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Membership If you would like to join the Forum then please contact either: Paul Lumsdon – Director of Nursing & Governance, Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust and a member of the Steering Committee. Paul.lumsdon@derbysmhservices.nhs.uk Helen Greatorex - Executive Director of Nursing, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust and a member of the Steering Committee. helen.greatorex@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk Gemma Jones - Forum Admin
Membership Benefits:
Membership Fees run from May -May:
(Includes 1 free space to 2 conferences per year) Download Membership Form If you wish to download a membership form please click here Full membership: Access for 4 to private site, distribution lists + 1 delegate to 2 conferences & reduced conference fees for other members. For individual please click here For additional membership please click here Additional - Access for member to private site, distribution lists and reduced conference fees, this membership may apply to Associate directors, Nurse leads, Matrons, Nurse consultants etc whose trust already belongs to the membership. Individual - Access for member to private site and reduced conference fees, this membership may apply to anyone working within Mental Health & Learning Disabilities who does not have a direct link to any of the trusts who are members.
For further help please email forum.admin@koiosgroup.com The Mental Health and Learning Disability Nurse
Directors and Leads Forum has been established for nearly three
years. Approximately 80% of Mental Health NHS and Foundation
organisations across the country are now members. CNO Conference The Forum was approached by The Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Christine Beasley to act as a support to colleagues in acute and primary care sectors to effectively meet the mental health needs of their service users. At the 2007 CNO Summit, the Forum led on one of 6 Masterclasses - exploring the experience of people with mental health problems and learning disabilities within acute and primary care settings. The session considered the current challenges, heard a perspective from the independent sector and most significantly heard from Ricky Owen and Rick Robson about the experience of people with a learning disability. Their presentation was inspiring and informative - challenging false assumptions and offering alternative models of practice. Ricky Owens, a service user, challenged all of us by saying that if we get services right for people with disabilities, then we'll get them right for everyone. Lis Jones, Ros Alstead and Margaret Thornley designed the workshop, assisted by Natalie Warman. Hilary MacCallion as chair of the Forum opened the Masterclass, which was chaired by Sue Webb, SHA Acting Director of Nursing. The Forum scoped the innovative work that members were doing to improve service users experience of acute and primary care, and produced a booklet for the CNO conference, which is now available to download for members from the website, at www.mentalhealthforum.co.uk Strengthening the Governance Arrangements of the Forum At the beginning of 2007 the Forum sought legal advice in regard to their governance and financial arrangements. From discussions, it was evident that the Forums position was not protected in terms of their liability, particularly as the forum has contractual arrangements with organisations who support the forum’s communications and marketing. To protect our members from any financial liability, in June 2007 the Forum become a Limited Company by Guarantee. Key features of a company limited by guarantee and how it differs from a limited company or charity: (i) It has no share capital; and (ii) Members merely guarantee that if the company is ever in financial difficulties and is wound up, they will contribute a certain amount to the funds to be distributed to creditors. In British or Irish company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not have a share capital, but has members who are guarantors instead of shareholders. The guarantors give an undertaking to contribute a nominal amount (typically £1) towards the winding up of the company in the event of a shortfall upon cessation of business. It cannot distribute its profits to its members, and is therefore eligible to apply for charitable status if necessary. Like a private limited company, a company limited by guarantee must include the suffix "Limited" in its name, unless specifically excluded by law. The Forum satisfies an exception and therefore does not need to include the term Limited. Common uses of guarantee companies include clubs, membership organisations, other social enterprises, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charities (such as Oxfam). Conferences The Spring conference was held in Liverpool, presentations from the day included “Vision for the future of mental health and learning disability nursing” Dr Ben Thomas - Professional Adviser for Mental Health and Learning Disability in the Professional Leadership Team at the Department of Health, “Political Influencing in today's NHS” Ian Hulatt – Mental Health Advisor Royal College of Nursing, “Personal Reflection of Nursing Leadership” Lis Jones - Director of Nursing & Performance/Service Director. Concurrent sessions: Professor Rachel Munton Executive Director of Nursing & Allied Health Professionals The afternoon session introduced a debate “Will Associate Practitioners replace Mental Health Nurses”. This was a different approach to the afternoon which was received well by delegates and the idea will be continued into future conferences. Both the dinner and conference received positive feedback from members, with many finding the ability to network and share experiences with their colleagues in other organisations valuable. The Conferences hold breakfast masterclasses to “Aspiring future nurse leaders”. The first session in Brighton explored the development needs of future prospective nurse directors for their development, which resulted in the forum creating a supply of mentors. Subsequent conferences have invited aspiring directors to discuss with colleagues hints and tips for successful interviews and what to expect when applying for the director post. These sessions have grown increasingly popular. Members requiring mentorship from Nurse Directors are able to access details from the forums’ website. Nurse Directors who wish to become mentors can add their details by contacting the Forums administration via the website. Modern Matrons’ Conference In September the Matrons held their 4th national conference at Horwood House, Milton Keynes for Modern Matrons & Clinical Leads in Mental Health & Learning Disabilities the theme was “Building on Strengths- Managing Challenges”, which was supported by the Mental Health Forum. Matrons across the country were present on the day. The third national conference produced a paper entitled “The Verb - We’re doing it”, which outlined four themes: culture, accountability, attitude and responsibility that impact on service provision and care delivery. This paper and a toolkit that the matrons produced are available to download from the website.
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