FIVE YEAR STRATEGY

1. MENTAL HEALTH

All the available evidence shows that the measures introduced, over more than two decades, to address the racial inequalities that exist in mental health services, in relation to black African and Caribbean patients, have failed. This includes the Delivery Race Equality (DRE) five year strategy [2005-2010], which was specifically intended to reduce inequalities in how people from a range of different ethnic communities access, experience and achieve outcomes from mental health services.

A review of the Mental Health Act 1983 by Professor Sir Simon Wessely in 2018 has given rise to the Mental Health Act 2025; Royal Accent being granted in December 2025.

The review by Professor Sir Simon Wessely acknowledged the racial inequalities that exist for minority ethnic communities and as such recommended the creation of an Organisational Competency Framework (OCF), which crucially had service users and carers at its core, to tackle the racial disparity that exists. It is against this backdrop that the Patient Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) was created by NHS England. All mental health trusts and mental health providers were required to implement the PCREF by 31 March 2025.

In accordance with its five year strategy the NHS BME Network will undertake a national review of the implementation and delivery of PCREF by mental health trusts and mental health providers to establish notably:

1. To what extent PCREF has been implemented, with particular interest in the processes adopted around implementation.
2. To what extent have the local black African and Caribbean communities been involved in the development/design of PCREF.
3. The experiences of the local black African and Caribbean communities with a particular interest, in relation to service delivery, around ease of access; quality of care and mental health outcomes. Furthermore, how this compares to the same experiences of the local White communities.
4. The management and leadership in place to ensure PCREF is progressed in a timely, productive and beneficial manner.

This review by the NHS BME Network is necessary and beneficial to ensure meaningful progress, concerning the implementation and delivery of the PCREF, takes place in an effective and timely manner, for the benefit of the BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities we serve.

2. REGULATION

To follow

3. WORKFORCE

To follow