The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) is NHS England's first national anti-racism framework, aimed at reducing racial inequality and supporting NHS organisations in becoming actively anti-racist.
Central and North West London recognises its role in engaging communities and supporting the NHS to incorporate the voices of patients, carers, and people with lived experience in implementing PCREF.
Over the last year, CNWL's Clinical Psychologist, Dr Shona Herron and the Harrow Acute Mental Health Services designed a project to address young black men facing unequal access to mental health support. Findings show that black men are more likely to experience inpatient admissions, restrictive practice and less likely to be offered therapies (NHS Digital, 2016; 2021).
The three 12-week projects supported 27 men who have had multiple admissions and traumatic experiences of services and involved partnering with Finding Rhythms (FRs), who specialise in providing high quality music interventions for people facing social adversity, often labelled as “hard to reach”.
Finding Rhythms and Dr Herron worked with the men to write an album of original music to express their emotions, process trauma, and fight mental health stigma. The project resulted with three complete albums which are now live on Band Camp and Spotify - Hotter than water, Every effort counts and Creative energy.
Feedback from the men has been outstanding, with 58% reporting improvements in wellbeing, 75% reporting improved feelings about themselves, and 92% reporting improved feelings of belonging and safety over the course of the group.
Data is also starting to show the impact on mental health admission rates for these participants, with rates of admissions dropping from 15 the year before the project began, to only 6 admissions for these men since the projects started in September 2023. Instead, many of the men who took part in the project are now engaged in employment and training, having used the Finding Rhythms project as a spring-board into other opportunities having gained confidence and skills.