Tag Archives: family involvement

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

About the Forum:
The Lewisham, Lambeth & Southwark Carers Forum is a collaborative online space that brings together unpaid carers, carer leads, mental health professionals, and support organizations to share experiences, raise concerns, and influence change. Focused primarily on mental health caregiving, the forum serves as a platform for peer support, policy updates, training insights, and service development. Led by carer advocate Matthew McKenzie, the group fosters empowerment through regular discussions, creative expression, and co-produced solutions, ensuring carers’ voices are heard across local systems and beyond.

Carers Week Collaboration Discussion

The meeting began with introductions from Matthew McKenzie, who leads a merged online carers group, and other participants including Yvonne, a carers navigator at Southwark Carers, and Margaret, a carer representative with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The group discussed Carers Week activities and their various roles in supporting carers across different organizations. Karen Hooper, connected with the Lambeth Living Well Collaborative, while Lee Roach, the carers lead for South London & Maudsley in Lambeth, shared his involvement with the Trustwide Family and Carers Committee.

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Cygnet National Carers Event – Carers Week 2025

By Matthew McKenzie, Carer Ambassador, Cygnet Health Care

On Friday 13th June 2025, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at Cygnet Health Care’s National Carers Event, hosted at Cygnet Churchill in Lambeth, London. The event brought together carers, staff, professionals, and advocates to reflect on the vital role of unpaid carers who step up daily out of love, resilience, and responsibility, often with little recognition.

Carers Week is always a powerful reminder that caring touches us all – and Cygnet’s event this year was especially moving and informative. It offered a platform for carers to share their lived experience, influence policy, and strengthen our collective voice.

Agenda Highlights

The day opened with a warm welcome from Laura Sheridan & Shane Mills, setting the tone for a day grounded in empathy and collaboration. We heard from a range of speakers including:

  • Susan Hartnell-Beavis, sharing practical tools for supporting carers.
  • Kate Mercer and Carly Ellicott, who both championed carer involvement in care planning and research.
  • John Bangs OBE, who brought a national perspective on carer rights and policy.
  • Dr Angela Misra, who tackled the health implications of caregiving.
  • Julian de Takats and Matthew McKenzie (myself), focusing on empowering carers’ voices.
  • We also had insights from Dr Henk Swanepoel & Sophie Borg, who presented on collaborative approaches with carers in mental health services.
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