By Matthew McKenzie – Carer activist and facilitator of the group
The group is a community of carers in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham that exists to provide support, advocacy, and connection for people looking after loved ones living with mental illness. It brings together unpaid carers of all ages and backgrounds to share experiences, learn from one another, and build confidence in dealing with health and social care professionals. A core part of its mission is reducing isolation by creating a safe space where carers can speak openly, develop skills, and access practical resources like advocacy services.
The meeting began with introductions and updates from various participants, including myselff where I discussed work with London Hospitals and the NHS app, while other carers introduced themselves to the group. In attendance was Tama from PohWer presented information about carer complaints and support services across different regions, including discussions about the potential impact of Healthwatch’s dissolution on patient and carer support services.
The meeting facilitated by Matthew McKenzie began with introductions from participants and updates on various carer support initiatives, including forum mergers and NHS plan changes.
Local council strategies and initiatives were discussed across different boroughs, with particular focus on Lambeth and Southwark’s carer support plans and the development of a carer’s forum in Lewisham. The group explored challenges faced by carers, including access to primary care and the need for better coordination, while discussing recent conferences and upcoming events aimed at supporting and advocating for carers’ rights.
Lewisham Carers Strategy and Service Updates
Lewisham is currently refreshing its Carers Strategy to strengthen support for unpaid carers and improve access to local services. The focus is on ensuring carers are included in decision-making through co-production and collaboration with the council, health providers, and community organisations. A major priority is improving well-being services, providing better information, and ensuring carers know their rights under the Carers Leave Act.
As part of wider NHS reforms, Lewisham is moving towards a neighbourhood-based care model designed to bring services closer to local communities. While this aims to make access more seamless, carers raised concerns about inconsistent GP access, gaps in communication, and challenges navigating between boroughs when supporting loved ones. The forum highlighted the importance of better coordination between primary care, hospital discharge planning, and mental health services to ensure carers are recognised and supported.
Lambeth Carers Strategy Refresh
Lambeth is currently refreshing its Carers Strategy with the aim of improving services, increasing visibility, and ensuring carers have a stronger voice in decision-making. The updated strategy focuses on key priorities such as well-being, access to assessments, respite options, and workforce training for those supporting unpaid carers.
There was a particular focus on improving support for mental health carers in Lambeth. The Carers Hub Lambeth team continues to facilitate peer support groups and collaborates closely with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to ensure carers are recognised as partners in care planning. Initiatives like Triangle of Care are gaining momentum, emphasising better communication between professionals and families while creating pathways for carers to get involved in shaping local mental health services.
Carers Hub Lambeth also celebrated the growing range of community-based activities available for carers and families in Lambeth. Over the summer, there have been several events designed to support young carers, including trips, tours, and group workshops aimed at helping them connect with others and access emotional support. These initiatives are part of Lambeth’s broader goal to make sure younger carers, who are often overlooked, receive the help they need both at home and within education.
One of the key upcoming events for Lambeth carers is the Lambeth Carers Strategy Event taking place on 25th September 2025 at 336 Brixton Road. The session will bring together carers, professionals, and decision-makers to review plans, share ideas, and set priorities for the future. Carers are strongly encouraged to attend to ensure their voices are heard and to take part in shaping the borough’s action plans moving forward.
Southwark Council Carers Support and Strategy Group
Matthew fed back on how Southwark Council continues to strengthen its approach to supporting unpaid carers, with a growing emphasis on improving access to information, assessments, and respite services.
The Unpaid Carers Strategy Refresh is a project running from August 2025 to April 2026, led by Southwark Council in collaboration with Adult Social Care, the NHS, local voluntary groups, and unpaid carers themselves. The plan focuses on improving support for carers by updating evidence on local needs, strengthening engagement with seldom-heard groups, and mapping gaps in current services.
Key priorities include better access to respite care, enhanced referral pathways, stronger partnerships with health services, and improved inclusion of young carers, carers with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ carers. The initial phase, from August to October, involves reviewing existing strategies, mapping current services, gathering insights through focus groups and surveys, and benchmarking against national policies and neighbouring boroughs.
The forum highlighted the importance of co-production, ensuring that carers are actively involved in shaping local strategies and service priorities.
Update on Key Themes from the final NHS England Carers Conference
Matthew highlighted that the 2025 NHS England carers conference placed a strong emphasis on recognising unpaid carers as essential partners in delivering effective healthcare. The NHS stressed its commitment to involving carers in shaping services and policies, ensuring their voices are reflected at every stage of decision-making. There was a clear acknowledgement that without unpaid carers, many health and social care systems would face significant pressure.
You can watch the conference below.
A major focus was on the NHS’s shift towards neighbourhood-based care models designed to bring services closer to communities. Matthew explained that this change aims to improve coordination between GPs, hospitals, and mental health services, but he also highlighted concerns raised about fragmented communication and the risk of carers being left out of local planning. Carers at the conference called for better access to information and more joined-up pathways across boroughs.
The conference also featured interactive workshops and discussion groups focused on co-production, digital innovations, and addressing inequalities among carers. Specific sessions explored improving support for young carers, carers from minority backgrounds, and those supporting loved ones with mental health needs. The event closed with a call to action for stronger collaboration between carers, NHS teams, local authorities, and community organisations. Attendees were encouraged to get involved in upcoming forums and engagement opportunities to help shape future services and ensure carers’ voices are at the heart of decision-making.
Matthew shared updates on national policy developments discussed at the conference, including the Carers Leave Act and commitments to expanding access to respite, assessments, and flexible working rights. There was also a discussion about new digital tools and support platforms designed to make it easier for carers to connect with professionals and access resources. However, many attendees expressed concerns that these initiatives need proper funding and training to work effectively in practice.
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.
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.
On February 25th, 2025, carers, professionals, and support organizations gathered at Tooley Street for a Carers event provided by Southwark Council. The event was developed by Sarah Bullman, Senior Policy and Strategy Lead for Adult Social Care over in Southwark. The event, hosted by Simon Rayner, provided an opportunity to connect, share updates, and explore ways to support carers in the community.
Key Highlights from the Event:
🔹 Carefree – Presented by Salil Meech Mazumdar, Carefree shared their work in providing much-needed short breaks and respite opportunities for unpaid carers, ensuring they have time to rest and recharge.
🔹 Southwark Carers – Sarah Bullman introduced Southwark Carers including Verinder CEO of Southwark Carers, an essential organization offering tailored advice, practical support, and advocacy for carers in the borough of Southwark.
🔹 Mobilise – A digital-first platform supporting carers, Mobilise was discussed in depth, highlighting how online peer support and coaching can help carers navigate their roles more effectively.
🔹 Imago – Known for their work in youth and adult carer services, Imago shared updates on their projects that focus on young carers, connecting them with resources and professional guidance.
🔹 Carers Hub/Centre – Southwark council focus on a new Carers Hub set for next year, where updates on focus groups and workshops on how the carers centre will be used for supporting unpaid carers.
The last section of the event was below
🔹 Voice of the Carer & Carer Empowerment – Chloe Harvey and Sarah Bullman provided updates on Southwark’s Carers Strategy, reinforcing the importance of carer voices in shaping policy.
Plus Matthew McKenzie, a well-known carer advocate, spoke passionately about listening to carers, empowering them, and ensuring co-production in decision-making. He also read moving excerpts from his book, The Poetry of Mental Health Caring, which resonated deeply with attendees.
The event concluded with a networking lunch, allowing attendees to connect, share experiences, and strengthen their collective efforts in supporting carers.
This forum was a powerful reminder that carers should never feel alone—there is a strong and growing community dedicated to uplifting and advocating for them. 💙
Southwark Carers has been preparing for Carers Week 2024. If you are caring for someone unpaid in the borough of Southwark, check out the latest activities at Southwark Carers.
Welcome to the September 2019 update of the Southwark Mental Health Carers forum. The forum is aimed at unpaid carers who carer or support those with mental health needs. For example as in a relative or friend suffering schizophrenia, bipolar, ADHD, serve depression, self harming and so on. We even have families attending supporting someone with learning disabilities.
The forum runs once every 3rd thursday month from Southwark Carers. Southwark Carers is a carers centre that Enables, empowers and enriches the lives of carers in the London borough of Southwark.
For the September forum there was a push to get carer members to understand Maudsley’s Carer Strategy. Just like over at the Lewisham MH Carers forum, we hope carers can understand what a carer strategy means, how it could help them as a carer and why NHS trusts work towards a carers strategy. Still, its no good having a strategy done in isolation. Mental Health trusts need to listen to those supporting patients in their services. Carers need to feel valued by being listened to, even if some issues cannot be resolved.
Unfortunately the SLaM member of staff could not make it, but I managed to go through the strategy some weeks before and developed a presentation on it. Oddly enough, we could not fit in as much about the carers strategy and I am hoping we could cover the rest in October.
I did break down a few things regarding what South London & Maudsley regards as a carer, the issue of identifying carers and training SLaM staff to be carer aware. There are other queries from carers especially about the Triangle of Care policy and also the impact of the Care Act 2014 and if it has done any good for families and carers.
I also presented the new Physical Health project from KingsHealthPartners, which focuses on improving mental and physical well-being for people with mental illnesses. There was excitement that a focus group looks to be developed involvement patients, doctors, researchers and carers on the new a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program for inpatients with mental illnesses.
Carers are understandably upset that their loved ones are being given medication that although controls the mental illness, can add physical weight to the patient. It can get so bad that it could contribute to the 20 year Mortality Gap in service users. It is about time there should be a controlled exercise program in conjuction with mental health treatment. King’s Health Partners is an Academic Health Sciences Centre where world-class research, education and clinical practice are brought together for the benefit of patients. They bring together a world-leading research led university and three successful NHS Foundation Trusts.
You can find out more about them on the link below
Talking about NHS trusts. It was good to at least have South London and Maudsley NHS Trust work to engaging with carers regarding its carers strategy, we also had Kings College NHS Trust getting views from carers over in Lambeth and sometimes Southwark, but there still needs to be an update from Guys & St Thomas on their Carer’s policies. We had an update on progress regarding engagement.
I updated the members on the new Carer support group, which I aim to set up in Southwark. The group needs to be carer-led and will receive funding from the mental health organisation Mind. I am awaiting peer support training, since it is a new avenue for me being a peer supporter, but I have unfortunately have carers chat with me regarding serious NHS incidents and they are not so trusting of NHS staff due to being so distruate if their ‘loved one’ has died or come to serious harm. The carer peer support group, will need to have protected space for carers where we can support and learn from each other.
The forum members also discussed several exciting events, one of them being the Celebrating the role of carers across the Capital festival held over at Bromley by Bow Centre. The festival was organised by LondonADASS and the festival was being hosted over in London Borough of Tower Hamlets, East London. More on that festival later in another blog post.
At the Southwark forum we celebrated the update of Carer member Ana who is developing her skills as a therapist. She has been nominated for awards by The London Awards Brazilian Guide 2019 which is intended to support and support projects and initiatives that empower entrepreneurs.
Ana has several projects that help those in the Latin community and has set up a project that helps hundreds of children over in Brazil. The members of the Southwark Carers forum are aware of the contribution the Latin community make and are aware of how communities feel pushed out by development in the area.
Ana invited members of the carers forum to the Brazilian embassey for a wellbeing festival and we look forward to being part of how the Latin community are inviting of others even if they are feeling welcomed.
I will update the Southwark Carer members on how the Carer festival went in October.
Welcome to the September update of the Southwark mental health carers forum. Out of all the mental health carers forums, this forum was the last carers forum to be set up throughout South London. The forum is held over at Southwark carers.
Southwark Carers provides information, advice and support to carers across the borough of Southwark, they also aim to raise awareness of the rights and needs of carers. One of the aims of the Southwark mental health carers forum is to raise awareness of mental health carers. That being families and carers who care for someone close suffering mental health needs.
Welcome to June 2018 update from the Southwark mental health carers forum. As a reminder the mint of carers forums give unpaid carers in care for someone suffering mental health needs a chance to get updates and query mental health services and also services aimed at unpaid carers. One of the things that is important to note is that the forms allow empowerment to unpaid carers.
For this particular form over at Southwark carers, we were lucky to have the Labour MP helen Hayes attend the forum to present a new report published jointly by the Health & Social Care and the Housing, Communities & Local Government Select Committees on the long term funding of adult social care.
At the forum we all admitted that the social care system is broken. There are quite a few reasons why social care is struggling to support those in desperate need. One of the things that has been causing a lot of problems is the austerity effect. We felt that the current government seems to be dragging its heels on supporting and protecting the rights of unpaid carers.
If that wasn’t hard enough we have a double blow in regards to the ‘cared for’ where hospitals are struggling with funding, delayed hospital discharges, difficulty with mental health patients getting support and the rotating door system. All of this applies added pressure on families and unpaid carers who are trying their best to care for their loved ones.
The select committee which Helen Hayes is a member of is a cross party initiative that includes a Citizens jury. The committee looked at funding and who should fund social care. The committee also queried what social care should look like.
Too often the poorest in Society are asked to pay for social care that cannot often reach them. Above all they should be transparency not just in social care but within the NHS. It is so important that families and carers are given the support in order to care for their loved ones rather than being pushed out by care workers.
The forum also discussed the integrated social care system where are the city of Manchester has set an example for others to follow.
The MP felt glad that such a forum is up and running since she felt the current government has failed to give unpaid carers a voice and she will do all she can in order to support the mental health carers forum. We also discussed carers assessments and who should attend the forum. Unfortunately Southwark Council representatives were due to attend the forum, but were unaware the time had changed.
In future we can send out posters where the MPs can help publicise and support the forum.
This concludes the update for June 2018 Southwark mental health carers forum.
Here is the update for the Southwark Mental Health Carers forum. This is newest forum that I chair, which with the help of Southwark Carers aims to bring together carers in the London Borough of Southwark.
The point of the forum is to allow carers a stronger voice regarding how they are supported in that borough. Carers might not even know what South London & Maudsely does and how it can help support carers. Some carers cannot possibly come involved with the trust, but may wish to attend a certain theme about the forum.
For the february forum we had the “public and patient involvement lead” attending to help plan who should engage with the Southwark MH carers forum in future. A lot of the carers were just arriving from the new carer course, which had been running at the Recovery college. The course was set up in partnership with Southwark Carers.
At this forum, I presented on the themes which carers may want a SLaM staff member to present on. It is important that the forum should ask questions on specific topics and not just have a guest speaker talking about how to contact PALs. Members of the carers forum, should be interesting in the number of complients, compliments and how carers concerns are raised.
The forum members were interested in engagement from
– What research the IOPPN is doing, especially on involvement
– The Mind & Body project which is a partnership between SLaM and Kings College London.
– Representatives from Southwark CCG
– Reps from the council
– Updates & issues regarding carers assessments
We hope to present some updates to the SLaM family & Carers committee. At the forum we also heard updates on how the “Carer Course” had run, plus feedback from the new Mental Health ACT changes. Yet again, we thank the involvement lead for supporting the forums.
Welcome to the September 2019 update of the Southwark Mental Health Carers forum. The forum is aimed at unpaid carers who carer or support those with mental health needs. For example as in a relative or friend suffering schizophrenia, bipolar, ADHD, serve depression, self harming and so on. We even have families attending supporting someone with learning disabilities.
Welcome to June 2018 update from the Southwark mental health carers forum. As a reminder the mint of carers forums give unpaid carers in care for someone suffering mental health needs a chance to get updates and query mental health services and also services aimed at unpaid carers. One of the things that is important to note is that the forms allow empowerment to unpaid carers.
A Caring Mind 