Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded Triangle of Care Star 1 Accreditation in recognition of its work to involve and support carers within its mental health and community services.
Accreditation recognises partnership with carers
The accolade, granted following a peer review conducted by Carers Trust, highlights the trust's commitment to including carers in patient care and in service development. The Triangle of Care programme brings together health services, service users and carers to promote shared understanding and partnership, ensuring carers are recognised and supported throughout the care journey.
"Achieving Triangle of Care Star 1 Accreditation is an important recognition of our commitment to working in partnership with carers, who play a vital role in supporting the people who use our services," said Dr Lesley Stevens, the trust's chief quality and engagement officer. "This accreditation reflects the dedication of colleagues across Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight to embedding a culture that recognises, values and supports carers at every stage of a person's care experience."
The trust's statement framed the award as the result of sustained effort by staff across its services to embed carer-inclusive practice. Triangle of Care accreditation is awarded in stages; attaining Star 1 indicates that structures and processes are in place to identify, communicate with and involve carers.
Why the accreditation matters
Carers, unpaid family members and friends who provide practical and emotional support, are an integral part of the health and social care ecosystem. Recognition through frameworks such as Triangle of Care signals that a provider has taken concrete steps to:
- identify and record who a person's carer is;
- communicate with carers about the person’s care where appropriate;
- involve carers in planning and service development; and
- provide information and signposting to support services for carers.
For trusts, accreditation can also provide external validation that carer involvement is embedded in practice rather than limited to ad hoc initiatives. In mental health services, where informal carers often play a sustained role, structured engagement can affect discharge planning, crisis management and longer-term recovery pathways.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| Accreditation | Triangle of Care Star 1 |
| Awarded by | Carers Trust (peer review) |
Context and limits
While the accreditation is a positive indicator, it does not by itself measure outcomes for carers or for the people using services. Accreditation confirms that particular standards and processes are in place and have been evidenced in a peer review; it does not substitute for ongoing evaluation of whether those measures improve carer wellbeing, reduce carer burden or change clinical outcomes.
Evidence from the wider literature indicates that carer involvement can improve coordination of care and support continuity, but the relationship between carer engagement and measurable patient outcomes is complex and influenced by service resources, training and local implementation. The Triangle of Care framework is designed to be pragmatic and implementable across different service contexts, but the source material for this story does not provide data on how the trust will monitor or report the impact of the accreditation on carers themselves.
Trust leaders say the accreditation reflects a cultural shift within services across Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. How that shift translates into everyday experience for carers—availability of information, access to respite or formal psychological support, and meaningful inclusion in care planning—will depend on continued leadership, staff training and resourcing.
For now, the award places the Hampshire and Isle of Wight trust among providers recognised for prioritising carers. As national policy continues to emphasise the role of unpaid carers within the health and social care system, peer-reviewed accreditation processes such as Triangle of Care offer one method for assessing progress, but independent outcome monitoring will be needed to confirm long-term benefits.
