The Patient and carer race equality framework (PCREF) sets out to improve the experience and outcomes of people from ethnic minorities who are on mental health pathways.
PCREF was produced by NHS England. NHS-funded mental health trusts must implement the framework by March 2025, and the framework will become part of our inspections.
Our interim approach
We recognise that some providers will take longer than others to embed PCREF.
Because of this, during the early months of PCREF’s implementation, we will not make any scoring judgements about how well PCREF is being implemented during our assessments.
However, during this interim period, we will assess how well trusts and services promote and work to support race equity in access, experience, and outcomes.
We will look at:
- Providers’ and stakeholders’ awareness and knowledge about PCREF and its purpose and value.
- Providers’ arrangements and plans to develop PCREF, and how this is being overseen and managed.
We will also:
- Help support providers and people share their learning about the practical development of PCREF throughout their individual journeys.
- Signpost relevant regulatory and PCREF-related learning resources and support, if needed.
We will publish guidance later this year setting out how we will assess and rate PCREF-related development and performance using our Single Assessment Framework (SAF).