Tag Archives: racial inequality

Gatekeeping Care – PCREF Poetry on Minority Ethnic Mental Health Carers

By Matthew McKenzie

My latest poetry video, “Gatekeeping Care,” explores the barriers minority ethnic unpaid carers can face when trying to navigate mental health services.

This is where unwritten rules, complicated medical language and unexplained carer rights can leave people struggling to understand how to obtain support.

Unpaid carers can also have their concerns not taken seriously.

The poem also reflects on what it feels like when decisions are made without carers and their cultural or religious beliefs are overlooked.

Through this poem, I want to raise awareness of why the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) matters to carers and families.

I feel mental health services must listen to carers, communicate clearly and recognise them as equal partners rather than leaving them feeling judged, invisible or powerless.

Why Black Carers Struggle to Access Mental Health Support

By Matthew McKenzie

Black unpaid carers can face significant barriers when trying to access mental health support for themselves or the person they care for.

These difficulties may include long waiting times, financial pressure, cultural stigma, fear of statutory services and a shortage of professionals who understand the effects of racism, racial trauma and culturally specific caring experiences.

In my new video, I examine how misdiagnosis, over-policing and expectations that Black families should simply remain “strong” can create mistrust and discourage carers from asking for help.

Drawing on my perspective as a Black lived-experience carer, I also consider what mental health services can do differently. Genuine improvement requires culturally responsive support, greater representation, safe spaces for carers, accessible community-led services and meaningful partnership with Black carers and families.

PCREF provides an important opportunity to challenge racial inequalities, but its success will depend on whether services listen to lived experience and turn commitments into visible action.