annual review - mental health foundation...mental health and well-being in older people seriously....

ANNUAL REVIEW

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MISSION STATEMENT: MENTAL HEALTH FOuNdATION

We use research and practical projects to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. We do this by: learning what makes and keeps people mentally well; communicating our findings to a wide range of people, and turning research into practical solutions that make a difference to people’s lives, now and in the future.

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We use research and practical projects to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. We do this by: learning what makes and keeps people mentally well; communicating our findings to a wide range of people, and turning research into practical solutions that make a difference to people’s lives, now and in the future.

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THIS yEAr:

We reached an estimated 50 million people in Britain through media stories about our work

Our websites attracted more than1.5 million visits

Foundation publications have been downloaded more than 430,000 times

We raised more than £3.5 million, 83% from voluntary contributions

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CONTENTS:

Mental Health Foundation

Foreword from Chair and Chief Executive 2

Learning what makes and keeps people mentally well 5

Communicating our findings to a wide range of people 10

Turning research into practical solutions 17

Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities

Foreword to the annual review of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities 22

Promoting social inclusion 25

Including people with learning disabilities 28

Practical improvements in services 31

Spreading knowledge and information 35

Fundraising and Finance

Fundraising 38

Financial Summary 39

Patrons and trustees 42

Supporters 43

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities is part of the Mental Health Foundation

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FOrEwOrd FrOM THE CHAIr ANd THE CHIEF ExECuTIvE

This has been an exciting year for the Mental Health Foundation.

We are realising our new mission and objectives, and delivering research, policy and good practice work that is being well-received, understood and implemented across the country.

We aim to lead the way in finding practical ways of equipping ordinary people to manage their own mental health. Our ‘Up and Running?’ campaign, to increase the use of exercise on prescription for people with depression was just one example of how our unique perspective on mental health is being understood. The holistic, integrated approach that takes into account the daily lives of people with mental health problems was at the heart of ‘Up and Running?’, and it was warmly welcomed by thousands of individuals, as well as public, private and voluntary sector organisations, national media and central Government.

The Foundation’s research team is generating new findings that

will inform our policy, practice development and campaigns work far into the future. We will shortly launch a major report on nutrition and mental health. And we’re working to pick up on the best examples of how innovative NHS and voluntary sector organisations are developing, and promoting their methods across the UK.

We are about to see an expansion in voluntary sector provision of mental health services. The sector needs exactly the sort of research and development capability that the Foundation is able to provide. Our broad range of funders and supporters allows us to work independently, and to service the mental health field effectively.

On behalf of all staff and trustees at the Mental Health Foundation and the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, and all those with whom we have worked this year, we would like to say thank you. The year has brought some wonderful moments, and we look forward to many more in the future.

dr Andrew McCulloch Chief Executive

david Sachon Chair

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Our MISSION:

Learning what makes and keeps people mentally well

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“I once told a counsellor when I was at university, and even he didn’t know what to say. He just lent me a meditation tape for two weeks. I’m sick of all this. I want help, but I honestly don’t know who to turn to.”Taken from evidence given to our Inquiry about young people who self-harm

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Our MISSION: LEArNINg wHAT MAkES ANd kEEpS pEOpLE MENTALLy wELL

Rates of self-harm in the UK have increased over the past decade, making them the highest in Europe. At present, 1 in 10 teenagers deliberately self-harms and more than 24,000 teenagers are admitted to hospital in the UK every year after harming themselves. Very little is known about why so many young people do this - even less about how to care for them. In partnership with the Camelot Foundation, this year the Foundation’s National Inquiry into self-harm among young people:

• heard evidence from more than 350 young people, parents, carers and professionals in health, education, social care and voluntary sector organisations including the national charity Childline

• received more than 15,000 visitors to the website, www.selfharmuk.org

• received messages of support from more than 300 young people who have registered their interest in the Inquiry

The Inquiry is due to be completed early in 2006, after which we will disseminate our findings and recommendations to ensure that self-harm is properly tackled at all levels by those who come into contact with young people who harm themselves, from Accident and Emergency staff to teachers and parents.

Tackling self-harm among young people

“The only staff who help are those who know that self-harm is my way of staying alive. It’d be good to have people – nurses, social workers, doctors, whoever

- just caring and not giving up”. Taken from evidence given to our Inquiry about young people who self-harm

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Mental health problems are common among older people, who often experience bereavement, physical illness and loneliness. But there continues to be a serious lack of proper support for older people. With an ageing population, this problem is set to grow. The need for adequate mental health services does not end with retirement, and we have joined forces with Age Concern to ensure that older people get fair access to the services and support they need. The Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life has so far:

• collected more than 1,000 testimonies from older people, professionals and organisations in the health, social care and voluntary sector

• received more than 48,000 visitors to the Inquiry website

• provided a major contribution to the Department of Health’s Securing Better Mental Health for Older Adults Programme service development guide, due in September 2005

The Inquiry, which will finish in 2006, aims to identify factors that are important in promoting good mental health throughout later life. We will raise awareness about the importance of mental health in later life, and influence policy development. Ultimately, we aim to ensure that services get better at detecting, diagnosing, treating and caring for older people with mental health problems, and at promoting the mental health of older people.

Mental health and wellbeing for older people

“It is very difficult to see any evidence that the current government, or the opposition for that matter, take the issue of good mental health and well-being in older people seriously. If you are retired you are seen as a problem and a drain on resources.”Contributor to the Inquiry into Mental Health and well-Being in Later Life

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Diet and mental health

This year we began a programme of work on Diet and Mental Health with Sustain. We will shortly launch a report laying out evidence on the direct links between nutrition and mental illness, and also good mental health. We will also be showcasing projects that take innovative approaches to improving mental health and well-being through attention to diet. We will present our research findings in a practical report for policy makers, service providers and the public.

Evaluating services for people given the label of personality disorder

This year we began work on a project to evaluate eleven pilot services across England, for people who have been diagnosed with a personality disorder. The project is being led by Imperial College London with the Mental Health Foundation, University College London, The Institute of Psychiatry and The University of Liverpool, funded by the NHS. We will evaluate the clinical and social outcomes for people who use the pilot services, and we will examine the experiences of service users and their carers. The Foundation is responsible for the user and carer experiences module, and we will be employing survivor researchers. The project began in 2004 and will report findings in spring 2007.

Homelessness and mental health among young people

This year we launched a research project in partnership with Centrepoint. It explores how mental health problems may precede or lead to a period of homelessness, and how in turn, homelessness impacts on people’s mental health. The work is being conducted across all London boroughs among young people aged 16-25. We are targeting this age group so we can understand the challenges young people face during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. A final project report and dissemination activities are scheduled for late 2005.

“As you get older you need to be able to focus on hobbies. Have to stay positive. Do gentle exercise like yoga. You’ll feel less mentally strong if you start to sit about and lose interest in life events.”Contributor to the Inquiry into Mental Health and well-Being in Later Life

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Service User Research Group England (SURGE)

SURGE is the service user arm of the UK Mental Health Research Network (MHRN). It is a partnership between the Mental Health Foundation and five other leading organizations including Brunel University. Activities have included the production of Good Practice Guidance for service user involvement in research projects.

Complementary healthcare in mental health services

We began work this year with the Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health, together with Mind and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to produce complementary healthcare guidelines for use in mental health services. Funded by the Department of Health and

Lloyds TSB this is a 3-year project. The guidelines are scheduled for publication in late 2007.

Arts, Creativity and Mental Health

The Foundation’s Scottish Office will launch a project late in 2005, which will focus on participatory arts projects throughout Scotland. The research will identify the contribution that arts and arts-in-health projects can play in promoting mental well-being and recovery. The project is being part funded by the Scottish Executive.

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Our MISSION:

Communicating our findings to a wide range of people

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This year we launched the Foundation’s first year-long campaign, ‘Up and Running?’ Our aim is to increase the effective use of exercise-on-prescription in treating people with mild and moderate depression.

Mounting evidence shows that a supervised programme of exercise on prescription can be as effective as antidepressants in treating depression. But Foundation research found that GPs are still turning to antidepressants, despite the fact that they would like an alternative, as they often aren’t aware of the evidence on exercise.

We produced a research report, and a range of materials including patient and GP information, posters, postcards and a viral email campaign. We highlighted the immense pressure on GPs to treat the number of people with depression, and provided information about the effectiveness of exercise referral.

As a result:

• the story featured in more than 100 magazines and newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Times, Daily Mail and Observer

• BBC TV, ITV, Sky and Channel 5, as well as all national BBC radio stations covered the campaign

• almost 30,000 people have visited the Mental Health Foundation’s website to download the report

• so far our patient leaflets have been downloaded 10,000 times, and GP information leaflets 2,000 times

We are now fundraising to enable the Foundation to develop a pilot scheme using exercise referral ‘reps’. They will learn from the work of pharmaceutical industry salespeople, and visit GPs direct in their surgeries to promote the benefits of exercise referral for depression.

Up and Running? Campaign

“The only cost to the GP is psychological, not financial – the cost of changing their practice. They’re beginning to see that there are alternatives to writing a prescription, and that it’s not their sole responsibility to deal with a person’s problem – there are alternatives, and exercise referral is an example of that.”

Our MISSION: COMMuNICATINg Our FINdINgS TO A wIdE rANgE OF pEOpLE

paul Bates, Head of Mental Health and disability Services, South Tyneside primary Care Trust, contributor to ‘up and running?’ report

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“When I left the gym that morning I felt as if someone had given me a million pounds. It was the sense of achievement, the fact that I’d been understood, the fact that I’d been able to do some work in a gym, and that I now had somewhere to go every Monday and Wednesday. I also had something to work towards – a goal – plus support and a nice environment to go into.”A person interviewed for ‘up and running?’ about their experience of using exercise referral to get over depression

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Media work

The Foundation’s media work is funded by voluntary contributions, and is one of our most powerful tools. Through our voice in the media we press for change, influence Government and service providers, and reach out to hundreds of thousands of individuals who wouldn’t otherwise seek help for their problems. Information and online services allow us to disseminate the findings of the Foundation’s research and service development work in ways that are increasingly cost-effective and interactive. The Foundation’s policy team ensures that our work and influence reach the right places, and truly have an impact on changing the lives of people with mental health problems.

Self-harm among young people

To date, the Inquiry has released reports about the prevalence of self-harm in the UK; the reasons behind the behaviour, how services are intervening in the lives of those who self-harm, and how the issue of self-harm is being handled in schools and colleges across the UK. We have worked hard throughout the year to ensure the findings are widely understood. So far our media work on the topic has:

• reached 22.6 million people

• featured on six national radio stations, three national television shows and in more than 10 national newspapers

Seasonal Affective Disorder

When the clocks went back in October 2004, marking the end of the summer, we ran an information campaign on Seasonal Affective Disorder. We talked about the condition on more than twenty radio programmes including Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, providing information and advice. We also featured on the health pages of newspapers including The Independent.

Responding to current issues

We are often a first port-of-call for journalists who are working on mental health issues, and are looking for background information, independent comment, and ‘real’ people, with stories to tell about how mental health issues affect them. This year we have provided opinion pieces for a range of trade and consumer publications, as well as national newspapers including The Independent and The Guardian, and contributed to national and local TV and Radio programmes about topics including:

• concerns over the safe use of antidepressants in children and adolescents

• the Social Exclusion Unit’s report on mental health and social exclusion

• The Mental Capacity Act

• NHS star ratings

• NICE guidelines on treating depression

• the Government’s White Paper on Public Health

• the Government’s Green Paper on Adult Social Care

• the potential dangers of online gambling

Telling people about our work

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Mental Health Bill

We also campaign as core members of the Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of 73 organisations working together to campaign for a better Mental Health Act. The Government’s draft Mental Health Bill has been scrutinised by a parliamentary committee this year, and the Mental Health Foundation gave evidence to the committee. We also helped organise a mass rally in central London, to show the widespread opposition to Government plans.

Influencing policy

Our policy department has grown over the past year and we now have a team dedicated to influencing UK policy and legislation affecting people with mental health problems, their carers and the health and social care workforce who provide treatment and support. We also work to improve areas of policy and law which have an impact on public mental health, and the well-being of the general population. To do this, we draw on evidence from the Foundation’s research and development projects.

This year we have played a central role in the successful campaign for a Mental Capacity Act. We are leading members of the Making Decisions Alliance, which has campaigned solidly for three years, and this year the Government introduced the Act and it received royal assent. The Act will provide a coherent legal framework to support people to make decisions for themselves, including proper recognition of advance refusals of treatment, as well as providing legal safeguards when decisions need to be made on their behalf. This may include people with

mental health problems including dementia, and also people with learning disabilities.

The Foundation took the lead on campaigning for a number key principles. These include a principle to protect people who may lack mental capacity against discrimination on the grounds of age or disability, and the right for an individual to make an ‘advance statement’ about their wishes for a time when they may be unable to make decisions for themselves.


“The Government should withdraw its discredited Bill. It has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the lot of those who use mental health services, and to drive mental health care up the political and social agenda”dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive, quoted in a guardian editorial

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This year we have also:

• We hosted an online conference about Values and Mental Capacity that was attended by 600 delegates

• responded to a number of major government consultations on: The future of adult social care, the Welsh National Service Framework for Mental Health, the public health White Paper, Choosing Health and Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People

• collaborated with SIGN to produce an information pack for service providers on mental health and deafness

• published reports on the long-term impact of childhood mental health problems and on public mental health

• accompanied Health Minister Rosie Winterton to Helsinki for the signing of the World Health Organisation European Declaration on Mental Health

In Scotland we:

• joined the Scottish National Advisory Group on Mental Health

• supported a cross-party group working on implementing new mental health legislation

• supported three voluntary sector alliances made up of people who use mental health services and carers

• joined the Employment and Health Innovations Network which focuses on benefits and employment for people with mental health problems


“The Mental Capacity Bill is probably the single most important piece of legislation to address the difficulties and needs of vulnerable people…People will be empowered to make decisions for themselves whenever possible. They will no longer be labelled ‘mentally incapable’, their views all too often forgotten or ignored”Baroness Ashton of upholland

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Websites, Forums and Online Conferences

We continue to lead the mental health sector in the quantity and quality of our online services. This was recently recognised by the British Library, which included the Foundation’s websites in a project to archive the most important websites in the UK.

• the Mental Health Foundation website is the biggest and one of the busiest websites on mental health issues in the UK, with more than 2,500 pages attracting more than 3,000 visits a day

• our online forums continue to grow, with 1,500 members posting an average of 200 messages each per month

• we run the only online conference centre in the world. This year we ran three conferences, attracting an average of 400 delegates to each event The information we provide via the Foundation’s websites, forums and online conferences helps to inform, enable and empower people with mental health problems, as well as their carers and relatives, and the professionals who provide services to them. It also allows all of these groups to talk to each other on equal terms.

Publications Online Conferences

We publish high quality research and policy information, as well as materials for the general public. We publish information in hard copy and on-line, and promote it in a variety of ways.

Effective dissemination of the Foundation’s research and guidance is crucial to achieving our mission. This year we sent out thousands of printed copies of our publications. But we increasingly look to the internet and email to help with dissemination. They enable us to reach a far wider audience, at a fraction of the cost. The total number of publication downloads in 2004/5 was 280,000 - a figure we aim to increase in the coming years.

We provide information, factsheets and mental health promotion materials for the general public free of charge.


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Our MISSION:

Turning research into practical solutions that make a difference to people’s lives, now and in the future

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Our MISSION: TurNINg rESEArCH INTO prACTICAL SOLuTIONS THAT MAkE A dIFFErENCE TO pEOpLE’S LIvES, NOw ANd IN THE FuTurE

Youth crisis

Catching and dealing with mental health problems among children and young people should be a priority for the entire mental health sector. But very few young people – especially those in the transition to adulthood, get the help they need.

This year we entered Phase 2 of our Youth Crisis programme. We identified eight pilot sites, where very different organisations are delivering the kind of services that young people have told us they want, and will use.

We will work with the sites over the next two years to help them develop, and ensure that we know exactly what it is about them that works and engages young people. We will then ensure that they can be copied across the UK.

We also launched Speak Up!, which is an online forum that brings together

young people who use or have used mental health services, and the people who provide services. It’s designed to give 16-25 year olds a voice and a stake in improving mental health services for people in their age group.

Education and Training

We work with training providers to develop mental health training and education opportunities for people involved in mental health care. The Level 3 Certificate in Community Mental Health Care, a vocationally-related qualification developed by the Foundation with City and Guilds and Pavilion Publishing, has been taken up by 130 colleges. 1500 candidates have now successfully completed the award, giving them a more structured basis for their work and the potential to develop further professionally.

Around three-quarters of 5-15 year-olds with mental health problems are not in contact with child and adolescent mental health services

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“I think this website is ace, I feel really glad that there are people actually interested in getting services sorted out, and have noticed that there are a lot of us that aren’t happy…(it) helps to know that there are people out there that want to help. Thank you!”Speak up! attracted �,000 visitors in its first two months.

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The label of ‘Personality Disorder’

People who are labelled with a personality disorder have for a long time been excluded from services and refused treatment. The Government is now trying to address this, and has provided new guidance for clinicians and other service providers. With funding from the Department of Health, the Foundation is working to ensure that the guidance is properly implemented, and that good practice in the treatment and care of people with personality disorders is spread as widely as possible. The project, Finding Positives in Difficult Places, brings together services users, carers, frontline workers, professionals, researchers and policy makers to share their ideas, experiences and expertise in the field. We will produce a final report and begin dissemination work in Autumn 2005.

Spirituality and mental health

Research has often told us that faith or spirituality is very important in the recovery and subsequent wellbeing of people with mental health problems. With funding from the Department of Health we have undertaken a review of projects working to ensure that people using mental health services have their spiritual and religious needs met. We are also researching faith groups that are successful in including and working with people with mental health problems. Next year we will publish best practice guidelines for services and faith groups, to ensure that people with mental health problems have their spiritual and religious needs met, and that faith groups can play their part in the social inclusion of people with mental health problems.

Coping with dementia

Our work this year has focused on the very early stages of dementia. Research by the Mental Health Foundation has shown that people with dementia want to know as soon as possible that they have the disease, so that they can take care of the practical and emotional matters that are important to them. This may include putting their financial affairs in order, making a living will – and even making sure they spend time with their loved ones and do things they have always wanted to do.

But it is often very hard to reach a diagnosis. When a diagnosis is given, many people find it difficult to get help to put their affairs in order. When they are still relatively ‘well’, there is very little help available, and many opportunities are lost.

Next year we will publish a service development guide, which is specifically about services for those in the early stages of dementia. We will also publish a range of materials about the early stages of dementia, for people who themselves are in the early stages of dementia, and also for carers.

Our MISSION: TurNINg rESEArCH INTO prACTICAL SOLuTIONS THAT MAkE A dIFFErENCE TO pEOpLE’S LIvES, NOw ANd IN THE FuTurE

“ Many clinicians are reluctant to work with people with personality disorders, because they believe that they have neither the skills, training or resources to provide an adequate service. Clinicians may find the nature of interactions with personality disordered patients so difficult that they are reluctant to get involved.” National Institute for Mental Health in England, policy implementation guidance for the development of services for people with personality disorder

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MISSION STATEMENT: FOuNdATION FOr pEOpLE wITH LEArNINg dISABILITIES

We promote the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families. We do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and those who support them to: do research and develop projects that promote social inclusion and citizenship; support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities; make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities; and spread knowledge and information.

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We promote the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families. We do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and those who support them to: do research and develop projects that promote social inclusion and citizenship; support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities; make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities; and spread knowledge and information.

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FOrEwOrd TO THE ANNuAL rEvIEw OF THE FOuNdATION FOr pEOpLE wITH LEArNINg dISABILITIES

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities has grown in size, scope and impact in the year since it was joined by the team from King’s College London. We have been able to build a cycle where we do research, use our learning to help services change and to influence policy development. We work with those who deliver services for people with learning disabilities, and we learn from this to influence future research and policy.

The people who ask us to work with them know that we are able to help them implement Government guidance and to plan their services around people with learning disabilities. But what they value most is that we never have a ‘party line’ on what they should be doing.

Years of experience have taught us that we need to work to the strengths of service providers, staff and families, and always learn from them.

This in turn influences our research and policy work. And this cycle is what makes the work we do so valued by many people from all walks of life: people with learning disabilities, their families and friends, the people who work with them, and the people who will create the policies and services that will affect them.

We would like to thank all of our partners, funders and supporters for helping us make this a hugely rewarding year.

dr Andrew McCulloch Chief Executive

david Sachon Chair

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities is part of the Mental Health Foundation

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Our MISSION:

do research and projects that promote social inclusion and citizenshipThe Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities is part of the Mental Health Foundation

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“I felt belittled whenever I asked for help and was fed-up of being turned away whenever I requested something.”One of the parents who contributed to the First Impressions project

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Our MISSION: dO rESEArCH ANd prOjECTS THAT prOMOTE SOCIAL INCLuSION ANd CITIzENSHIp

200 babies are born with a learning disability every week in the UK. It costs three times as much to raise a child with a disability as a non-disabled child, and more than half of families raising a child with a learning disability are living on or below the poverty line. The quality of services, information and support provided to these families depends on where they live and many are left in the dark, fighting for support, with very little information available to them. This year we:

• carried out in-depth interviews with parents across the UK about their personal experiences of raising a child with a learning disability

• produced a report for professionals and policy makers to inform and influence their decisions

• published a booklet for families with children who have a learning disability. This offers practical advice on topics such as coping with a diagnosis, pre-school education, family support and financial advice. It has been downloaded 4,000 times, and 370 copies were ordered in its first month

• held a fun day for families with children who have a learning disability

We are now developing this research and beginning a project looking specifically at the needs of fathers with children who have a learning disability. This will be completed in the summer of 2006.

First Impressions

A mother of a child with Down’s Syndrome asked how her baby was after an emergency caesarean and was told by the midwife: ‘You’ll know when you see him’.

Another parent was told after two years of scans and tests that her daughter was “basically going to deteriorate and die” and given a leaflet about Retts syndrome.

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Meeting the spiritual and religious needs of people with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities often lack the support they need to address their religious and spiritual needs. This year, we:

• launched a report of the findings, at the House of Commons, this was attended by 90 people including faith leaders, service providers, experts in the learning disabilities field and MPs

• published a booklet for carers of people with learning disabilities to understand the importance of spirituality

• produced a good practice guide explaining why it’s important to take the religious needs of people with learning disabilities seriously, and giving practical advice to services about supporting adults in their religious expression

• held regional seminars across the UK to promote good practice in services, for 430 delegates

We are taking this work further and will be holding a day-long conference for people with learning disabilities and their supporters later in 2005. We will also be producing a video, which will be made by people with learning disabilities, about how faith communities and people with learning disabilities can help and support each other.

Dying Matters

Many people with learning disabilities who are terminally ill receive inadequate care. To encourage staff in learning disability services to think about the proper care and support of terminally ill people with learning disabilities we published a practical workbook, Dying Matters, for managers and support staff within learning disability services. This was produced to help staff understand the importance of the role they play in the lives of people with learning disabilities who are terminally ill.

Dying Matters has attracted a lot of interest, and we have so far sold 275 copies.

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Our MISSION:

Support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities

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Making us Count

Around a third of a million young people in the UK have learning disabilities. Of those, 40% are likely to develop mental health problems each year, but these often go unnoticed and untreated. Following Count Us In, a one-year Inquiry into the mental health needs of young people with learning disabilities, we began a two-year research programme. The aim was to improve access to high quality services for young people with learning disabilities who develop mental health problems. We completed the research this year, and:

• published a report for service providers and commissioners offering recommendations to improve the range of services

• produced a summary of the report which people can download from our website

• held seminars for 320 people in London, Glasgow and Birmingham to raise awareness about the importance of mental health service provision for young people with learning disabilities

We are now developing a range of materials including support packs and videos. We have also begun work with the Department of Health and the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Support Service to look at ways of increasing access to services for children and young people with learning disabilities.

“It was months and months and months that I had to wait for help and the previous time it had taken some months to get the educational psychologist to see me as well, so it’s not particularly easy to get assistance.”

“No one’s ever explained or told me about the different types of help I could get so I don’t know what’s out there.”young people who contributed to Making us Count

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Developing Connexions

Connexions, the Government’s youth support and advice service, launched in April 2001 in 15 areas of England. The service was introduced to give ‘the best start in life to all young people’. Personal Advisers were positioned as experts, available to give advice on a range of issues including careers, education, drugs, health and relationships. In February 2002, we began a two and a half year project to find out how Connexions supports young disabled people, including those experiencing mental health problems. Over the last year we:

• worked with more than 120 young disabled people to find out what they thought about the Connexions service

• published a report, Developing Connexions, in July 2004 detailing the findings of the evaluation project and highlighting the service’s strengths and weaknesses

The aim of the report was to help develop children’s services and suggested a clear direction and role for Connexions in relation to the integration of children’s services in local authority areas. With the publication of the Youth Green Paper later this year, we will be revisiting some of the project sites to see how they have progressed. This may identify a need for further work.

Healthy Lives

There are different attitudes and ways of working between health services and social care services. This can prove very difficult for people with learning disabilities and their families, who often rely heavily on both. There are two important ways of planning; person centred planning (around the person’s life) and health action planning (around their health). The challenge is to bring both kinds of planning together that make a real difference to people’s health, wellbeing and life as a whole and so this year we:

• worked with care and health services, families and people with learning disabilities to find out how health action planning could be done in a person-centred way

• created training materials for staff in primary care and in learning disability services to help them bring together person-centred planning and health action planning. These materials are featured on the Valuing People website, www.valuingpeople.gov.uk

• held a workshop to introduce the training materials and advise people on how they can bring together both kinds of planning

We are also looking at the impact that person centred planning, when done properly, has on the lives of people with learning disabilities. This is a two-year study, taking account of the experiences of around 100 people in four different areas in England. The report has now been published and a conference was held in the Summer of 2005.

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Our MISSION:

make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities

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Our MISSION: MAkE prACTICAL IMprOvEMENTS IN SErvICES FOr pEOpLE wITH LEArNINg dISABILITIES

Older Family Carers

There are currently more than 29,000 people with a severe or profound learning disability living at home with carers aged over 70. The Government White Paper Valuing People estimates that 25 per cent of these people are unknown to services. Behind these figures, older families live with constant anxiety about what will happen in the future, when they can no longer support their relative. In 2002, we began the three-year Older Family Carers Initiative (OFCI).

This year, through OFCI, we:

• developed Supporting Older Families, a resource pack that discusses the challenges that need to be met if older families are to receive the help they need, and contains examples of good practice

• held a one-day conference in Central London for both professionals and older family carers to introduce them to the resource pack

• held a policy seminar for MPs and key policy makers

• produced a policy briefing to help health and social care services meet the needs of older family carers

The resource pack was distributed to all Learning Disability Partnership Boards in England and 140 people attended the London conference.

Over the next 12 months, OFCI will focus on sharing good practice, partnership working and working with organisations who represent older people and carers.

Older Family Carers

“One family carer in her late 80s dissolved into tears while discussing possible future housing options for her son. It turned out that the last time any professional had mentioned his future, she’d been told that if he moved anywhere then she would no longer be allowed to have any contact with him. That conversation took place over 50 years ago – with the doctor who diagnosed him shortly after his birth.”A Foundation project worker talking about the Older Family Carers Initiative

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Our MISSION: MAkE prACTICAL IMprOvEMENTS IN SErvICES FOr pEOpLE wITH LEArNINg dISABILITIES

“The enthusiasm of the consultant inspired one to want to get going.”An attendee at one of our training days

Our consultancy services

We use our expertise and knowledge to support people who provide services for people with learning disabilities, to develop their ways of working. We aim to ensure services become more people-orientated, giving people with learning disabilities and their families more control. We are keen to build long-lasting relationships with services so that we can use their knowledge and experience to bring about change. This year we have:

• worked in 30 services across England, Scotland and Wales

• addressed topics including; the importance of person centred planning, service modernisation and the issue of inclusion for children

• mentored managers, especially those who are new to the field

• held leadership courses for self-advocates

• supported organisational development for teams and boards

Next year, we will begin helping service workers to become trainers and train others in the importance

of person-centred planning. We will also be launching a 3-year community inclusion project for those with high support needs, and focusing on developing leadership among family carers.

Our specialist seminars on issues in the lives of people with learning disabilities were attended by just under 1350 professionals and carers.

Topics included:

• Building community networks • Circles of support • Employment • Family carers • Flexible funding • Health action planning • Organisational planning • Planning for later life • Self advocacy • Service evaluation • Transition planning

Direct Payments

Disabled people who want to manage their own care are able to receive ‘direct payments’ from local authorities. They can use direct payments to buy the care and other services that they want. But take-up is comparatively low among people with learning disabilities when compared with other groups

of disabled people, and there are big differences in the availability of schemes from area to area. In 2003 we began a three year research project to find out what helps and what holds back the uptake of direct payments. The research was funded by the Department of Health, and we carried it out in partnership with the Health & Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS). This year we have been:

• reviewing what is already known about the development of direct payments and similar schemes around the world

• carrying out surveys of local authorities, to help us monitor changes in the availability and take-up of direct payments

Next year we will be publishing findings from a national survey of direct payments schemes. We will also begin work in 10 areas across the country to look in detail at the reasons behind any changes in the availability or take-up of direct payments.

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Our MISSION:

Spread knowledge and information

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Our MISSION: SprEAd kNOwLEdgE ANd INFOrMATION

Our media work

This year, the First Impressions report (see page 25) in particular attracted a lot of media interest. We spoke about the project on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. We also received coverage in a range of trade and consumer magazines.

We have written a number of features for magazines and newsletters. This has proven a very effective way of publicising the Foundation’s work; especially our work around children and young people with learning disabilities and the Older Family Carers Initiative.

The Foundation’s Spirituality work has featured widely in the trade media this year, and also on BBC Radio 4’s ‘God on my Mind’.

We have provided independent comments for a number of media outlets, including the Independent and Guardian. And our media team accompanied a group of young people with learning disabilities to Chelsea Football Club to interview star players for Breakout! our magazine by and for young people with learning disabilities.

Influencing policy

Using the Foundation’s research, projects and consultancy work to influence government policy is central to our work. We respond to government consultations, and disseminate the policy implications of our research. We also work to influence government and other bodies to improve or change policy and legislation which has an impact on the lives of people with learning disabilities.

Over the year we responded to a number of key Government consultations including:

• Choosing the future: genetics and reproductive decision-making

• the impact of implementing the Valuing People White Paper

• Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People

We also work closely with the government’s Valuing People Support Team. This year we also met representatives from the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit to discuss work the Foundation has done around transition and person-centred approaches.

This year also saw important policy activity connected to the Foundation’s Older Family Carers Initiative and our involvement in the campaign for the Mental Capacity Act:

• we put forward some key amendments to the Mental Capacity Bill

• we contribute regularly to the All-party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability

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“I’m moving on to pastures new, sadly away from work with people with learning difficulties. I will miss the Choice Forum, as it has been a fantastic way to get ideas and comment, keep up to date, realise I’m not alone with problems - and even forge new relationships!”A Choice Forum member

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Our MISSION: SprEAd kNOwLEdgE ANd INFOrMATION

Publications

We publish a variety of materials to tell people about the Foundation’s work. These include information booklets for people with learning disabilities and their carers, training manuals for professionals working in the sector and commissioners of services. Typically our publications are the final outcomes of research or consultancy programmes and may be aimed at both professionals/carers and also people with learning disabilities. Where this is the case, we publish easyread summaries which are suitable for people with learning disabilities. In the past year our key publications included:

• What Is Important To You? - A booklet for people with learning disabilities

• Why Are We Here? - Meeting the spiritual needs of people with learning disabilities

• No Box To Tick - A booklet for carers of people with learning disabilities

• Discretionary Trusts - A Guide for Families

• First Impressions - Emotional and practical support for families of a young child with learning disabilities

• Dying Matters - A workbook on caring for people with Learning Disabilities who are terminally ill

• Older Family Carers Initiative report

We sent out thousands of copies of our publications this year and a further 120,000 copies were downloaded from our website.

Websites, Forums and Online Conferences

Our online work continues to thrive, as we build on and improve the Foundation’s services. Through our website, forums and online conferences, we provide up-to-date resources, and encourage information and discussion among many audiences.

• www.learningdisabilities.org.uk continues to be the biggest website on learning disabilities in the UK, receiving an average of 1,500 hits a day. We know people like the site and find it useful, because they tell us in our guest book

• the Choice Forum has 2,500 members posting an average of 150 messages a month, with numbers increasing all the time. They are the liveliest online discussion forums about learning disabilities in the UK, spreading opinions, knowledge and information

In March 2005, with the Mental Health Foundation we held a conference on ‘Values and Mental Capacity’. It addressed a wide range of issues concerning values and mental capacity that affect people of all ages with learning disabilities.

To maximise accessibility and involvement for people with learning disabilities, we created a ‘first of its kind’ website www.connects.org.uk/easyread to run alongside the conference centre. Conference information, including the papers and discussions, appear on both sites. This site uses large text, plain English and “browsealoud” software to enable people to listen to the text rather than have to read it. Other features include a dictionary, and pictures to reinforce text.

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During 2004/2005 we raised more than £3.5 million. Just over half of this came from legacies, ranging from £10 to £300,000.

83% of all the Foundation’s income comes from voluntary sources. It provides us with the independence and flexibility to focus on those areas that will have most impact for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. For this reason we have invested significantly in fundraising this year. We recruited 2,778 new donors via our door-to-door campaigns and 2,400 new donors via mailing campaigns.

We are integrating our fundraising activities more thoroughly into all sections of the organisation, especially the Foundation’s communications work. One result was a very successful joint campaign to donors on the exercise and depression campaign. Our newsletter mailing in February brought in over £24,000 whilst informing supporters on how they could improve their mental health through the use of sustained exercise.

We had our largest team ever in the London Marathon with 49 runners raising over £62,000. Thanks to them all, especially Geoff Hartley

who raised over £4,700 and Brian McSweeney who ran for us for the third time. We also had an intrepid team of staff, their friends and the Chair of Trustees who each fell 10,000 ft in a tandem parachute jump for the Foundation raising £6,500.

Legacies continued to be the Foundation’s single largest source of income, paying for a range of services and publications, including two new dementia booklets. We also received specific funding from a range of charitable trusts that has enabled us to develop our work and launch the second phase of Youth Crisis work.

In the future we aim to develop our income and relationships with more companies and charitable trusts and increase the number of people taking part in Foundation events and challenges.

Thank you to all our supporters and donors. If you would like to learn more about how you and/or your company can help raise much needed funds for the Foundation or how you can leave us a legacy, please call us on 020 7803 1121 or email [email protected]

FuNdrAISINg

We recruited 2,778 new donors via our door-to-door campaigns and 2,400 new donors via mailing campaigns.

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Financial Summary

The trustees confirm that the summarised accounts on these pages are a summary of the information extracted from the full annual accounts, which were approved on 20 July 2005. The summarised accounts may not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the charity. For further information, the full annual accounts and the auditors’ report and the trustees’ report on those accounts should be consulted. Copies of the full annual accounts are available from the charity.

The summarised accounts do not constitute full accounts within the meaning of the Companies Act 1985 and the Charities Act 1993. A copy of the statutory accounts of the charity, upon which the auditors have reported without qualification, will be delivered to both Companies House and the Charity Commission.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf:

David Sachon Chair

Approved on 20 July 2005

We have examined the summarised financial statements of the Mental Health Foundation. The trustees are responsible for preparing the summarised financial statements in accordance with the recommendations of the requirements of the Statement Of Recommended Practice on “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in October 2000. Our responsibility is to report to you our opinion on the consistency of the summarised financial statements with the full financial statements and the Trustees’ Report. We also read the other information contained in the summarised Annual Report and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the summarised financial statements. We conducted our work in accordance with Bulletin 1999/6 The Auditor’s Statement on the Summary Financial Statement, issued by the Auditing Practices Board for use in the UK.

In our opinion, the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements and the trustees’ report of the Mental Health Foundation for the year ended 31 March 2005.

Buzzacott Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 12 New Fetter Lane London EC4A 1AG

FINANCIAL SuMMAry

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FINANCIAL SuMMAry

Statement of financial activities for the year to 31st March 2005

2005 2004 £000’s £000’s Income

Donations 1192 1148Legacies 1939 2045Fundraising Events 191 109Government Grants 312 561Community Fund Grant 0 107Other Income 355 410Charitable sales 324 268Investment Income and Interest Receivable 142 94

4455 4742

Expenditure

Charitable Expenditure 3084 2603Fundraising 785 579Management 52 22

3921 3204

Net Incoming Resources 534 1538Net Investment Gains 161 111

Net Movement in Funds 695 1649

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FINANCIAL SuMMAry

2005 2004 £000’s £000’s

Fixed Assets

Tangible Assets 58 33Investments 4036 3293

4094 3326

Current Assets

Debtors 269 333Bank and Other Deposits 199 307

468 640

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 703 771

Net Current (liabilities) assets -235 -131

Total Assets less Current Liabilities 3859 3195

Creditors: amounts falling due after one year 0 -31

Net Assets 3859 3164

Represented by:Funds and ReservesIncome Funds Unrestricted Funds Designated Funds 1708 2073 General Funds 1382 522 Restricted Funds 725 526

3815 3121

Capital Funds Permanent Endowment Fund 44 43

Net Assets 3859 3164

Balance Sheet at 31st March 2005

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pATrONS & TruSTEES

patron HrH princess Alexandra The Hon Lady Ogilvy kg gCvO

Trustees jane Carter Michael O’Connor CBE (Honorary Treasurer) dr jocelyn Cornwell Abel Hadden Christopher S Martin (retired November �00�) professor zenobia Nadirshaw professor Stephen platt dr philippa russell CBE david Sachon (Chair) daphne Statham CBE professor Tony Thake Andrew wetherell (resigned january �00�)

Secretary dr Andrew McCulloch

president Sir william utting CB

vice presidents Tessa Baring CBE robert Loader CBE Sir Neville Macready Mike wilson Christopher Carter Lord dholakia OBE jp Lady Euston

registered and principal office Sea Containers House �0 upper ground London SE� �QB

Company registration number ��0�� (England and wales)

Charity registration number �0��0

Auditors Buzzacott �� New Fetter Lane London EC�A �Ag

Bankers Coutts & Co ��0 Strand London wC�r 0QS

Investment managers Newton Investment Management Limited �� Queen victoria Street London EC�v �dr

Solicitors Bates, wells & Braithwaite Cheapside House �� Cheapside London EC�v �BB

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SuppOrTErS

A J Burton 1956 Charitable Trust

Anthony du Boulay Charitable Trust

A & M Pilkingtons Trust

Baily Thomas Charitable Fund

Barclays Bank PLC

Barloworld Holdings PLC

Bridge House Estates Trust Fund

Cazenove Group plc

Cecil Pilkington Charitable Trust

Charities Trust

Constance Travis Charitable Trust

CQS Management Limited

Credit Suisse First Boston

Department for Education and Skills

Department of Health

Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust

Forest Hill Charitable Trust

GMC Trust

Greendale Charitable Foundation

HSA Charitable Trust

Hugh and Mary Miller Bequest Trust

IMI Kynoch Ltd

MacLay Murray & Spens Charitable Trust

Martin Charitable Trust

Mauritis Mulder Canter Charity

Mrs A B C Campbell’s CharitableTrust

Mrs Christina Goodall’s Charitable Trust

Nestle UK Ltd

Norton Rose Charitable Foundation

Orr Mackintosh Foundation

PF Charitable Trust

Pilkington General Charity

Sarsen Charitable Trust

Scottish Executive

Scouloudi Foundation

Shears Charitable Trust

Sir James Reckitt Charity

Slough Estates plc

S Nassar & Sons S.A

Templeton Goodwill Trust

Wogen Group Ltd

The Mental Health Foundation is very grateful to the many organisations which supported our work in 2004-2005, in particular:

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Visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk for

free information on a range of mental health

issues for policy, professional and publicaudiences, and free materials to raise awarenessabout how people can look after their mental health.

Mental Health Foundation9th Floor, Sea Containers House20 Upper GroundLondon, SE1 9QBTel: 020 7803 1100Email: [email protected]

Mental Health FoundationMerchants House30 George SquareGlasgow, G2 1EGTel: 0141 572 0125 Email: [email protected]

annual review - mental health foundation...mental health and well-being in older people seriously....

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