16 June 2026
More than 80 family and friend carers, carer organisations and Sussex Partnership staff came together last week for an online conference exploring one of the most important aspects of mental health care: how information and responsibility are shared between clinicians, carers and service users.
Hosted by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the event focused on the challenges surrounding communication, confidentiality and decision-making, providing a valuable opportunity for open discussion and shared learning.
The conference featured a range of presentations highlighting different perspectives on information sharing in mental health services, including:
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A legal overview of communication in complex cases, which emphasised that while guidance exists, applying it often requires careful interpretation and professional judgement.
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A summary of learning from patient safety investigations which highlighted the need for better information sharing with families and carers to prevent incidents from occurring
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Findings from a carer-led survey, which showed that many carers have experienced feeling excluded from conversations and have not always received the information or support they felt they needed.
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Insights from the Multiple Admissions Pathway Project (MAPP), a specialist service for adults with complex mental health needs using an approach called "open dialogue", demonstrating how involving families in decision-making can help avoid hospital readmissions and increase effective engagement with community-based support.
Attendees also took part in breakout discussions examining real-life scenarios, including situations where communication and decision-making had not gone as planned. These sessions explored practical ways to strengthen trust, improve communication and support more collaborative working between carers and clinicians.
Opening the conference, Oliver Dale, Sussex Partnership's Chief Medical Officer, said:
"Whilst there are real challenges around confidentiality, consent and involvement, we have a duty to share information when it is necessary for patient safety. Too often we don’t get this balance right.
It is vital that if carers are to feel a part of the solution, then we need to take a more sophisticated approach to sharing information about the person they are caring for with them
"We will continue to work in partnership with carers to develop specific actions that support clinicians to approach situations with greater clarity and confidence, and shape more open and effective ways of working with our family and friend carers."
The conference forms part of Sussex Partnership's ongoing commitment to improving collaboration with carers and ensuring their experiences help shape services and support better outcomes for people using mental health services.
