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Annual Report
CHAIR'S REPORT BERIS DREW The last year has once again been very busy with lots going on, and it promises to be another busy period as we go forward into the coming year. We were informed some time ago that there will be a National Mind Quality Review held this year. This is a very comprehensive review, which has been endorsed by the Charity Commission, who have benchmarked the MIND standards against their own Hallmarks of an Effective Charity. In preparation for this review, we have engaged the services of an independent Human Resources Consultant to carry out an audit of our practices and procedures across all areas of activity at Swindon Mind. Included in this is an assessment of the quality of culture, which has already been carried out. This consisted of individual meetings with members of staff, giving them an opportunity to express their views in a confidential environment. The results from these interviews has been very positive – people said they got personal satisfaction from their jobs, that they felt appreciated and were fairly treated. We have been given the Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) contract for Swindon. This service is for people who have been detained under most sections of the Mental Health Act. We now have three members of staff fully qualified as IMHAs and one more about to complete her portfolio. A very positive evaluation of the Oak Lodge Crisis House has been completed. This evaluation was carried out by an independent person and gave an excellent report on the good work that is being carried out there. It is seen as an invaluable resource by people who have used the facility. Recommendations which were part of the report are currently being implemented. The Manager of Swindon Mind has been trained to deliver training on Mental Health First Aid. These training courses are being offered to external organisations and are co-facilitated with a member of staff from Bristol Mind. The cost of these courses is funded by the PCT. The above is just a flavour of the myriad of services and activities provided by Swindon Mind and I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the staff, who have shown their dedication to the organisation and, I have no doubt, will continue to do so. Also, many thanks to all our supporters and volunteers, who are greatly appreciated for the help they give. Finally, I have to say how proud I am to be Chair of Swindon Mind, an organisation which is caring and supportive of all who use the service. Beris Drew Chair May 2010 Manager’s Report 2009-2010 Kathleen Aitken Manager Changes to our Services In September 2008 we started to implement a solution-focused approach to all our services, following a period of training for all our staff. One outcome is that we have made changes to our 'What’s On' programme. We now run fewer drop-ins and have used the resources released from doing this to:-
Service Users' Views 
We use a number of different ways to gather service users' views, including members' meetings, evaluation forms at the
end of group work and comments recorded at the end of each activity session. In addition, we arrange feedback
meetings at the Pilgrim Centre. We respond to issues as quickly and as positively as possible, e.g. as the result
of consultation in the Pilgrim Centre, we have listened to concerns about the lack of space downstairs and provided an
additional room for people to 'chill out' in.
Contracts/Funding In September last year we were given the contract for a new specialist advocacy service called IMHA (Independent Mental Health Advocacy) for people who are detained under the Mental Health Act. Five of our workers have had initial IMHA training and three of them have now completed portfolios in order to become fully qualified. However, all our contracts end in March 2011 and they may go out to tender. This is an issue that affects the whole of the Third Sector and one we are campaigning on, as service users have not been consulted about possible changes to their services. On a more positive note, we were extremely and pleasantly surprised to receive a donation of £10,000 from Maggie Piazza, a consultant we had brought in to review our volunteer service several years ago. This was totally unexpected. Maggie had inherited money from a relative and had very kindly decided to pass on some of her good fortune to us. Raising Awareness/Tackling Discrimination One of our roles as a Mind organisation is to campaign and raise awareness on issues regarding stigma and discrimination. We do this in a variety of ways, such as by providing advocacy, challenging instances of discrimination in the media and in the community, e.g. a member of the public told me that both adults and children were harassing a woman in the street because she talked to herself. I spoke to local people about this and they said that someone had put a video of the woman on the internet. I informed the police and they had the video removed. They also set up a vulnerable adults’ meeting to explore ways of supporting the woman. Another way I raise awareness is through Mental Health First Aid training. I co-facilitate two day courses for workers in Swindon who come into contact with people who experience emotional distress. Over the last year we have provided training to 76 workers from a number of organisations, including police, probation, housing, parking enforcement, as well as a number of people from the Third Sector. I also delivered training to community leaders from black and minority ethnic groups. The evaluation sheets from the training have been very positive, with comments such as: "This was a very informative course, presented in a relaxed environment." "I will now have a better understanding when dealing with clients who have mental health problems." Another way of reducing stigma is to provide services in a different way. Last year the government produced a document called New Horizons, outlining a more holistic way of responding to people who experienced emotional distress. I am a member of a group which is aiming to set up a service to improve the emotional and well-being of the Swindon population. We have been allocated £15,000 from the Joint Commissioner for Mental Health to appoint consultants from a Development Trust to support us to achieve our aims. This is potentially an extremely exciting project, but one that is going to take some time to set up. Summary As you can see, our services have changed considerably since our last AGM. The workers have really risen to the challenge and I would like to thank them for making the transition as smooth as possible. Our next challenge is to go through National Mind’s Quality Assurance process. Watch this space! Kathleen Aitken Manager May 2010 Stephanie Holt Deputy Manager Update on Organisational Changes In my 2007/08 Report I described how our organisation was coping with the operational changes we'd made following a consultation process that had involved external consultants, service users and staff members. At the time we recognised that it was going to be difficult for some people to manage the changes, especially when we took the decision to reduce daily drop-ins and support people to access community based activities. However we have all worked hard to adapt the new services to meet the needs of as many members as possible. We continue to hold regular feedback meetings to monitor and record the views of our members and respond to suggested service changes where possible. Mind Matters I am part of the team that produces Mind Matters, our bi-monthly leaflet, which contains our learning and leisure programme and information about the rest of the services we provide. Julie, our admin worker, worked very hard to redesign Mind Matters and has produced a very user friendly leaflet which all service users and workers are encouraged to contribute towards. Crisis House I am the Manager of Oak Lodge, which is run by Swindon Mind in partnership with AWP. It has been open since October 2006. It is staffed part-time and despite limited resources has worked very well and is extremely successful. We have had over 300 guests since we opened, and although recently there has been a slight decrease in numbers coming into Oak Lodge, there has also been a rise in the number of guests referred but who were too unwell to come in, or who have been inappropriately referred. We feel this has been because the threshold for referral to the Crisis Team has increased so we have changed the referral process - in the past all referrals were processed through the Crisis team but now CMHTs and other statutory organisations can refer directly to Oak Lodge, providing they submit a referral form and current risk assessment – and we are already seeing an increase in referrals. Recently the Joint Commissioners requested that a service review was done and engaged a NHS graduate to undertake the work. The aim of the review was to collate information about the current service and make recommendations for the future provision of the service. The review was very intensive and resulted in a 56 page report (available from Mind). The key recommendations were:
Overall we felt the report was extremely positive and validated the hard work of everyone involved in running the project. We have secured funding until April 2011 but like many other projects the future of Oak Lodge is uncertain. We hope we can continue to provide the service - we have had very positive feedback from guests who have stayed at Oak Lodge – here are just a few of their comments: "I like being around other people who understand my feelings – the staff have been great." "I have found some of the confidence I lost – I have laughed and cried and not been judged for either." "Oak Lodge allows you to take time off from the stresses and strains of normal life which allows you to put things into perspective." Advocacy All our workers are trained advocates and have provided over 750 advocacy sessions this year, covering a wide range of issues including support at CPAs, benefit appeals, medical appointments and help with housing applications. We have two Outreach workers who have provided up to six 3 hour sessions a week, and there are 3 ward advocates who offer support to informal patients at ward rounds. We also offer solution focussed one-to-one sessions. IMHA Service (Independent Mental Health Advocate) Recent changes to the Mental Health Act mean that most people detained under the Mental Health Act now have a legal right to an IMHA (Independent Mental Health Advocate). The role of an IMHA is to help people understand their rights, give them information and provide support in a variety of settings e.g. Ward Rounds, CPAs and MH Tribunals. We have 5 trained IMHAs and have been providing the IMHA service since September 2009. We have supported over 125 patients at various locations, including Sandalwood Court, (Adult in-patient unit), CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Victoria Centre (Older Peoples Mental Health) and Windswept (Community cased in-patient unit). The main challenge this year has been to continue to support our members to adapt to the changes in the way we provide the service. We are already seeing very positive outcomes – user led groups, developing social networks, and members accessing community based activities and services. Our hope is to build on this already strong foundation and to have a fully socially inclusive service in the coming year. Stephanie Holt April 2010 IMHA Denise Jackson I work on the wards one morning a week as an IMHA. Below is one example of a case I have worked on: I advocated for a patient on the ward to return home despite his consultant and nearest relative wanting him to be discharged to a residential home. Part of the process involved me attending his ward rounds, advocating for help within the home, requesting leave and expressing his views and wishes about what he felt he needed in order to return home. I ensured at each stage that he was aware of his rights and that all options were explored. The outcome was positive and the patient returned home with a support package that met his needs. Denise Jackson May 2010 IMCA Anne Easter We have had a busy time since the last AGM. Referrals to the IMCA (Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy) service have picked up considerably, particularly since the introduction of DOLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding) approximately a year ago. This is a service for people who can’t speak for themselves and whose care plan restricts them and it is a system where there are independent assessments to ensure that if people are restricted it has to be in their best interests and reviewed regularly in order that the restriction can be lifted as soon as possible. An example would be:- A woman in a care home who had an upstairs bedroom and could only go outside if the door was unlocked for her and someone could accompany her in the lift, was found a different placement where there was a secure garden and her ground floor room could open onto it, allowing her the freedom of fresh air. It was particularly important as she was a keen gardener and had spent most of her life out in the fresh air. Her relatives were particularly pleased that this move was facilitated, and she was much more comfortable and happier in her new environment. It was with great sadness that we said farewell to Angie in April. We wish her well in her new employment. Her post has been filled by Denise Jackson, who has recently completed her IMHA training and will soon start on her IMCA training. Anne Easter May 2010 Outreach Work Brian Mansfield Outreach has many functions which when one is coping would be regarded as 'run of the mill' but to someone suffering in the throes of mental health struggles can be a foothold in ordinary inclusive day-to-day living. Paula Wyatt and myself have been doing Outreach work for a considerable time now, sometimes together with one or more clients but more often individually. Our range of activities includes home visits and outings such as shopping, hairdressing (men and women), dentist and optician appointments. Of the eight to ten people I have seen, I think it can be fairly claimed that we have had a good measure of success. Achievement and success comes in many forms, but here are a couple of examples: One of our regular outreach people hadn't managed to get into town from West Swindon for a variety of reasons allied to his anxiety and depression. After a few outreach visits he came into a Mind drop-in for the first time in years! I have had coffee and gone shopping with this person and, after twenty years of fear and neglect on the dentistry front, he has embarked on a course of dental treatment. He usually or intermittently gets a lift in from me but makes his own way back home which, if you had met this client six months ago, you would have thought nigh on impossible. Another client we worked with has got his flat cleaned and sorted out new glasses obtained and is being persuaded to inch back into the wider world. Much of outreach work is one step forward and half a step back, but every so often you encounter a quantum leap and get a progressive result that improves the situation for the person worried with life and these occasions gladden our hearts. One-to-one outreach, by definition, has a lot going for it, so whether it is individually or sometimes in group situations, Paula and I continue to keep outreach at the forefront of the many and diverse services Mind offers its users. Brian Mansfield May 2010 Social Inclusion Worker Elaine Woulfe It has been another interesting 18 months since the last AGM and I really don’t know where the time has gone! Since the changes to the "What’s On" programme I have found that the sessions we have in the Mind building are more focused but still give people the opportunity to socialise and make friends in the drop in sessions. I feel that I am helping people on a more one-to-one basis, helping with form filling, problems with bills and debts and other issues. On a lighter note I got married to my long term partner in November 2009 and I am still getting used to being called Mrs Woulfe!!! (first name Big Bad!!) Breakfast Club This is a very busy and successful group led by some brilliant volunteers (Sue Sanders, Cherry Masi and Tricia Kelk). They all work really hard and the members enjoy the session so much; one member has said to me that "It motivates me to get out of bed on a Monday morning". Obviously it's the lure of the lovely bacon & sausage sandwiches!! All three volunteers have successfully gained their certificates in Food & Hygiene – a big Thank You and well done to all of them!! Art Group 
These sessions run at the Arts Centre on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 1pm–3pm. All who attend have varied abilities and I have been truly astonished with the quality of work produced by this group. It is so nice to see a group of people help and advise each other as well as being expertly taught by Carol Wakefield, who sets new and challenging projects for the group.
Volunteering We currently have 18 volunteers, 6 of which are members of the public. I have seen a lot more interest in the organisation from members of the public this year. Some volunteers have successfully gained certificates in First Aid and Food Hygiene and have attended in house training sessions as well. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to each and every one of the volunteers for all their hard work and commitment that they have shown the organisation!! Fundraising Group (led by Kevin Burt) We have had another successful year of fundraising, with our main event being held at Asda in West Swindon, where we raised £395.74. This was a fantastic achievement I’d like to thank everyone involved in the Asda day. We currently have just over £1,000 in the members fund and now hope to establish a fundraising committee where members can apply for funding to help them maybe go on holiday, college courses, learn to play an instrument or embarking on a new hobby. We hope the money will be able to help as many members as possible. Citizens Advice Bureau Finally, in October 2009 I was awarded my certificate in Generalist Advice work and I currently work at the CAB one day a week. Hopefully I will be able to set up advice sessions, supervised by the CAB, within the Mind building to benefit members in the near future. Elaine Woulfe May 2010 Needlecraft Group Sheila Cox The needlecraft group meets on Fridays and is a popular and thriving group consisting of both women and men. Some of the group members have commented:- "It’s a good little club." "Coming here helps me because it gives me something to focus on, because otherwise I would sit at home and ruminate." "I have made a good friend and I wouldn’t have met her if I hadn’t come." "I like the group because it’s a chance to have a good natter, ask for advice and doing something productive." "It has opened my mind." "I really enjoy the club and I really like the company." Seven members of the group and two members of staff travelled to Bath on 8th September 2009 to see the American quilts displayed at the American Museum, as some members are interested in quilting. We watched a demonstration on how it is done by a group from Gloucester. There was a whole room displaying quilts from as early as the 17th Century. We looked around several early American homestead replicas and also saw a room designated to American Indian culture and Indian carvings and a headdress. We are planning to go again this year to see the latest exhibition (displays are changed each year). Our thanks go to Judith Newman, who researched the trip, and to Paula for providing transport. 
On 18th December 2009 the group presented hand-made blankets to the Fire Service, who arrived with a fire engine! (see photo.) The blankets were put to good use as they were included with packs provided to the homeless over Christmas. A letter of thanks to the group was received from Graham Weller, Partnership and Community Engagement Manager with Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service.
In April 2010, June Stewart and I donated ten more blankets to Kingsmead Care Home, where June worked until her recent retirement. Members of the needlecraft group are currently making bunting for the Swindon Big Arts Experiment, which is being held at Lydiard Park on 10th July this year, when it is hoped a world record will be set for the longest line of bunting. Theatre Group The theatre group have been to several productions recently, both at the Art Centre in Devizes Road and at the Wyvern Theatre. We particularly like productions with a musical theme, and the group will be going to Stagestruck's latest musical production at the Wyvern on 13th May. Sheila Cox May 2010 Life Skills Suzanne Baxter Life skills has been running for several years now. It is a user lead group in that the members who attend decide what recipes they want to try. We also look at nutrition and healthy eating. An example of this is that we have weighed cheap and expensive minced beef both before and after cooking to see how much fat is lost. The group was surprised to find that most people thought the cheaper mince had more taste! We have also made jams, pickles and home-made pasta. Making the pasta was great fun and we felt a real sense of achievement pushing the dough through the machine and it coming out as pasta strips. It also tasted so much nicer than shop bought pasta. For our next life skills session we are cooking an authentic chicken curry. The recipe for the meal has come from a local Indian man who some people might know – Hardip Muddhar. All members of Mind are most welcome to come and try their hand at making the curry. Suzanne Baxter May 2010 Being a Volunteer Sue Sanders I am a volunteer at Swindon Mind, mainly helping with the breakfast club and life skills group. Breakfast club can be very, very busy. I work with fellow volunteers Cherry and Trish, and we usually cater for between 12 – 17 people. I buy the food for breakfast club with the help of my husband, Steve, on a Sunday. On Monday morning I hope to get to Mind at 10.20am. We are a good team and start right away so we are ready to serve toast when the first members arrive at 10.45am. Toast is quickly followed by bacon sandwiches, which are a favourite with the members. We then have sausage sandwiches. By mistake I once bought chipolata sausages, but I think they went down better with everyone. We usually then do a few more bacon sandwiches for the late-comers and finish off with croissants. We have very little waste as all the food seems to be very popular. Life skills is held on a Wednesday afternoon and I try to get to Mind by 1.40pm ready for the group to start at 2pm. Often Suzanne has already started to prepare the food we are going to cook. 
One particular life skills session that sticks in my mind most is the week we made fresh pasta. Suzanne and I both brought in our pasta machines so we could split the members into two groups. We had a real laugh trying to get the dough through the pasta machines, but in the end we managed it! Being fresh, the past only took a few minutes to cook and then the members were able to sit down and eat. They all said it was much better than the dry pasta you buy from the shops. Sue Sanders May 2010 IT and Finance Worker Hazel Cutts Since the last report in November 2008 my role has been an interesting one. This started with announcing my pregnancy in early 2009. With my baby due in August 2009, it was set to be a very different year for me at Swindon Mind. Accounts Growing every year, we are now running another service – IMHA. This has meant a further addition to the budget system. With my maternity leave starting in July 2009, my main focus last year was on making sure the accounts were ready for audit. The audit was completed without problem at the end of June. Dorothy Clarke, our external financial advisor, took over the main accounts and invoicing work while I was on leave. This worked well and on my return at the end of April the accounts had been closed ready for audit. My thanks to Dorothy for looking after things while I was off. I have now started on our new financial year. IT During early 2009 I was asked to source and purchase three new desktop computers and one laptop. These were set up with wireless internet connection during February 2009 and have been running well since then. The growing work of the IMCA role required a second laptop, and this was purchased in May 2009. While I was on maternity leave an outside company was sourced to run the website. It has now been decided that they will continue to manage and update the website, allowing me to reduce the number of hours I work in order that I can spend more time at home with my new son. Since my return on 26th April I have been very busy with all aspects of my job, ensuring it is all up to date and running smoothly. Hazel Cutts May 2010 Admin Worker Julie Smith Things have been much busier since the admin office relocated to the ground floor of the Swindon Mind building, and people frequently take the opportunity to drop in and have a quick word with members of staff or to ask questions, and hopefully we are nearly always able to provide the answers or information required. All of our data is now recorded and securely stored on computer, which means information can be accessed by staff much quicker. Over the last year we have also updated the Swindon Mind Directory and this is now available to view via our website, and of course the What’s On Activity Programme for members is published on the website too. After trying out the activity programme in several different formats, we have now settled on publishing the Mind Matters leaflet on a bi-monthly basis. It can sometimes be a challenge to fit all the information into the leaflet, and occasionally alterations to the schedule are made after printing, but when this happens we try to give members plenty of warning by way of posters or notices on the front door. Our apologies go to anyone who has come for an activity and found it has been cancelled. After saying farewell to Ted a year ago when he decided it was time to retire, it seemed hardly any time at all before Hazel went off on maternity leave in the summer. Dorothy Clarke has been with us on a part-time basis during Hazel’s absence and it has been a pleasure to share our office with her. Julie Smith May 2010 
Swindon Mind Aims and Objectives Swindon Mind aims to:
Swindon Mind achieves its aims through:
You can support Swindon Mind by:
1 Regent Circus Swindon SN1 1PN Tel: 01793 432031 Fax: 01793 436889 e-mail: swindonmind@btconnect.com [email now: admin@swindonmind.org] www.swindonmind.org Registered Charity Number: 1002085
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