The Relational Care Faculty (RCF) held a launch event today at the City Gates Conference Centre in Ilford.

NELFT is the first NHS trust to establish a Relational Care Faculty to transform mental healthcare for patients and their families.  

Relational care nurtures non-hierarchical trusting relationships between those needing mental health support, their family, the community they live in and their care team. The innovative approach can help achieve positive outcomes in treatment while also promoting freedom, autonomy and choice.

The event featured a series of discussions, beginning with an introduction from Chief Executive Paul Calaminus, followed by Expert Advisor for Relational Care Kate Lorrimer and Consultant Psychiatrist Russell Razzaque, who outlined the vision and strategic direction of the faculty. The National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) team provided a wider context for relational care in the NHS, while NELFT colleagues shared the trust’s work on risk formulation and relational security.

Kate Lorrimer, Expert Advisor for Relational Care, said:

"The Relational Care Faculty brings together staff already working on areas that align with our core principles, ensuring accessible mental health care, supporting communities, and promoting a human rights-based approach where individuals have choice and autonomy over their care."

Russell Razzaque, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Research and Development, said:

‘’We’re very excited to be launching the first Relational Care Faculty. We need to emphasise relationships and think about how we are connecting with people and how deep these relationships are. There is a strong evidence base that better relationships equal better long term outcomes. The Faculty will help us to use opportunities across the Trust to put relationships at the heart of care. NELFT is at the cutting edge of change bringing Relational Care and Open Dialogue to the NHS.”

The launch event concluded with a discussion on how to build upon existing successes and enable the implementation of relational care practices across services. As the first of its kind across the NHS, the Relational Care Faculty sets a precedent for a more compassionate and person-centred approach to mental health.

Find out more about the Relational Care Faculty here - Relational Care Faculty