Published on: 13 May 2026
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to share that, following thorough review, the Trust has successfully retained its two-star Triangle of Care award from the Carers Trust, in recognition of its commitment to involving carers in the care of their loved ones. 
The Trust received positive feedback from the Carers Trust about its comprehensive efforts to work with and listen to carers as it regained its two-star award, which is the highest rating available for an organisation like Derbyshire Healthcare.
In its review, the Carers Trust said that the Trust had “continued to make steady progress in strengthening carer involvement across governance structures and frontline practice.” The Carers Trust assessor also praised the Trust’s approach, saying: “There are some excellent examples of teams clearly articulating current practice, acknowledging challenges and identifying meaningful areas for improvement. This represents one of the strongest batches of self‑assessments I have reviewed to date.
“This level of quality is clearly no accident and reflects significant time and care – which I am sure is due in no small part to hard work and leadership, alongside the valuable contribution of the carer peer reviewers.”
What is Triangle of Care?
The Triangle of Care membership, created by The Carers Trust and carers, builds a collaborative alliance between the service user, professional, and carer to support safety and wellbeing.
Originally designed to enhance mental health acute services with six key principles, these are now applied across all service areas.
What are the standards?
The Triangle of Care principles are:
- Carers are identified early
- Staff are trained to engage with carers
- Confidentiality and information-sharing protocols are established
- Specific roles for carer support are designated
- Carers receive an introduction and relevant information
- Various carer support services are offered.
Organisations wishing to be accredited by the Carers Trust submit information about their progress in meeting these principles, in the form of a self-assessment.
Mark Powell, Chief Executive at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is an important accreditation for our Trust. It is excellent to read such positive feedback from the Carers Trust highlighting that we are delivering care that promises safety, helps towards recovery and sustains wellbeing.
“We continue to strengthen engagement between professionals and carers, and it is clear this has already contributed to this recent success. We remain fully committed to finding new ways of improving these relationships to support those in our care.”
To find out more about Triangle of Care, visit the Trust’s website.
