Contents

HUBB Background

In 1991 HUBB was formed from a small group of service users and carers who were given £300 by the Health Authority to set up a local support group. The group was particularly concerned for patients moving into the community from what was then Warley Hospital

The acronym was taken from Havering Users Barking & Brentwood, but we now see HUBB as meaning the “central point” from which people can access services and information.

HUBB employs people who use or have used mental health services and our Management Committee includes 10 people who access mental health services.

HUBB aims to improve the lives of people who experience mental health problems in the several ways:

Promoting Self-advocacy

Supporting you to speak up for yourself

Providing Community Advocacy

Practical help for those temporarily unable to speak up for themselves

Employing Patients Advocates

To advocate for those in Mascalls Park (Warley Hospital)

Offering Community Support

By having monthly meetings which offer mutual support with others who may have similar experience

Ensuring User Representation

By enabling and supporting people who use services to be consulted about how services are provided

Monitoring Services

Facilitating user groups to look at and comment on local mental health services.

Supporting Volunteers

Improving individual’s skills and building their confidence with supported volunteering opportunities

The Management Committee presents its report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on the 14^th August 1997. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 each.

Recruitment and Appointment of Management Committee

There are three company directors, and the rest of the Management Committee members are elected from the HUBB membership. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the members of the Management Committee are elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.

Due to the nature of HUBB’s work, the Management Committee members are well represented by people who use or have used mental health services.

Trustee Induction and Training

Following election, trustees are invited and encouraged to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates. There is also the opportunity to attend an externally led series of training sessions organised by the local Voluntary Sector umbrella organisation, HAVCO, which informs new members of their roles and responsibilities.

Risk Management

The Management Committee has conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A risk register has been established and is updated at least annually. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. There is a five-year Business Plan that outlines the strategic direction for the charity and addresses the main risks. Internal control risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all financial transactions, and staff supervision ensures risks to clients and staff are known. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety of staff, volunteers, clients and visitors. The adoption of the Advocacy Charter and Quality Policy developed by Action4Advocacy ensure a consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charity. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity.

Organisational Structure

HUBB has a Management Committee of up to twelve members who meet monthly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. The Committee is made up of people who use/have used mental health services, with one Director who has specialist Charity Commission experience. The Manager and the Office Manager attend the meeting but have no voting rights.

The Manager presents Finance and Personnel reports, which inform the Committee of internal and external issues, and a Manager’s report that seeks direction giving and information sharing.

A scheme of delegation is in place and day to day responsibility for the provision of services rests with the Manager along with the Office Manager. The Manager is responsible for ensuring that the charity delivers the services specified and that the key performance objectives in the Business Plan are met. The Manager also has responsibility for individual supervision of the staff team and also ensuring that the team continue to develop their skills and working practices in line with good practice. The Office Manager has responsibility for the day-to-day operational management of the HUBB’s two offices and the advocacy service.

Related Parties

In so far as it is complimentary to the charity’s objects, the charity is guided by both local and national policy. At a national level, the National Service Frameworks for Mental health (1999), the Mental Health Act (1983), the Mental Capacity Bill (2006), the Advocacy Charter and Quality Standards (2006). We work closely with the Havering Primary Care Trust, Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust, Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford Primary Care Trust, and North East London Mental Health Trust (NELMHT) to forward the user voice, and assist with the planning and delivery of mental health services.

“Thank you very much for your help with my work from which I have learned a great deal” Jayne Lingard Service Development Consultant who was commissioned to undertake a report for Havering PCT (December 2005)

“We have enjoyed working with HUBB and look forward to a long and sustained partnership as we collaborate together to plan, involve and deliver services” 

Tulip Mental Health Group (December 2005)

Objectives and Activities

The company’s object and activities are to:

Preserve and protect the mental health of users and ex-users of the psychiatric services in Barking, Dagenham, Havering, Brentwood and the surrounding area.

Assist with the rehabilitation of such persons, in particular by the provision of advice and assistance to such persons, which they would otherwise not obtain through lack of means.

In furtherance of the objects, but not otherwise the Charity may exercise the following powers:

(a)    To provide any service or services to enable persons with mental health problems to obtain their full rights and privileges as a citizen

(b)  To provide advocacy and support services for “users of mental health services”

(c)   To encourage “users of mental health services” to contribute to the promotion of the highest possible standards of service provision

The main objectives and activities for the year continue to focus upon advocacy and promoting the user voice in the planning and execution of mental health services. These will be further described in the following reports.

Chair’s Report – Dr Neil Wood

I was pleased and also honoured to take over the position of Chair of HUBB this year – pleased because I am committed to the valuable work that the organisation carries out day in day out and honoured to follow in the distinguished footsteps of so many others.

Thus HUBB goes from strength to strength; you can read about the various developments elsewhere in this Annual Report but I should like to especially mention the additional staff we have been able to appoint to support new initiatives including the mental health awareness training, as well as the successful bid for Capital Volunteering and other funds. I am also pleased to report the close links we have made with sister organisations in Havering and Barking and Dagenham, such as Tulip and the successful negotiation of a 3-year service agreement with Barking and Dagenham PCT.

Despite the above, no organisation can afford to rest on it laurels and this year we are seeking to increase our membership.  Thus there are many ex and current service users who may like to come along to our monthly meetings in Romford or who may be willing to stand for election to our Management Committee in future.

As always, the Chair owes a great debt of gratitude to many people – to the members who make HUBB an active organisation, to the HUBB Management Committee for making my role easier and especially to Dawn Byrne our Office Manager and Jenny Gray our Manager for immense support in ways too numerous to mention.

Treasurer’s Report – Bernard Gaye

I accepted the role of Treasurer in September 2005.  As a HUBB member I was unaware of the huge amount of administrative work involved in maintaining such a group. I am grateful to HAVCO (Havering Association of Voluntary and Community Organisations) for the ‘Responsibilities of Charity Trustee’s’ course that I attended – what an eye-opener!

Expenditure has been in line with budget forecast, thanks to HUBB’s financial procedures policy and the combined efforts of the staff team. 

HUBB Committee has considered our requirements for reserves as recommended by the Charity Commission and has set aside designated contingency funds (10). 

The accounts, (Appendix I) are prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (March 2005) and in accordance with the special provisions of Part VI of the Companies Act 1985 relating to small entities.

I must thank Jenny and Dawn for all their help and support in my first year as Treasurer. Thanks also to Marion Sach, HUBB Bookkeeper who has patiently guided me through the financial procedures.

Principle Funding Sources

The principle funding sources for HUBB are the Primary Care Trusts for the client localities – Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and Billericay, Brentwood, and Wickford. Other sources of funding come from innovative projects financed through Capital Volunteering, University student placement payments, University lecture fees, magazine articles and payments for attendance at meetings.

Membership fees and donations contribute a small amount to HUBB’s income. There is no active fundraising, HUBB used to have collecting boxes, but this proved an inefficient way of generating funds.

Investment policy

Aside from retaining a prudent amount in reserves each year, most of the charity’s funds are to be spent in the short-term so there are few funds for long-term investment. However, with some Primary Care Trusts offering funds in advance for projects, the Management Committee has decided to invest the small amount that it has in an ethical savings account, which should in a yearly interest rate of approximately 4%.

Reserves Policy

The Management Committee has established a statement of reserves whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charity should be between 3 and 6 months of the expenditure. HUBB’s reserves meet it’s commitment to the business risk plan and the recommendations by the Charity Commission for wind-down costs.

Another busy, enjoyable year! HUBB seems to have grown even more, and our activities have become more diverse and reached more people. One member of staff moved on to another organisation, and HUBB recruited another member, but has otherwise retained the same staff team.

Achievements and Performance

Business Enhancement

We have continued to develop our business and organisational systems. A major piece of work this year has been the development of our volunteer arm. This has involved developing a Volunteer Policy, changing the user development workers’ job descriptions, accessing training in maintaining volunteers, recruiting the volunteers and facilitating a vibrant support group.

We have reviewed our policies and added a Quality Policy to assure our clients of the standards they can expect to receive when working with an advocate, or contacting the organisation.

There is a robust staff development system now in place with yearly appraisals linked to training and development as outlined in the Business Plan. We will use this in the coming year to seek more quality accreditation.

Advocacy Work

The advocates remain extremely busy – over the period of one quarter we are working with, on average, 200 clients with 450 goals achieved. These are persons for whom we agree goals but excludes all the contacts for general telephone enquiries.

Advocacy work is always diverse as clients define their problems. This year one of our most notable successes was obtaining a rent rebate for a client of £1,500 pounds from his housing provider when he was unable to continue living in the property due to a change in his care needs, and getting 18 months worth of Income Support back dated – the client had to sit down when she found out how much her rebate was – she treated her cat to some jellied eels when the money came through!

Some work is ongoing with clients being supported in complicated cases regarding complaints, housing issues, and access to appropriate services, taking several years. These are the most common cause for cases remaining open. The majority of cases are resolved within 3 months.

In 2005 HUBB Mental Health User Group helped people to achieve 2,966 goals

User Involvement

This year has seen a much greater role for HUBB and mental health service users in terms of user involvement. This has come about from a number of factors: - a strategic decision taken by the Management Committee, the greater opportunities for involvement in service planning and delivery given by Primary Care Trusts and NELMHT, the Patient and Public Involvement Forums, and the emergence of Capital Volunteering.

The service user voice is represented at approximately thirty different fora in the boroughs covered by HUBB, including chairing the NELMHT User group. We have been instrumental in supporting a user-led self-harm group in Barking and Dagenham.

The arrival of Capital Volunteering has allowed us to offer Volunteer placements to service users, attract a new funding stream for projects, develop our Mental Health Awareness training package, and change our self-advocacy posts into User Training and Development Workers.

Policy input

Policies contributed to include the Child Protection Policy, Social Inclusion policies, Vulnerable Adults, Smoke-free Policy, Barking and Dagenham Local Rehab Strategy, NELMHT Modernisation Programme, Suicide Prevention Strategies, to name a few.

User opinion is sought on every level. A major piece of consultation undertaken by HUBB this year is the Havering “Services for the Future” where every service user in Havering had the opportunity to shape mental health service development.

Innovative Collaborative/Partnership work

Working with our partners in the voluntary and statutory sector is desirable for innovative and collaborative work. HUBB would like to thank all the other organisations it works with for making this possible

Special thanks to TIS, Barking and Dagenham Carers, EMPA, Tulip, Barking and Dagenham PCT and Social Services, NELMHT, Havering PCT and Social Services, HAVCO, Havering MIND. Barking and Dagenham CVS, (Please do not be offended if I have not mentioned you, all support is regarded as precious.)

Major innovative work included looking at restructuring the way that ward rounds are conducted in hospital which involved in interviewing patients, their carers, and staff on the acute wards. This work was needed as ward rounds were found to take the most senior nursing staff away from the most vulnerable patients during their hospital stay. The local initiative in Havering was supported by the Borough Manager and culminated in a Trust-wide workshop, chaired by a doctor from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, called “Whose ward round is it anyway?” There was lively debate during the day and presentations from a variety of viewpoints. Work is still progressing on this initiative.

All groups in Barking and Dagenham co-operated to celebrate World Mental Health Day at the Town Hall in Barking on October 10^th. There were speakers from agencies across the board in the morning, including the new A&BIT team, a very delicious lunch, and the afternoon was spent with people being available to support service users with their main concerns, which turned out to be Housing and CPA. The event was co-ordinated by the PCT and TIS and it was good to have contact with so may service users from BME backgrounds.

The other major piece of work culminated from the Rehabilitation Strategy and will constitute the future model of service delivery and user/worker collaboration surrounding the Recovery Model. This is being forwarded by the development of Wellness Recovery Action Plans with NELMHT staff and their clients. Central to the recovery model is the client taking responsibility for their mental health and the health professional adapting their working practice to facilitate this method of working.

Education and Training

We have hosted a total of five students from two universities over the year and I have done the Practice Teacher’s Course which means much more direct work with students who will soon be Social workers influencing client’s lives in their decision-making.

Our training and development workers and service users have contributed to training of social workers and nurses at South Bank University, NELMHT staff induction days, NELMHT Research and Development day, and presented at the NELMHT Evidence-based Practice day.

Plans for future

The charity plans continuing the activities outlined above in the forthcoming years subject to satisfactory funding arrangements. Plans are also being developed to further expand the user activity side of the charity into mental health awareness training for employers, user-led support groups, an information project on the acute wards at Mascalls Park, and recovery mentoring.

All our work comes from the clients who use HUBB’s services and the service users themselves. Without them highlighting the problems in their lives, and our collaborative support, we would not have the opportunity to work in the variety of ways that we do.

Responsibilities of the Management Committee

Company law requires the Management Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the management committee should follow best practice and:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
  
  
• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
  
  
• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.

The Management Committee is responsible for maintaining proper records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. The Management committee is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.