Annual Review 2014 published

We’ve published our annual review for 2014.

As Richmond Fellowship develops into a new group so the annual review reflects the achievements of all the partner organisations – 2Care, CAN, Croftlands Trust and My Time.

Chief executive Derek Caren said: “The past year has been an exciting one for our new group of not-for-profit organisations. After getting the necessary legal and governance processes for forming a group out the way we’ve started to focus on how we can really get the most out of working together.

“We’ve created this partnership because we all want to strengthen what we do. We believe that by joining together we’ll be able to offer a wider range of services and develop more innovative ways of providing support. We’re all passionate about being socially inclusive, person-centred, and recovery focused. These shared values will help us build better services going forward that can adapt and flex to the changing needs of the people we support.”

We’re already seeing the benefits of this through the work we’re doing to expand and enhance our provision of crisis services, an emerging priority in the mental health sector.

We’re here to help people take control of their own recovery and achieve their dreams and ambitions. So we’ve devoted most of this year’s annual review to sharing a few of our success stories.

To read our annual review 2014 click here.

Richmond Fellowship awarded the Investors in People Silver standard

Investors-in-People-silver-logo

Richmond Fellowship has been awarded the Investors in People Silver standard, demonstrating our commitment to realising the potential of our people.

Investors in People is the UK’s leading accreditation for business improvement through people management, and provides a wealth of resources for businesses to innovate, improve and grow, with a focus on good people making great business.

Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “Achieving the Investors in People Silver standard is something that any organisation should be truly proud of. It is the sign of a company which is very committed to good people management practice and we’d like to congratulate Richmond Fellowship on their achievement.”

Richmond Fellowship’s director of people and organisation development Angela Williams said: “Our staff are the reason we make recovery reality for the thousands of people we support so we’re absolutely committed to developing them to maximise their potential. Only six per cent of organisations accredited by Investors in People achieve the silver standard so this is a real testament to that commitment.”

For more information about Investors in People please visit www.investorsinpeople.co.uk

Face 2 Face is going for one thousand chats by Christmas!

The innovative Face 2 Face project, funded by ‘Time to Change’ to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole, is pulling out all the stops to make contact with its one thousandth member of the public before Christmas Day.

Face 2 Face is calling on the public to get involved to end mental health stigma and discrimination and has been running a number of pop-up shops for people to visit where the team has been offering free drop-in arts activities and encouraging people to make their own Christmas decorations.

Face 2 Face provides arts-based activities that bring people without a mental health problem into social contact with those who do. Evidence suggests that this kind of contact is one of the most effective ways of breaking down stigma and discrimination suffered by those experiencing a mental health problem.Over the past seven months the Face 2 Face team has been tackling discrimination by having meaningful and open conversations with members of the public. So far the team has reached 875 people.

Spokesman Doug Low said: “The volunteers are doing a fantastic job at talking to people in our community and helping transform the way they see mental health problems. Just a few small words can make a big difference to someone with a mental health problem. Talking about the issue can really help to break down stigma and discrimination. We hope to get to a 1,000 conversations very soon!”

The Face 2 Face project is managed by Richmond Fellowship in partnership with community interest company ZooFish Arts and the Borough of Poole Arts Service.For more information about the project or to enquire about becoming a Face 2 Face volunteer please contact Doug Low on 07786 191192 or email: doug.low@richmondfellowship.org.uk

Richmond Fellowship retains its Matrix Standard accreditation

Richmond Fellowship has retained its Matrix Standard accreditation, which we have now achieved for 12 years running.Matrix-standard-logo

The Matrix Standard is the unique outcomes-based quality standard for organisations to assess and measure their advice and support services, which ultimately supports individuals in their choice of career, learning, work and life goals.

We were required to provide the assessors with detailed evidence of our work and how we’re developing, so a big ‘thank you’ to all the staff who helped us to put this information together.

Find out more about the standard at http://matrixstandard.com/

Minister of State for Disabled People to speak at Swindon Mindful Employers conference

The Minister of State for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP, will speak at the annual conference of the Swindon Mindful Employers network.

Since it was formed in 2008, the Swindon Mindful Employer Network has attracted top speakers and excellent attendance at its annual conferences.

David Latham, who manages the network at Richmond Fellowship, said: “There is a lot of interest in mental health and wellbeing in the workplace and the network has been pivotal in providing an engaging forum for businesses to meet and discuss these important matters.”

Other speakers taking part include Dr Sabir Giga, director of PhD programmes and a senior lecturer in organisational health and wellbeing at the Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University. His presentation will explore ‘presenteeism’ which is the term given to employees who are suffering mental or physical illness but still attend a place of work.

Successful businesswoman Fiona Bowman, senior manager in the City of London and member of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, a City Liveried Company, will talk about her journey from the horrors of 10 years of domestic abuse to the success of her current position. She will powerfully reflect on what it feels like to be an employee and a victim of domestic violence and will stress the importance of employers in the lives of victims.

Richard Frost, the UK lead of Mindful Employer which is celebrating 10 years of growth and success around the country, will be taking part in an interview session with Heart FM which also features Adrian Embling of Mindset Wessex and Geoff Windle of Lift Psychology.

Chair of the Swindon Mindful Employer Network Melanie Richens will host the conference and introduce guest speakers and there will also be a contribution from Mike Godfrey who chairs both The Swindon Initiative and the Swindon Employment and Skills Advisory Board.

This year’s conference takes place at Nationwide House, courtesy of the Nationwide Building Society and Baxter Storey, on 6 November.

More details from smen@richmondfellowship.org.uk

 

Richmond Fellowship to be part of Home Office trial to reduce the use of police cells as a place of safety

We’re to take part in a Home Office scheme to trial alternative ‘places of safety’ to police custody for individuals in mental distress.

Home secretary Theresa May announced the pilot during her speech at the Police and Mental Health Summit today.

She told delegates of the plans to provide a number of alternative places of safety over the course of the three month pilot to give a better experience for people who are detained pending a mental health assessment and to save police time and resources.

As part of the pilot, Richmond Fellowship will be exploring options with Sussex Police and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to use alternative accommodation to police custody as a ‘place of safety’ to take someone in distress to for a mental health assessment.

Richmond Fellowship chief executive Derek Caren said: “The evidence shows that a police cell is not the best place to take someone to if they’re in mental distress. As a voluntary sector organisation we’re keen to explore what part we can play in providing alternative ‘places of safety’ for individuals in crisis when they’re at their most vulnerable.”

Richmond Fellowship is already signed up as a supporter of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat. It already runs a number of crisis services across England, providing support for people in the community as either an alternative option to an admission to hospital or as a step-down between an inpatient stay and returning home.

Richmond Fellowship to speak about diversity, crisis care and person-centred approaches at university event

London Metropolitan University is running a ‘Connect Week’ in order to engage with local organisations and communities and, as Richmond Fellowship’s head office is just down the road from its campus, we’ve been invited to take part.

As part of the week, Thursday’s theme (23 October) is ‘Thinking about mental health?’ and representatives from Richmond Fellowship and our partner My Time will be discussing the challenges of addressing complex needs in a diverse community.

Richmond Fellowship director of performance, quality and innovation Grazina Berry said: “We live and work in a diverse community, which brings with it a rich flavour, dimension and, at times, complexity. Every day we support people with increasingly complex mental health issues on their journey to recovery and help them discover routes back into the community.

“The London Met event offers us an opportunity to strengthen our connection with a colourful range of organisations local to us in North London so that together we can build more bridges to recovery.”

During the event we’ll be promoting our excellent work and strengthening existing relationships between researchers, organisations and students involved or interested in the mental healthcare sector.

Emma Greenough, employability and placements officer at London Met, said: “There are lots of exciting things happening in the local area and Connect Week is all about joining them up.”

Our presentation and panel discussion will kick off the mental health themed day, which will also include presentations from other mental health organisations and performances from London Met students and alumni, and local arts organisations.

Richmond Fellowship to run new community cafe in Blackpool hospital

The running of a new community café based at The Harbour, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s new state of the art mental health inpatient development located in Blackpool has been awarded to the Richmond Fellowship.

The Richmond Fellowship, a charity that provides advice and support for people with mental health issues, will be managing and running the café when the Harbour opens in Spring 2015. Their vision for the café is that it will provide a community hub where people can go for a relaxing chat with friends, as well as providing people with health and wellbeing advice ranging from healthy eating to dementia awareness sessions. The Richmond Fellowship will also be working with local colleges to provide apprenticeships and employment opportunities for individuals with lived experience of mental health problems.

Alistair Rose, Project Director for The Harbour at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very pleased to announce that the café at The Harbour will be run by the Richmond Fellowship. The charity does some outstanding work supporting people with mental health issues and we really feel this partnership will provide a positive environment for people in the community to not only come and enjoy the refreshments, but also have an opportunity to work together to help reduce stigma around mental health issues.

“We look forward to working with the charity and setting the foundations for what will be a promising and successful partnership.”

Richmond Fellowship regional manager Wendy Baylis-Wareing said: “We’re really excited to be working with the local NHS to provide this community café in their major new hospital development. It’s an opportunity to truly put the wellbeing of our staff and customers at the heart of running a successful enterprise. We want the simple act of having ‘a snack and chat’ to be a way to challenge mental health stigma and help people feel a valued part of their community.”

The Harbour will provide a total of 154 beds and building work is due to be completed in November with occupation due in early 2015. The development is part of the Trust’s on-going commitment to modernise inpatient mental health services and improve the quality of care it delivers. The new unit will achieve a more therapeutic environment for the people who use the service and better working conditions for staff.

You can find out more information about The Harbour by visiting www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/TheHarbour.

​New non executive director joins our Board

We’ve been keen to strengthen our clinical representation at Board level so we’re delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Holland as a non executive director.

Michael is currently associate medical director, chief clinical information officer and consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. He has lead responsibility for quality improvement across the hospital.

As a consultant psychiatrist, he also works with cancer patients and their carers at clinics within Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College hospitals.

He lectures in quality improvement in mental health both nationally and internationally and has published many reports and audit analyses since 1998. In 2008 he achieved an MBA from London Business School.

We welcome him on board.

At the same time two of our non executive directors have stepped down after coming to the end of their terms of office. We’d like to thank Nigel Goldie and Ian Hughes for their valuable contribution over the years.

Popular Bailey’s café saved thanks to new partnership

We’re joining forces with the Water Lily Project to give the popular Bailey’s café a new lease of life and save it from closure.

The Water Lily Project (WLP) is a Christchurch based charity which offers outreach support to local and vulnerable women to help them cope with and overcome whatever difficult situations they find themselves in.

WLP will be taking over the running of Bailey’s Café from Richmond Fellowship’s East Dorset Community Service.  Due to a change in the contract to provide services from the premises in Barrack Road, Richmond Fellowship needed to find a partner who could take the café on.

WLP project manager Lynn Chisadza said: “In addition to this venture that we have taken up, WLP is also pleased to have the opportunity of opening its first residential home in early 2015. We’re so excited about the potential that running the café will bring. This will enable the project to give training opportunities and provide a useful resource for local residents.

“We are so grateful for the support we have received thus far from Dorset County Community Fund, Round Table, Seedbed Christian Community Trust, local churches, local people and the local borough council who share our dream.”

Richmond Fellowship will continue to run its mental health community services from the Barrack Road offices and will be extending the groups and activities it runs in the Christchuch, Purbeck and Wimborne areas, under the terms of its new three year contract with Dorset County Council.

RF locality manager Doug Low said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Water Lily Project to keep the café open to the general public, including those people with mental health issues, and to be taking our services out to local people through our new community service contract.”

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