Carers included

The Triangle of Care: Best Practice Guide on Acute Mental Health Care, which promotes the essential three-way relationship between professionals, service users, their carers and families is briefly discussed. The approach was developed by carers and staff who wanted to improve carer engagement in acute inpatient and home treatment services. It emphasises the need for better local strategic involvement of carers and families in the care, planning, and treatment of people experiencing mental ill health and calls for better partnership working between service users, their carers and organisations in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Adopting the Triangle of Care will ensure the views of carers are heard. The guide offers key principles, resources and examples of best practice to influence services and other people working with carers to be more effective in involving them within acute care and recognises that this will greatly benefit staff, service users and carers themselves.