussion about supporting nurses to maintain their skills after completing training.

This included protected time, opportunities to practise therapeutic approaches, clinical supervision and support from senior leaders.

Participants also discussed the value of tailoring training to different services, including inpatient wards, crisis teams and community mental health settings.

I found this particularly important.

The pressures experienced by a nurse working on an inpatient ward may differ from those experienced by someone working in community services.

Similarly, the needs of families can differ depending on the circumstances of their relatives and the support available.

A flexible approach is therefore important, while maintaining the quality of evidence-informed interventions.

The wider message was that responsibility for maintaining PSI skills should be shared.

Nurses must continue developing their practice, but organisations must provide the conditions that make good practice possible.

Looking Beyond the UK – Opportunities for International Collaboration

The conference also considered opportunities to strengthen international connections around psychosocial interventions.

Martin Jones discussed work involving an international psychosocial interventions research network and the potential for greater collaboration between practitioners, academics and other stakeholders.

This was an interesting reminder that many of the challenges affecting mental health services are not unique to the United Kingdom.

Developing relationships between countries may create opportunities to share research, professional learning and examples of effective practice.

It also raises important questions about how psychosocial approaches can be adapted to different cultural and service contexts.

For me, this links to the importance of cultural competency and recognising that people interpret mental health, illness, family responsibility and recovery in different ways.

Mental health practice should always consider those differences rather than assuming that one approach will be appropriate for everyone.

Celebrating Learning, Creativity and the PSI Community

The conference also provided opportunities for participants to share posters, resources and learning from different PSI cohorts.

The networking and exhibition sessions offered space to discuss practice, ask questions and learn about developments taking place across mental health services.

It was encouraging to see how people were sharing their experiences and celebrating the work undertaken through PSI training.

Towards the end of the conference, participants and organisers were recognised for their contributions.

The closing session also brought creativity back into focus through poetry.

One poem explored the experiences of unpaid carers, including the emotional pressures of caring and the importance of nurses recognising carers as individuals with their own needs.

I Am a Carer, Hear My Voice

Poem shared by a carer at the RCN PSI Alumni Conference, 2 November 2026

Am I doing too much? Am I not doing enough?
Am I the only one who finds this so tough?
They ask me how they are but forget about me,
As the cracks start to show, I’ve forgotten how to be.

The sleepless nights, the endless fear,
I wonder what would happen if I wasn’t here.
I know they really need me, there’s too much at stake,
But what I’d give for just five minutes, what I’d give for a break.

Here we are again in that waiting room,
Hoping that recovery may come soon.
I’m left here alone as they whisk them away,
To get them some help. It’s Groundhog Day.

Why does no one ask? Can’t they see my pain?
Can I keep them safe? They ask me again.
So off we go home, tears fall in my eyes,
I try to be positive but it feels like lies.

We return the next day but something’s new,
As a nurse kindly asks, how are you?
I finally feel seen, it suddenly seems fairer,
That finally I was more than somebody’s carer.

The nurse looked into my eyes and with a reassuring smile,
Encouraged me to chat about me for a while.
The tears came soon after and the truth began to flow,
I feel trapped and helpless with nowhere to go.

They listened with understanding, respected my point of view,
They could see the wider picture of what us carers do.
So all of you nurses in all walks of life,
Please look for those carers, they’re hiding their strife.

They need your compassion as much as patients do,
Their job is 24-7, please acknowledge what they do.
There’s such power in a smile and hope with a listening ear,
Don’t make them invisible. Say we see you. We’re here.

Reproduced with the poet’s permission.

Another reflected on mental health nursing and how PSI learning could strengthen compassion, professional identity and therapeutic relationships.

To Nurse With My Heart

Poem shared by a mental health nurse at the RCN PSI Alumni Conference, 2 November 2026

Between the high-pressure shifts and the ticking clock,
Both brain lights can fracture and double doors lock.
I hold fast to a promise I swore from the start,
To lead with my mind but to nurse with my heart.

For every soul walking in from the rain
Was once someone’s child, now in crisis or pain.
I measure my care by a simple clear line:
How will I want you to treat what is mine?

PSI learning has opened the door
To evidence tools and the science of more.
Psychosocial pathways that listen and guide,
Where the person, not the diagnosis, sits by my side.

It validated all that I felt in my bones,
That healing takes power and no one’s alone.
It gave language to empathy, structure to grace,
And a framework of hope in a chaotic place.

The service goes on, the resources are thin,
We get ready for battle before we begin.
Yet despite every barrier, shortage and strain,
The human connection is what will remain.

So I’ll carry these skills as a shield and a light,
To stand in the gap and to advocate right.
With compassionate hands and a practice made whole,
I will honour the person, the family, the soul.

Reproduced with the poet’s permission.

I found it especially fitting that poetry formed part of the closing reflections.

As someone who uses poetry to raise awareness of mental health caring, inequality and lived experience, I strongly believe creative approaches can provide an important way of communicating messages that might otherwise be difficult to express.

The closing contributions reminded us that compassion, listening and human connection remain essential elements of mental health care.

My Reflections – What Does This Mean for Unpaid Carers?

Leaving the RCN PSI Alumni Conference, I reflected on how far mental health nursing has developed and how important it is that carers continue to be involved in shaping that development.

The conference demonstrated that many nurses are committed to improving the way they work with patients and families.

I also came away with a greater appreciation of the challenges they face.

Staffing pressures, competing responsibilities, limited development opportunities and organisational demands can all affect the time available for therapeutic work.

For families, however, the experience of mental health services often depends on the quality of individual interactions.

A nurse taking time to explain what is happening can reduce anxiety.

A professional listening to a carer’s observations can help build trust.

A family being appropriately involved in discussions can contribute knowledge that might otherwise be overlooked.

And a service that recognises culture, identity and lived experience may be better placed to understand the people it supports.

This is why I believe psychosocial interventions and co-production complement one another.

They both encourage us to see people in the wider context of their lives and relationships.

Conclusion – Learning Together to Make Mental Health Care Better

The RCN PSI Alumni Conference 2026 provided an important opportunity for mental health professionals, carers and people with lived experience to learn from one another.

It demonstrated the value of psychosocial interventions, meaningful co-production, professional development and the importance of maintaining compassionate relationships within mental health care.

I was grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the co-production panel and to hear directly from nurses about their experiences of PSI training.

I was also encouraged by the conversations around inclusion, professional identity, family involvement and the practical challenges of maintaining therapeutic skills within services.

For me, the message is clear.

We need skilled and supported mental health nurses. We need patients and families whose experiences are respected. And we need organisations willing to bring these different forms of expertise together.

When carers and professionals learn from one another, we create opportunities to improve understanding, strengthen relationships and ultimately deliver better mental health care.

My thanks go to the RCN, the PSI organisers and facilitators, fellow lived-experience contributors, mental health nurses, researchers and everyone who made the conference possible.

I look forward to continuing these important conversations and sharing what I have learned with the unpaid carers and mental health networks I work alongside.

Fear Has Roots – A PCREF Poem About Mistrust, Discrimination and Unpaid Caring

By Matthew McKenzie – Carer poet & Carer Activist

As I continue developing my poetry collection Unpaid, Unseen and Yet Unbroken: Poetry about Ethnic Mental Health Carers, I wanted to share another poem from the collection called Fear Has Roots.

The poem explores something I feel mental health services need to understand more deeply: mistrust does not always begin with the person standing in front of you.

Sometimes it has a history.

A carer may have experienced years of being dismissed, misunderstood or having their concerns minimised. They may have watched other carers from their community struggle to be heard. Experiences of discrimination can also travel through families and communities, influencing how safe people feel when approaching services.

Continue reading →

South West London Mental Health Carers Forum – August 2026 Update

By Matthew McKenzie, Co-Facilitator – South West London Mental Health Carers Forum

The South West London Mental Health Carers Forum met again during August 2026, bringing together unpaid carers to share experiences, discuss how the forum is developing and look at ways we can strengthen the voice of carers across South West London.

The forum continues to be a peer-led space shaped by carers themselves. An important message from the August meeting was that this is a group for carers, run with carers and influenced by carers. Members spoke about wanting people who join the forum to feel recognised, valued and able to support one another, rather than the group becoming overly formal or service-led.

Continue reading →

Southwark Adult Safeguarding Review: Carers’ Survey and Online Workshop

By Matthew McKenzie – Member of Southwark Carers Strategy Working Group

Southwark Council is inviting unpaid carers from Southwark to share their experiences and help shape its review of adult safeguarding services.

The council’s Health, Adult Social Care and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission is examining how safeguarding services can better support adults and their carers while promoting independence, dignity, choice and wellbeing.

The Commission would particularly like to hear carers’ experiences of:

Working with safeguarding and other professionals
Accessing information and support
Being included in safeguarding decisions
Preventing abuse, neglect and other forms of harm
Balancing personal safety with independence and choice
Self-neglect and hoarding
The use of technology
Communication with carers
Supporting someone living with dementia or mental ill health
Caring for an adult child or sibling with a disability

Your experiences could help the Commission identify what is working well, where improvements are needed and how carers can be more effectively recognised and involved.

Complete the carers’ survey

Unpaid carers can share their experiences through Southwark Council’s online Adult Safeguarding Review Carers’ Survey:

The survey is anonymous and will remain open until Friday 11 September 2026.

Join the online carers’ workshop

Southwark Council is also holding an online workshop where carers can discuss their experiences in greater detail.

Join the online carers’ workshop

Southwark Council is also holding an online workshop where carers can discuss their experiences in greater detail.

Date: Thursday 20 August 2026
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams

To request the Microsoft Teams joining details, please contact Julie Timbrell, Scrutiny Project Manager, at:

julie.timbrell@southwark.gov.uk

Please include “Adult Safeguarding Carers’ Workshop” in the subject line.

For safeguarding and meeting security, the direct Teams link and passcode are not being published on this website.

If you cannot attend the workshop, you can still contribute to the review by completing the anonymous survey.

Confidentiality and use of information

Taking part in the survey or workshop is voluntary.

Notes will be taken during the workshop, but participants’ comments will be anonymised before they are included in reports or presented to councillors. Individual participants will not be identified without their explicit consent.

Survey responses will also be analysed and reported anonymously. Southwark Council is interested in identifying common themes and experiences rather than identifying individual carers.

The information collected will only be used to inform the Adult Safeguarding Review and its recommendations. A report containing the Commission’s findings and recommendations will be published after the review has been completed.

Further information

If you have any questions, please contact:

Julie Timbrell
Scrutiny Project Manager
Southwark Council
julie.timbrell@southwark.gov.uk

Voices & Verses PCREF Carer event

By Matthew McKenzie, Cygnet PCREF Carer Lead

On Tuesday 28th April 2026, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, we came together at Cygnet Churchill in Lambeth for what was described as a carers poetry event, but in truth, it became something much deeper.

It became a space where carers could speak, reflect, and be heard.

I hosted the session not just as a PCREF Carer Lead, but as someone with lived experience. That shaped everything the tone, the structure, and the intention behind every part of the agenda.

I made it clear: this was a safe, inclusive, and optional space. No pressure to perform. No expectation to share. Just an invitation.

We began with a simple check-in:
“What’s one word you’re arriving with?”

Opening Readings: Creating a Shared Starting Point

I started with a couple of my own poems, drawn from my work around carers, stigma, and racial inequality in mental health.

As shown above, one piece explored the question of who is listened to and who is overlooked within systems. Another focused on stigma and shame, particularly how cultural expectations and institutional barriers can compound the experience of caring.

These weren’t just readings—they were a way of opening the room.
An invitation for others to see themselves reflected.

Featured Performer: Karen Ibrahim

We then heard from Karen Ibrahim, whose poetry captured something deeply familiar to many carers the quiet, often invisible emotional labour of caring.

Her piece reflected the silence between carer and loved one, the fear of saying the wrong thing, and the reality of sitting with someone in distress without always knowing how to help. It spoke to that fragile balance carers hold every day.

Karen also shared a series of haiku-style reflections, drawn from carer experiences—short, powerful snapshots of emotion, nature, and coping. They reminded us that even the smallest expressions can carry deep meaning.

Guided Writing Exercise #1: Bringing PCREF to Life

We then moved into the first guided writing exercise.

I paired participants and asked them to:

Match PCREF-related concepts (like equity, advocacy, inclusion, resilience) to their meanings
Use those words to create a short poem or reflection

It was about translating PCREF from policy into lived language.

The results were powerful. Carers wrote about 4 poems altogether, below were the themes, which will be included in the new PCREF poetry book I am working on.

Feeling unseen and unheard
Wanting their voice recognised
Breaking down barriers in care
Finding strength through community

One group asked:
“Is my voice not loud enough to be heard?”

I felt that line stayed with me, because it captures exactly what PCREF is trying to address.

Performer & Open Mic (Round 1)

We then moved into our first round of performances, where carers shared both prepared and newly written work.

I felt Brenda brought something unique, blending cultural storytelling and poetry rooted in Jamaican heritage. She reflected on traditional knowledge, community wisdom, and the use of language and folklore as a way of preserving identity and healing. Her use of dialect and storytelling highlighted how culture shapes how we express and understand care.

Next was Annette Davis shared a piece centred on the identity of being a carer, capturing the emotional strain, lack of recognition, and inner strength that comes with the role. Her poem questioned what it means to be labelled a “carer” while navigating burnout, resilience, and the need for self-care.

Next up was Faith Smith and Nadine sharing a powerful reflection on system inequality, exploring the daily pressures of navigating services, the lack of accessible support, and the feeling of being caught in processes that don’t always respond to real-life needs.

Each piece added another layer to the conversation, with different perspectives, but shared truths.

Break & Connection

We paused for a short break and refreshments provided by the kind and wonderful staff at cygnet, but for the poetry event the conversations didn’t stop.

Carers continued to connect. Share stories. and reflected on what they had heard.

This is something I always emphasise, community doesn’t just happen in structured sessions. It happens in those in-between moments.

Creative Exercise session #2: Exploring PCREF Language

After the break, I introduced a second exercise, which was more interactive and reflective.

Participants worked with a word-search style challenge, identifying key PCREF-related terms such as:

Voice
Inclusion
Equity
Community
Trust
Advocacy
Listening
Stereotyping

Rather than writing full poems, we focused on discussion:
Which word stands out and why?

The responses were honest and grounded:

“Listening builds trust.”
“Community is where we belong.”
“Inclusion is what drives change.”
“Stereotyping still shapes how we’re treated.”

This is where PCREF becomes real, when people recognise themselves within it.

Performer & Open Mic (Round 2)

We continued with a second round of performances.

Carers shared reflections shaped by:

Cultural identity
Personal caring journeys
The emotional impact of systems
Hope, resilience, and change

Then ended with cultural carer songs by Brenda, see the video of part of the PCREF poetry session below.

In the end PCREF is about improving outcomes for racialised communities—but it cannot succeed if it remains purely clinical.

We:

Translated PCREF into lived experience
Used creativity to engage carers meaningfully
Created a culturally responsive space
Positioned carers as equal voices not passive participants

If you are caring for someone using Cygnet services, contact Family&Friends@cygnethealth.co.uk to join our Voices & Verses poetry group

Hospital Carer Discharge Meeting – March Update 2026

By Matthew McKenzie (Chair)

I chaired our March hospital discharge network meeting with a real sense of momentum building across the system. What continues to strike me is the mix of voices in the room, commissioners, carers centres, hospital representatives, and grassroots advocates all trying to tackle the same persistent issue: how we properly involve and support unpaid carers during and after hospital discharge.

As someone with lived experience, particularly in mental health and complex care, I always come back to one key question:
Are carers being treated as partners, or are they still being treated as visitors?

This meeting gave us a very honest answer progress is happening, but there is still a long way to go.

Key Presentation: Derbyshire HConnect Project

Emma’s presentation was, for me, an important part of the meeting not because it introduced something completely new, but because it clearly articulated what many carers have been saying for years, and then actually did something about it.

What stood out immediately was that this wasn’t a project designed in isolation. It was built directly from carer voice and lived experience. The starting point wasn’t “how do we improve discharge?” it was “what are carers actually experiencing right now?”

And what carers described was difficult to hear, but not surprising.

Carers spoke about not being recognised at all. Some said no one had even asked if they were a carer. Others described situations where their knowledge of the person they care for was ignored, even when it was critical. One example that stayed with me was a carer describing their loved one being discharged in the middle of winter, late at night, without proper clothing or preparation.

There was a consistent feeling that once someone enters hospital, the carer’s role is almost paused or worse, dismissed entirely.

What the HConnect project does differently is acknowledge that this isn’t just a communication issue it’s a system and culture issue.

Instead of relying on one intervention, the model works across multiple layers of the hospital system. It introduces dedicated hospital liaison workers who build relationships with wards, while also ensuring carers themselves are visible and supported directly on-site. At the same time, it invests in staff through training, guidance, and practical tools so that engaging carers becomes part of everyday practice rather than an optional extra.

What I found particularly important is that the project doesn’t assume staff are unwilling—it recognises that many staff simply lack the confidence, knowledge, or structure to engage carers properly. In fact, the findings showed that many hospital teams had never received any formal carer awareness training and were often unaware that carers even have a legal right to be involved in discharge planning.

The research element of the project adds another layer of depth. Through interviews with carers, several consistent themes emerged.

Carers described feeling invisible—treated as visitors rather than partners in care. They talked about their expertise being dismissed, even when they knew the patient best. Communication was often unclear or inconsistent, and discharge frequently felt rushed, with little notice or preparation. In many cases, carers ended up acting as the safety net catching mistakes, coordinating care, and managing complex needs on their own once the person returned home.

What struck me most is that these issues aren’t just isolated incidents they are patterns.

But importantly, the presentation didn’t just focus on what’s going wrong. It also highlighted what good looks like. In situations where carers were listened to, involved early, and treated as equal partners, the entire experience changed for both the carer and the patient. The challenge now is making that level of practice consistent, not exceptional.

The project is already showing tangible impact. There has been a noticeable increase in carers being identified within hospital settings, more referrals coming directly from health professionals, and hundreds of carers receiving support through the programme.

For me, the biggest takeaway from this presentation is this:

This isn’t about adding more services it’s about changing behaviour across the system.

The HConnect model recognises that for carers to be properly involved, three things need to be in place: staff need the capability to identify carers, the opportunity within the system to engage them, and the motivation to see this as a core part of care. Without all three, change simply won’t stick.

And that’s why this work matters. Because until carers are consistently seen, heard, and included, we will continue to see the same issues repeating no matter how many initiatives we introduce.

Lewisham Commissioner Update

From Lewisham’s commissioning side, there were some strong practical developments.

A key initiative is the rollout of a carer welcome pack, designed to be:

Clearly visible in hospital settings
Easily accessible to carers at the point of need

This is being strengthened through:

Increased collaboration with hospital staff
Plans to expand distribution across wards

From Lewisham, we also received a really significant update around system-level change, particularly the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for engaging unpaid carers in hospital settings.

This work has been led across South East London ICB, with an external partner supporting the design. The aim of the SOP is to provide:

Clear guidance to hospital wards
Practical prompts and questions for staff
A consistent approach to identifying and engaging carers during hospital stays

What stood out to me is that this isn’t just a document, it’s designed to change behaviour on the ground. It focuses on something simple but powerful:
how staff start conversations with carers and recognise the people already supporting patients.

In Lewisham, University Hospital Lewisham was selected as one of the pilot sites, with two wards testing the approach. The next stage is particularly important:

The SOP is being embedded into Trust templates
It is due to be presented to the Trust board for formal approval
There are plans to roll this out across Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Woolwich)

What I found especially encouraging is that carers have been involved throughout:

Input gathered through workshops
Further feedback taken to the Lewisham Council’s Open Carers Forum
Ongoing opportunity for boroughs to adapt the SOP to local needs

Alongside this, Lewisham is continuing practical work on the ground:

Strengthening links between commissioned carers services and hospital staff
Expanding visibility through carer welcome packs and information points within the hospital

For me, this is one of the most important developments discussed in the meeting. If implemented properly, a shared SOP like this has the potential to:

Reduce inconsistency across wards
Embed carer identification into everyday practice
Move us closer to a system where carers are routinely recognised—not accidentally discovered

Hospital Update: Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust

A really important contribution came from the patient experience perspective at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, which covers University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Woolwich).

From the Trust side, there was clear recognition that:

The work carers are doing is valuable and essential to patient outcomes
There is a need to improve physical visibility of carer support within hospital settings
Space and infrastructure need to better support engagement (for example, identifying a permanent location for carer engagement and resources)

There was also a willingness to:

Explore how carer-led engagement (including my own involvement) can be better embedded within the hospital environment
Strengthen links between patient experience teams and carers organisations

From my perspective, this was a positive and practical discussion. Too often we talk about engagement in theory—but here we were talking about where the table actually goes on the ward, and that level of detail matters.

Because if carers can’t see you, they can’t access you.

Greenwich (Commissioning & Mental Health)

Greenwich colleagues spoke about their broader system approach, particularly within mental health.

Their focus includes:

Identifying gaps in carer support across services
Embedding carers within commissioning priorities
Understanding what carers themselves want from local systems

They also posed an important question to the group:
What should local authorities prioritise for carers?

My answer was straightforward:
We need clear leadership and accountability, a named person or role responsible for carers across the system.

Without that, good work risks becoming fragmented.

Lambeth Carers Hub (King’s College Hospital & St Thomas’ Hospital)

Lambeth shared a detailed and honest update regarding their work across King’s College Hospital and Guys and St Thomas Hospital

Key points included:

Their hospital discharge project is continuing, but with reduced capacity due to funding constraints
They have secured a short-term extension, allowing work to continue until September
A major focus is now embedding carer awareness training into staff induction processes

Importantly, they raised a systemic issue:

The need to hold commissioned care agencies accountable, particularly when carers report poor-quality care after discharge

This is critical. Discharge doesn’t end at the hospital door—if the care package fails, the whole system fails.

Southwark Council Update

From Southwark, we heard about work being done at a system level, particularly linked to:

Development of discharge information resources across South East London
Collaboration across boroughs and NHS partners

The intention is for these resources to be:

Widely accessible and adaptable
Used across multiple organisations, rather than siloed locally

Given the proximity to major hospitals like King’s College Hospital and GSTT hosptal, this kind of coordinated approach is essential.

City & Hackney Carers Centre (Homerton Hospital)

A more concerning update came from City & Hackney, particularly regarding work linked to Homerton Hospital.

They reported:

The loss of a hospital discharge worker role
A significant drop in referrals to the carers centre as a result
Reduced presence within the hospital environment

This clearly demonstrates something we often say but don’t always quantify:

When you remove dedicated roles, you remove outcomes.

The worker’s presence had been directly contributing to engagement and referrals. Without that, carers are once again at risk of being missed.

Richmond Carers Centre (Kingston Hospital)

Updates from Richmond Carers Centre highlighted both strong engagement and opportunities to build further.

Positives:

Strong referral pathways coming through from Kingston Hospital, particularly linked to discharge activity
Ongoing professional awareness work, helping improve understanding of carers across services

There is a clear foundation here, with established relationships already supporting carers into services. The opportunity now is to build on that by increasing visibility and strengthening in-hospital engagement further.

Richmond Borough Mind (Springfield Hospital – SWLSTG)

From Richmond Borough Mind, the focus was more specifically on their work within South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG), particularly at Springfield Hospital.

Key challenges highlighted:

Difficulty accessing wards within Springfield Hospital, limiting direct engagement with carers
Limited contact with carers when based in general hospital areas rather than embedded on wards
Ongoing challenge in identifying where carers are most visible and reachable within mental health settings

What came through strongly is that, despite proactive efforts such as setting up stands and being present on-site, footfall from carers remains low unless services are embedded directly into ward environments.

This reinforces a key point for me:

In mental health settings especially, access is everything—if you’re not where carers are, you simply won’t reach them.

Bexley Carers (Post-Discharge & Reablement Focus)

Bexley brought an important perspective that often gets overlooked what happens after discharge.

Their work is focusing on:

Supporting carers once reablement packages end
Recognising that carers often deprioritise themselves during discharge, only to struggle later
Increasing concern around safeguarding and mental health, particularly in dementia care

This is where we need to shift thinking:
Discharge is not the endpoint—it’s the start of a new phase of care.

Cross-Cutting Reflections

Across all updates, several consistent themes emerged:

Inconsistent carer identification across wards and trusts
Funding fragility, with projects often short-term
Need for embedded training, not optional sessions
Importance of visibility within hospital environments
Gaps in post-discharge support, especially after reablement

My Closing Thoughts

Chairing this meeting, I was struck by both the progress and the gaps.

There is innovation happening in Derbyshire, in Lambeth, in Lewisham, across South East London. But it’s uneven. And carers feel that inconsistency every day.

For me, the priority remains clear:

Identify carers early
Involve them properly
Support them beyond discharge

Because when we get that right, everything else improves—outcomes, safety, and experience.

And until we get that right consistently, we still have work to do.

Triangle of Care Community Meeting: December 2025 update

By Matthew McKenzie – TOC Community Chair

Our final Triangle of Care (ToC) Community Group meeting of the year brought together carers, professionals, and ToC members from across the UK to share updates, raise concerns, and discuss priorities for 2026 and beyond. Although Microsoft Teams provided some surprises, we made it work, thanks to teamwork and patience. The conversation was rich, heartfelt, and often very moving.

1. Opening & Agenda

As chair of the meeting, I acknowledged technical teething problems as the group used Teams for the first time in this format. Mary (ToC Programme Lead) welcomed attendees and explained the privacy-driven decision to hide email addresses, which also unfortunately hid attendees’ names. A fix will be implemented before the January meeting.

The agenda included:

Triangle of Care national updates (Mary)
Carer co-production and lived experience input (Matthew)
Surrey & Borders’ co-production example (postponed)
Research priority-setting presentation (Richard, University of Manchester)
Carer questions and discussion

2. Triangle of Care National Update (Mary)

Mary provided a comprehensive end-of-year update structured around ToC’s three priority areas for 2024–25.

2.1 Embedding the Relaunched Triangle of Care Framework

Growth & progress

16 new members have joined the scheme since April, bringing ToC membership to over 80.
The first Welsh hospital achieved a ToC Star Award, prompting the creation of a new Welsh-language logo and Welsh materials.
A social care pilot is underway with Livewell South West, with West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospital reviewing ToC criteria for an acute setting.
Nine Star Awards have been achieved this year, with a further 12 annual reviews approved. Many more annual reports are pending review before year-end.

Standardising data
Mary emphasised the push for consistent reporting across Trusts, including:

numbers of carers identified
uptake of carer awareness training
numbers of carer champions

This will help build a national picture of impact.

Webinars
ToC’s Lunch & Learn series continues, with the recent Carers Rights Day webinar (in partnership with University of Bristol) focusing on the Nearest Relative role under the Mental Health Act (MHA). Resources are available via Carers Trust’s YouTube channel.

2.2 Young Carers: Identification & Support

A major update was the successful national policy win relating to young carers and the Mental Health Act.

Mental Health Act Reform – Safety Net for Young Carers

Following campaigning by Carers Trust, the Young Carers Alliance, and ToC members who wrote to MPs:

Government has agreed to update the MHA Code of Practice to require:
- identification of children when an adult is detained
- sharing of information about available support
- referrals for young carer needs assessments
Updates to advance choice documents will require practitioners to ask about dependent children.
Expected implementation: Summer 2026.

This win was warmly welcomed by the group.

2.3 Racially Minoritised Carers & PCREF

Mary updated members on ToC’s work to ensure carers are fully represented in the Patient & Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF).

Key updates

A national Task & Finish Group has now completed its review of the first four ToC standards; the final standard is underway.
Piloting of new culturally sensitive criteria is planned with 10 NHS Trusts beginning April 2026.
Example of early good practice: Livewell South West is implementing a new “essential data template” that includes carers, enabling services to better identify and support racially minoritised carers.
Carers Trust is calling for a statutory duty for NHS mental health providers to implement PCREF in full, including community governance.

2.4 Changing the Narrative on Care – New Research

Mary introduced new research (supported by the Health Foundation and Oxfam GB) titled Changing the Narrative on Care, highlighting:

Although 80% of the public value unpaid care, this does not translate into policy action or investment.
Three recommended reframes:
1. Care is a universal experience, not a niche issue.
2. No care without support, make support visible and tangible.
3. Care is a partnership between families, communities and systems—not something families must do alone.

The full report is available on Carers Trust’s website.

3. Carer Involvement, Co-Production & Lived Experience (Matthew McKenzie)

I then presented an in-depth reflection on the value of authentic carer involvement, drawing on his lived experience and his role working with multiple NHS organisations.

Key points included:

Carers are not passive observers, they hold critical lived knowledge that improves services.
Real co-production goes beyond consultation; carers must be equal partners in shaping policy, documentation, training, and strategic decisions.
Examples Matthew gave from his own involvement:
- redesigning welcome packs and leaflets
- addressing confidentiality misapplication
- involvement in recruitment panels
- delivering training to staff at induction
- reviewing complaints and compliments themes
- advising on discharge processes and family-inclusive safety protocols
- participating in research steering groups
Carers’ insight is especially essential in safeguarding, quality boards, and identifying service gaps often invisible to professionals.

4. Surrey & Borders Co-Production Example

A planned presentation from Surrey & Borders was postponed, as the relevant colleague could not attend with materials. They hope to present at a future meeting.

5. Research Priority Setting in Secure & Forensic Mental Health (Richard Kears)

Richard introduced a national project with the James Lind Alliance (JLA) aiming to identify the top 10 research priorities for secure and forensic mental health services across England, Scotland and Wales.

Who is the survey for?

Carers
People with lived experience of secure/forensic services
Staff working in these services
Anyone indirectly connected (victims, families)

Purpose

To ensure future mental health research is led by the real concerns of those most affected, not only by academics or pharmaceutical interests.

Process

National survey gathering research questions.
Analysis to identify common themes.
Second, more focused survey to refine priorities.
National workshops with carers, staff and people with lived experience to finalise the top 10.

A QR code and flyer were shared for distribution. The group expressed strong support.

6. Attendee Discussion & Questions

This was the richest section of the meeting, with many heartfelt contributions. The themes below reflect the key concerns raised.

6.1 Scotland & UK-wide ToC Alignment

A carer asked why Scotland’s ToC framework is separate and not integrated into the UK ToC accreditation model.
Mary explained:

Scotland currently uses ToC only as a free policy framework.
Implementing the accreditation model in Scotland would require groundwork to assess willingness and ability of providers to fund membership.
Integration is being discussed but is not imminent.

6.2 Clarity on Co-Production

Several carers voiced concerns that:

“Co-production” is often used as a buzzword.
Some NHS Trusts label work as co-produced after completing it.
Carers need clarity on what ToC means when using the term.

Mary responded that ToC uses a ladder of engagement, distinguishing:

carer engagement
carer involvement
full co-production

Carers Trust is developing a formal principles-based statement on involvement for future meetings.

6.3 Older Carers: Visibility, Support & Inequalities

The majority of carer questions focused on the unmet needs of older adult carers, many of whom are supporting people with severe mental illness—not dementia—and often have been caring 20–40 years.

Attendees reported:

Feeling “invisible” within both policy and services.
Being incorrectly grouped under “older carers = dementia”.
Their own poor health affecting their caring ability.
Increasing struggle to get responses from professionals.
Serious concerns about who will care for their loved ones when they die.
Feeling less heard as they age, compared with younger carers or newer voices.

One carer (age 78) shared:

“I can’t retire from caring. Benefits stop at 65, but the caring doesn’t.”

Another said:

“We have to shout louder as older women to be heard—and still we aren’t.”

Mary acknowledged the seriousness of these issues and committed to:

bringing older carers’ concerns into ongoing ToC work
exploring dedicated guidance and better mainstreaming within the ToC standards
sharing good practice on carer contingency planning in upcoming meetings

I have placed the guide below

Click to access Carer-Contingency-Planning-in-the-Universal-Care-Plan-Guidance-V1.0.pdf

I also reiterated the group’s role in surfacing policy gaps and influencing future national lobbying.

6.4 Carer Registration & Meeting Access

Several carers raised issues with:

The length of the ToC sign-up form
Not receiving meeting links despite signing up
Verification barriers when joining Teams

Mary agreed to:

review and shorten the form
clarify which fields are optional
address email deliverability issues
adjust MS Teams settings to reduce joining friction while maintaining security

6.5 Concerns About Confidentiality Misuse

One carer reported that in a CQC meeting at an NHS Trust, raising questions about communication was dismissed as “confidentiality”, preventing meaningful dialogue.
I then encouraged carers to bring such examples into:

ToC Star peer reviews
Carer involvement forums
Local advocacy routes

He noted that misuse of confidentiality is a common and unacceptable barrier and must be challenged.

6.6 Petition on Antipsychotic Medication Research

Carers highlighted concerns about:

long-term prescribing of antipsychotics
lack of regular medication review
inadequate research into long-term effects

A carer shared a petition calling for investigation of psychiatric medications. Richard noted that he had signed and shared it previously.

7. Closing Remarks

Matthew thanked all attendees for their honesty, passion and persistence:

“Carers’ voices shape policies and improve care. That is exactly what this group is here to do.”

Mary acknowledged:

the importance of every concern raised
the need to better support older carers
improvements to ToC communications and meeting accessibility
that the next meeting will be in January (provisionally 19th)

The meeting closed with gratitude from carers who said they felt heard, supported, and connected.

Lewisham, Southwark & Lambeth carer forum update October 2025

The recent Carers Forum brought together unpaid carers, health professionals, and community organisations from across South London to share updates, experiences, and ideas for improving mental health support. The event, chaired by Matthew McKenzie, created a safe and open space for carers to connect, exchange information, and have their questions heard by local health leaders.

Setting the Scene

Matthew opened the session by welcoming carers from across Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark. He spoke about the importance of providing carers with dedicated time to hear from service providers, particularly those supporting someone with mental ill-health and to ensure their voices shape local mental health strategies.

Continue reading →

Lewisham, Southwark & Lambeth Mental Health carer forum – July 2025 update

By Matthew McKenzie

LLS Carers Forum – July Update: Voices, Concerns & Community Strength

Welcome to the July update for the Lewisham, Lambeth, and Southwark Mental Health Carers Forum. This month’s meeting, chaired by Matthew McKenzie, provided space for powerful updates, critical reflections, and a sobering insight into national developments affecting carer support.

🔸 Growing the Carers Voice

Our forum continues to evolve, bringing together unpaid carers from across boroughs. It remains a space for empowerment, where carers can speak openly, challenge services, and influence support structures. Several attendees introduced themselves and reflected on their caring roles, often crossing borough boundaries and facing ongoing questions about their own place in the system.

🔸 Spotlight: Healthwatch Update

One of the major concerns raised was the planned abolition of Healthwatch England and its local branches, which is a development that has deeply unsettled many in our community.

Anna from Healthwatch Lambeth joined us (on her day off—thank you, Anne!) to explain what’s happening:

Healthwatch functions—listening to service users, signposting, and enter-and-view visits, which are set to be absorbed by local authorities and ICBs.
As a statutory body, Healthwatch cannot be dissolved without legislation, so operations continue for now.
Carers voiced serious concerns over the loss of Healthwatch’s independence and trust, especially as a safe channel for feedback.

Anne reminded us: Healthwatch is still active and listening. A final report on black men’s experiences in Lambeth mental health services is due by mid-August.

🔸 Key Questions Raised

How will services preserve independent feedback mechanisms once Healthwatch is gone?
What accountability structures will replace them?
What are the implications of the broader wave of health service body consolidations?

🔸 Updates from the Ground

We also heard from other carer members:

A carer from Lewisham shared feedback she submitted to the Lewisham Unpaid Carers Forum regarding carer engagement, with little response so far unfortunately highlighting an all-too-common issue.
Other Carers reflected on Lambeth’s carer engagement structures, noting some decline in carer-led decision-making over the years.
Another Carer emphasized the importance of real, consistent carer champions within NHS teams particularly in mental health crisis services.

🔸 Carers Forum Reflections

Matthew provided a helpful comparison between Lewisham and Lambeth carer engagement models. While Lewisham has a formal Unpaid Carers Forum, its independence is limited. Lambeth’s model leans more on the collaborative network and carer support groups. Both boroughs face challenges in consistency, clarity, and co-production.

A concern raised repeatedly: carer champions are often named but rarely visible and sometimes, not even known by their own teams.

📅 Next Forum: August 25 or 26

Due to the bank holiday, the next forum will likely be held on August 26. We’ll aim to have a guest speaker and will explore new ways for carers to hold services to account especially in light of the potential Healthwatch closure.

If you’d like to contribute to future discussions or attend the next forum, please reach out. This is your space.

📣 Let’s continue to speak up, stand together, and push for better mental health support for all carers.

Hospital Carers Discharge Meeting Update July 2025

Posted: July 2025
By: Matthew McKenzie

In July 2025, we held another meeting of the London Hospital Discharge Carers Forum, which brings together carer centres, NHS professionals, and lived experienced unpaid carers to explore how we can better support unpaid carers through the complex hospital discharge journey.

With key developments shared, questions raised, and future opportunities on the table, I’m sharing this blog to ensure everyone is informed.

A Focus on Hospital Discharge but With Carers at the Centre

The forum continues to highlight how vital carer centres are in delivering effective, compassionate discharge support. But alongside that recognition comes rising expectations: better digital access, stronger links with acute hospital teams, more formal involvement in care planning, and even new digital tools to manage carer identity and input.

Our role is growing and so is the need for collective visibility and coordinated action.

Key Themes from July’s Discussion

1. NHS England Hospital Discharge Toolkit & Care Contingency Plan
As an involved carer, I delivered the NHS England update. The main message? The Care Contingency Plan (CCP) is becoming a key focus across the system. There are planning sessions due in September, and carer centres might be asked whether they can take on CCP delivery alongside existing carers assessments.

This triggered a crucial question: Will additional funding or contractual support be offered to carer centres taking on CCPs? because we can’t afford to quietly absorb additional workload without clarity on resources or expectations.

2. Digital Tools – NHS App & Carer Self-Identification
With the growing digitisation of NHS services, there are plans to enable carers to self-identify via a digital route. The Universal Care Plan (UCP) is being built into the NHS app, but there’s confusion about whether a separate “carer app” is being developed too.

We’ve asked NHS England for clarification: Will carers be expected to use one NHS app to manage both contingency plans and carer registration, or will multiple systems be introduced? The answer will have implications for how we support carers with digital skills and accessibility.

3. The Bigger Picture – NHS 10-Year Plan and Local Adaptation
We explored how the new 10-Year NHS Plan mentions carers primarily in the context of discharge, but offers little in terms of direct support or investment in carers themselves. Several carer centres raised concerns about being seen only as a means to improve discharge outcomes, rather than as partners in their own right.

That said, some centres are using the plan as an opportunity, working with local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to adapt and influence how the priorities are rolled out locally, including integration with neighbourhood health centres and walk-in clinics.

Peer Learning and Local Centre Updates

As always, our meeting included practical insights from carer centres embedded in local hospitals. Topics included:

Establishing hospital-based carer hubs and information desks.
Hosting monthly drop-ins for carers on specific wards (e.g. stroke and frailty).
Using ward rounds to identify and build relationships with staff willing to act as carer champions.
Overcoming challenges in gaining visibility, sustaining presence, or maintaining resource levels for in-hospital work.
Planning carers coffee mornings and pop-up stands to increase footfall and engagement.

For newer hospital-based carer workers, this space proved invaluable as a place to learn from colleagues, gather ideas, and avoid isolation.

Project Developments: What Centres Need to Know

Several borough-wide and London-wide initiatives are taking shape that could directly affect how carer centres operate in coming months:

A standard operating procedure for hospital discharge, currently being developed across South East London, is aiming to streamline how carers are engaged at discharge, with pilot sites starting this September.
In North Central London, work is underway on a web portal that makes it easier for hospital and emergency staff to refer carers into local support services including from the London Ambulance Service.
Carer Centres in several areas are starting or refreshing carer charters, carer passports, and surveys designed to codify carer involvement and measure experience across hospital pathways.
Carer support workers at one major South London hospital are re-establishing visibility post-staff transition. Efforts are underway to build new ward-level relationships and identify carer champions among staff. The centre is also exploring monthly carer drop-ins, asking the group for ideas on what works well and what doesn’t.
One East London carer centre has established a hospital-based hub on a specific ward floor, acting as a go-to space for carers needing support or information. They also run monthly drop-in sessions on elderly/frailty and stroke wards conditions where family involvement in discharge planning is often critical.

These projects are at different stages, but all point to one thing: carer centres are being asked to operate more visibly, more formally, and more digitally. It’s essential we shape this process and not just respond to it.

With NHS England’s CCP work moving fast and carer integration into digital systems ramping up, carer centres can no longer afford to remain on the sidelines.

We have a chance to be informed of policy changes early not after implementation.
Carer centres and hospitals can raise concerns about workload, training, and funding before it’s too late.
Newer or isolated workers benefit from collective knowledge-sharing and support.

This is not just another meeting, it’s one of the few cross-borough forums focused squarely on carer centres in the acute hospital context.

Looking Ahead: September Session

Our next meeting will be held usually the last week of September.

Let’s not let carers be an afterthought. Let’s make sure carer centres are seen, heard, and properly resourced.