Welcome to our dedicated page on the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF), where we share our ongoing journey and strategic approach to embed anti-racism.
The PCREF is NHS England’s first anti-racism framework for all NHS mental health trusts and mental health service providers to embed across England. This mandatory framework supports trusts and providers on our journeys to becoming actively anti-racist organisations by ensuring that we are responsible for co-producing and implementing concrete actions to reduce racial inequalities within our services.
The PCREF supports mental health providers in developing local plans that embed anti-racism at every level, guided by three pillars:
- Leadership and governance
- National and local cultural competencies
- Patient and carer feedback mechanisms
Our approach
Across West Yorkshire, we are committed to using the PCREF to transform the way we design, deliver and lead mental health care. We recognise that dismantling racism requires more than good intentions - it demands structural change, bold, honest conversations and a deep commitment to co-production with people who have lived experience of racism in services.
The PCREF helps us understand and address how racial inequities manifest in patient experiences and provides a roadmap for meaningful improvement. We are committed to ensuring anti-racism is embedded across all levels of our organisations from leadership to frontline care.
In 2024, we hosted a regional engagement bringing together individuals with lived experience, carers, NHS leaders, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) partners and community voices - to discuss how we can move from ambition to action.
This engagement and co-production summary highlights powerful testimonies, practical ideas and emerging themes from the event that will shape our next steps. Those themes include:
- anti-racism must be driven by leadership and embedded through systems and culture
- people must have safe, supported ways to speak openly about racism
- communities and staff need to see that their feedback leads to real, visible change
- co-production must be authentic, resourced and ongoing
What’s next
We’ll be developing our local plans, informed by the voices and lived experiences of people living and working in West Yorkshire and continuing to come together to collaborate around PCREF across the region.
We are committed to becoming an anti-racist system - one where every person receives care that is equitable, respectful and shaped by those we serve. On this page we’ll be adding updates, insights and resources including reports, tools and links to partner initiatives - so everyone can stay informed and involved.
Links and resources
Trust websites:
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) PCREF website pages
Bradford Direct Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT) equality and diversity reports
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT) PCREF website pages
Other handy resources
Remembering What's Forgotten – a digital exhibition featuring the inspiring narratives of 60 people, captured as a creative response to 50 years of mental health and racial inequalities in Leeds