
We are proud to be one of the first Trusts implementing the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) – NHS England’s first anti-racism framework in mental health care. PCREF is all about making services fairer, more inclusive, and better for everyone, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
PCREF is a bold, system-wide approach to eliminating racial inequalities in mental health. It focuses on equity, anti-racism, and co-production to make sure patients and carers are at the heart of everything we do.
We have been implementing PCREF in NELFT since April 2022, shaping our services through data, partnerships, lived experience, and community voice.
Meet the PCREF Programme Delivery team:
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Wellington Makala |
Debbie Smith |
Erica Deti |
Executive Chief Nursing Officer | Director of Nursing and Patient Experience |
PCREF Project Lead |
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Asia Zaman | Mkieva Bray |
PCREF Transformation Project Manager | Project Support Officer |
To get involved contact us at PCREF@nelft.nhs.uk – we’d love to hear from you!
Carers
Supporting carers of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures. We’re working to recognise, include, and support carers in all care plans.
Black Male Experience
Addressing the overrepresentation of Black men in acute care and creating safe spaces for prevention, trust-building, and therapeutic support.
South Asian Women & Access
Improving access to talking therapies and mental health services for South Asian women by making services more culturally responsive.
Perinatal Care
A new workstream Focusing on Black and South Asian women who face higher risks during pregnancy and birth. The aim is to build culturally sensitive care and stronger support.
Young People
A new workstream that addresses health equity for young people.
We are building equity into the heart of our systems not just as a goal but as a way of working. Whether it is hosting community events or designing new tools we are working side by side with people who use our services, carers and staff.
Co-production – designing services with communities, not for them
Partnership working – working closely with local groups, faith leaders, and more
Cultural Awareness – recognising heritage, history, and unique perspectives
Co-Learning – everyone learns and grows together
Equity & Anti-Racism – we challenge bias and act on inequality
Inclusive Workforce – diverse, empowered, and ready to lead change
We track progress through Power BI dashboards to ensure services are equitable. Key data includes:
This helps us to target improvements, hold ourselves accountable, and celebrate success.
If you would like copies of the documents in this section in any other format, please email digitalcomms@nelft.nhs.uk
Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework - Event Report.pdf [pdf] 470KB
Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework - Carers Report.pdf [pdf] 272KB
Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework - Staff and Workforce Report.pdf [pdf] 347KB