1

Welfare and

Mental Health

Conference

April 15th

2013

Mental Health Action Group

mhactiongroup@yahoo.co.uk

www.mhag.org.uk

Report of Event

At

Post Mill Centre On behalf of North Derbyshire CCG,

Erewash CCG and South Derbyshire

CCG.

2

Contents

1. 3 — Introduction and background to Conference

2. 4 — Executive Summary of main points

3. 5,6 - Agenda for Conference

4. 7—Synopsis of Sessions

5. 8—Conclusions and Recommendations for the future

6. Annexes

6A. List of Delegate Organisations

6B. Evaluation Statistics

6C. Conference Accounts

6D. Thanks and Acknowledgements

3

Introduction and Background

To Conference

The Mental Health Action Group has been aware for some time that many of its

members have experienced distress and trauma due to changes in the benefits

they receive. In 2011, Incapacity Benefit was replaced by Employment Support Al-

lowance with a new assessment process. This resulted in many people losing their

benefits and being found “fit for work” despite having severe and enduring men-

tal illness. Appeals were often successful, but took many months and left many in

debt and struggling to survive.

We decided to set-up a “Benefits Working Group” consisting of some of our ser-

vice receiver members, plus representatives invited from Council benefits advice

services and other experts. We made representations to the DWP and ATOS

Healthcare (who are contracted to carry out the Work Capability Assessments))

but realised that both Government Policy and the system were loaded against the

ill and disabled.

We then became aware that many more benefits were due to change in 2013,

and that people with mental health problems could suffer all over again. One of

the key messages that came out of ESA was that service receivers, carers and

mental health professionals were unprepared and lacking in knowledge about the

changes and how these might affect people. We should not allow this to happen

again.

In late 2012, MHAG proposed that we should hold a Conference on Welfare and

Mental Health, which would bring together service receivers, mental health profes-

sionals, carers and other stakeholders. They would be updated on the changes

and how they could best support themselves and others through the process. We

asked for funding from a variety of sources, and we are pleased to say that the

County Mental Health Commissioning Board and the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS

Foundation Trust both offered funds. This enabled us to plan a large conference

taking in the whole County.

The event duly took place at the Post Mill Centre on Monday 15th April 2013, at-

tracting 140 delegates and speakers, and was a great success. This report details

how the event was organised and examines the feedback from delegates.

4

Executive

Summary

Judging from how things went on the day, and from comments in the feedback

by delegates (see later in this report) the event was a big success on a number of

levels:

Firstly, the conference met its key aims, which were to inform people in mental

health about the changes to welfare benefits, and give them advice on how

to support their clients and loved ones.

Secondly, there was plenty of opportunity for delegates to ask questions and

engage with subject matter experts.

Thirdly, delegates were able to network with others across Derbyshire and be-

yond across a range of disciplines.

Lastly, delegates were able to express what further support and information

they would need in the future.

In addition, the venue was a good choice, despite some minor problems around

the PA system, toilets and parking.

Comments and feedback markings are shown in detail later in this report, but

there is a clear mandate to continue the learning in some form. There is certainly a

desire for more localised events, perhaps targeting specific benefits particularly in

the north of the County. How these are organised and resourced is largely a mat-

ter for discussion. MHAG may be able to support a limited number of events in the

southern half of the County, but we are too small to deliver a large programme.

Also, many people said they would like the benefits newsletter to continue. MHAG

is in a uniquely good position to do this as we are members of the DWP’s PIP Imple-

mentation Stakeholder Forum, and receive the latest information and links. As this

newsletter will be sent by email the cost is low, and will require just a few hours per

month to deliver.

There is clearly a need to rollout more detailed training to professionals who sup-

port mental health clients. This includes how to apply and complete forms for ben-

efits, and signposting for the correct agencies. Decisions on these matters will no

doubt take place at Commissioner level within the County, but MHAG is ready to

provide whatever information and general support we can.

5

Conference

Agenda—Morning

Time Led By Title Room

0900 -

1000

Reception Check-in and registration

Tea/coffee

Set-up stands for exhibitors

Foyer

Birchwood

1000-1005 Roy Brown-Lowe Introduction and domestic

information

Cranfield Suite

1005-1015 DVD Service Receiver testimony

A reminder of why we are

all here today!

1015-1025 Mr Mick Martin

Vice Chair of

DHCFT Board

Opening address

1025-1045 DWP - Fran Hen-

derson

Customer Journey through

Personal Independence

Payment (PIP) 1045-1105 Phil Seth – Atos

Healthcare

1105-1120 Haqeeq Bostan –

Capita

1120-1145 Coffee Break - Foyer

1145-1245 Feedback on PIP Questions for panel, which

will include Atos

Healthcare, DWP, Capita

and Benefits Advisors.

We will not have time to

answer all questions, but

we will submit any ques-

tions we did not have time

for on the day, and publish

the answers in our Event

Report.

Cranfield Suite

6

Conference

Agenda—Afternoon

1245-1330 Lunch - Foyer

1330-1430 Martin O’Kane

Derbyshire Coun-

ty Council

Workshop 1a – ESA/

Universal Credit

Cranfield

Rangewood

Sporton

Cranfield

Rangewood

Sporton

Johanna Roberts

Derby City Coun-

cil

Workshop 1b – Council Tax

Support and Under Occu-

pancy/Bedroom Tax

Allan Reynolds

Derby City Coun-

cil

Workshop 1c – Local Assis-

tance Scheme

1430-1445 Tea Break - Foyer

1445-1545 Martin O’Kane

Derbyshire Coun-

ty Council

Workshop 2a – ESA and

Universal Credit

Johanna Roberts

Derby City Coun-

cil

Workshop 2b – Council Tax

Support and Under-

Occupancy/Bedroom tax

Allan Reynolds

Derby City Coun-

cil

Workshop 2c – Local Assis-

tance Scheme

1545-1600 Organisers Conference Close – what

happens next? Thank you

and safe journey home.

Cranfield Suite

1600 Close

7

Session

Synopses

DVD—The Service Receiver Experience

The day began with a DVD, produced by MHAG members, which gave four testi-

monies from service receivers about the negative experience of going through a

benefits assessment. It gave a good introduction to the day and reminded every-

one why we were here—to help prevent this happening in future.

Mr Mick Martin—Vice Chair of the DHCFT Board. Address

Mr Martin kindly gave up his time to give an address in support of the Conference,

and as one of the organisations funding the event. This set the day in the context

of mental health services, and was a timely response to the DVD.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - The Customer Journey

The next hour was devoted to a teaching session on the client journey through

PIP. This was delivered by three speakers who kindly gave up their time from busy

schedules to talk: Fran Henderson from DWP Midlands Region; Phil Seth from Atos

Healthcare, and Haqeeq Bostan from Capita. DWP covered the application and

decision-making processes. Atos and Capita covered the assessment process. This

was followed by a short coffee break.

PIP Customer Journey—Panel Session

After the break, the three speakers plus Allan Reynolds from Derby City Council

Welfare Benefits Advice Team formed a panel, and delegates were able to ques-

tion them on issues around PIP.

Afternoon Workshops

Three workshops were provided after lunch, each of them repeated so that dele-

gates could attend two. Allan Reynolds provided a workshop on the Local Assis-

tance Scheme (which replaced the Social Fund from this year). Johanna Roberts

(also from Derby City) provided a workshop on the Council Tax Support and so

called “bedroom tax”. Martin O’Kane, Welfare Benefits Advisor from Derbyshire

County Council provided a workshop which covered Employment Support Allow-

ance (ESA) and the Work Capability Assessment.

8

Conclusions and

Recommendations

Conclusions

1. The event was worth staging, and certainly helped a lot of people understand

the changes and how they could support their clients and loved-ones.

2. The event gave an opportunity to network, learn and engage with subject

matter experts

3. The event enabled delegates to express what further support they would need

in the coming months and years as benefits changes accelerated.

Recommendations

1. The benefits newsletter should continue for the foreseeable future as requested

by delegates.

2. Further more localised events should take place

3. Events could take the form of training or workshops, but based on single bene-

fits changes (ie, Universal Credit, ESA, PIP etc.)

4. The north of the County should receive particular support as communities are

more scattered and harder to reach.

5. Local mental health organisations should help deliver local events; they know

their “patches” best and are trusted in their area.

6. Thought should be given to building a firm partnership with council benefits ad-

visors, Citizens Advice and Law centres to help deliver training.

7. NDVA and SDVSMHF should also be involved in helping to design a programme

of training and awareness raising.

8. Partnerships with local organisations and groups can help keep costs down by

using local facilities and reducing travel expenses.

9

ANNEX A

Delegate Organisations

Amber Trust DCC Mental Health Social Worker

AMHP Derby Diocese

Atos Healthcare Derbyshire Mind

Alzheimer’s Society Derventio Housing

Beckside Care Farm Different Minds Same Hearts

Capita Derbyshire Voice

Carers’ Group City & South Derby Depression Club

Carers’ Group North Derbyshire Healthcare NHS FT

CAB Chesterfield DCIL

CALC Derby Early Intervention Team South

Chill’n’Chat Group Erewash Mental Health Association

Claycross Recovery Team Family Resource Worker

Chinese Big Society Enjoying Derby

CMHT High Peak Erewash Borough Council

Chesterfield Recovery Team Framework

Chesterfield Crisis Team Financial Inclusion

The Croft, Ripley (Rethink) Mental Health Action Group

Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Service Metropolitan Housing Trust

Derby City Health and Social Care Making Space

Derby City Recovery Team Notts County Council

Derbyshire IAPT Nottingham Adult Mental Health

10

ANNEX A

Delegate Organisations

Notts CMHT Others

National Mind North Derbyshire Voluntary Action

Notts Carers’ Alliance Moss Valley medical Practice

Notts Occupational Therapy Service Substance Misuse Service

Nottingham Support Group Hardwick CCG

P3 Hartington Unit Acute Care Team

Positive Turnaround Rethink MASH

Peaks & Dales Advocacy Nottinghamshire NHS Foundation Trust

Rethink Steps Age UK Derbyshire

Rural Action Derbyshire Notts Carers’ Community of Interest

Salcare The Lodge, Walton Hospital

Service Receivers (various)

Shirebrook Business Centre

Self-funded Carer

SDCVS MH Advocate

South Derbyshire MH Association

Social Inclusion Team

Think Carer

Department of Works & Pensions

Tribunal and Benefits Advice

Trevayler

11

ANNEX B

Evaluation Statistics

66

2

Did the service receiver dvd set the theme of day effectively?

Yes

No

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

DWP Atos Capita PIP FeedbackSession

1

2

3

4

5

PIP Customer Journey

Scale 1=excellent,

5=poor

12

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

ESA Council Tax &Bedroom Tax

Local AssistanceScheme

1

2

3

4

5

65

1

Would you like a follow up event in future?

Yes

No

34

Would you like MHAG to continue providing a Benefits newsletter?

Yes

40

Would you like to see local workshops in your area?

Yes

Workshops

Scale

1 = excellent

5 = poor

13

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

Venue (single comments unless followed by a number).

Queue at toilets, but clean and adequate. 11

The venue was excellent and easy to get to.

Directions confusing if travelling from North West.

A long journey from High peak.

Main conference room too big and cold.

Room was too hot.

Sound system caused problems. 23

Need more than one microphone.

Car park was full.7

Rough ground in carpark with some broken glass.

Not enough disabled parking. 2

Food excellent – good variety 12

Food could have been labelled.

Lovely food and drink and very helpful people.

Some noise from adjoining workshop room.2

Very well organised – delegate packs very useful.

Staff were friendly and helpful

Space a bit tight especially at lunchtime.

Welcome packs and reception went smoothly.

Registration was a bit of a mess.

MC was good.

Good information stands.

14

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

DVD

It didn’t introduce the four claimants very well, and could have given their

background better. Sound quality on voice was poor.

Sound quality probably due to venue sound system.

How can we get the DVD?

Could have given more time for speakers on DVD, and opportunity to ask

questions.

A few more stories would be great – what you already have is though-

provoking but more would be helpful.

As a health and wellbeing facilitator, maybe consider how it is making them

feel emotionally and physically.

There are positive aspects to employment which should be given to give a bal-

ance to the topic.

The main room lights could have been switched off so we could see the

screen better.

Was very good from the service receiver point of view but it would be nice to

incorporate more of their experiences through the whole benefit process so

that staff can understand more. However, it was very good and the contribu-

tors were excellent. Not sure how it would help with my training unles there was

more detail.

Calm down the dramatic music….makes it rather clichéd.

PIP – DWP Fran Henderson

More information on decision-making would have been helpful.

Sound problems on Mic.

Would have been useful to have been shown the PIP Criteria.

Very clear presentation in the time allowed.

Too protective of their role!

Coped well despite sound problems.

Good overall – information could have done with being directed to the web

address.

Good presentation.

Informative.

Concise and clear. Emphasised it should be a fairer assessment.

Useful information.

15

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

PIP – Atos Healthcare Phil Seth

Good ideas for partnership working, but will they be able to implement any

contributions in practice?

Not very well spoken or presented, except for power-point/handout.

Very clear presentation.

Very different style and approach to Capita.

Should have kept questions/answers until after the coffee break.

Did a fair job – not easy to represent Atos at an event like this.

Found it difficult to follow at times – how are OTs and Physios involved? Theyw

ere mentioned but role not clear.

A bit wishy-washy.

Too vague and business-focused.

Hope they can deliver a better and more understanding service than the Work

Capability Assessment…..

Sceptical as bad experiences for many clients over the years.

Emphasised business approach but using a ULO as stakeholder and fits tender

requirement using “properly trained health professionals” and open to en-

gagement.

This speaker was very informative but their business model does not sound as

convincing as Capita.

Hope Atos is better at PIP than they are at ESA. (Especially training their asses-

sors in mental health issues.

I would like to have heard how Atos are going to address previous difficulties

and prevent the same happening with PIP as happened with ESA.

Flowchart very confusing.

I found this hurried and less informative though this may be due to my personal

preferences. Different approach quite a contrast.

Not impressed!

Too much on Atos instead of PIP.

No acknowledgment of the use of authority and power that have been

demonstrated in the past. Punitive methods and unfair treatment of vulnerable

people. Politician-like, not in reality, evasive answers.

16

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

PIP – Haqeeq Bostan Capita

Excellent understanding of client group, but in reality both Capita and Atos will

be bound by strict criteria – an inflexible fault.

Very confident public speaker for “new into this territory” organisation. Seemed

very informed.

Very clear handout.

Sounds very client centred. Great that there will be plenty of home visits.

Very clear presentation.

Excellent – comprehensive, informative, sound value-base and encouraging

inclusive approach.

Eloquent presentation and he knows his stuff. Not convinced the reality will fol-

low his rhetoric.

Very good and client-centred approach.

Clear and very focused on the claimant rather than the service.

Brilliant speech, more person-centred.

Excellent speaker, but felt a bit misled by disability focus in staffing.

Delivered a thoughtful talk about their model of PIP. Hope they mean what

they say and can carry it through.

Informative and person-centred way of working.

Emphasised “Person Centred” approach to policy as essential to proper and

good assessments.

Very fluent and confident in his delivery. Came across in a positive and under-

standing manner.

I appreciated this person’s warmth and understanding.

Positive person centred approach. Hope it continues.

Handout a bit difficult to follow – maybe a different layout next time.

Very confident speaker makes a real difference when a disabled person deliv-

ers. Demonstrated a person-centred approach.

I enjoyed this presentation due to the ethos of the delivery. It remains to be

seen which approach will be better managed.

Sounded good but will it happen in reality.

Good presentation, at least he’s got confidence in his firm. Haqeeq under-

stands what it’s like to work at ground level and understands the disabled.

Has the approach I would like but I am worried that they are not already up

and running. Capita have a more caring approach.

Too much on capita instead of PIP.

17

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

PIP Panel Q&A

Although MH issues highlighted, there seems to be more emphasis on physical

disability in PIP.

Became more of a complaint session about Government policies and previous

problems other than discussing the changes.

Slick – very well organised. Good questions and answers.

Really interesting – would have liked more time for this bit. Very good.

DWP speaker admitted to the scale of cut-backs, ie 500,000 people will lose

out due to the change.

Valid and useful. Open and honest.

Not enough time.

Guests seemed to answer attendees’ questions as best they could. At leats

they gave some sort of reply!

Interesting questions emphasised intention of Govt may not be “a given” if

people are supported and appeals take place. Flagged up importance of

companions.

Good and positive responses given by speakers.

What a minefield!

Poor MC was running up and down with the Mike. Would have been better if

people answering questions stood up so we could see them.

Excellent idea! Well managed.

Good feedback but it is Govt who need to listen. They have brought in welfare

reform too quickly. Local Assistance Scheme – Allan

A bit sketchy through no fault of the presenter.

Good summary of the new services.

Was good but would have made sense to have people speaking about both

City and County schemes.

Very confusing models but explained to the best of the presenter’s ability.

Not a great workshop but was timely.

Very interactive.

Very confusing as two schemes were trying to be explained at the same time.

Facilitator unsure of much of the information – may be due to newness of

scheme? Confused? – You will be!

Informative and helpful.

Why is it not the same in City and County? People will not bother.

18

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

ESA Workshop - Martin

This was more about the assessment process, not expressly relevant to me. Sad

that we could not cover Universal Credit on the day.

Good way of presenting, ie, obstacles and solutions. Could also do with

handout/visual.

Became a complaint session about Atos rather than training on ESA.

Excellent sharing of experiences and possible solutions.

Martin O’Kane was brilliant! More power to him.

Useful hints and tips on completion of form.

Too much to cover in one hour.

People were able to express their obstacles and solutions made to them, very

interesting but felt it went on a bit.

Not really relevant to my job but was interesting. Was looking forward to Univer-

sal Credit.

Didn’t see the point of this workshop. On the other hand, good interactivity.

A good Q&A session and subject was practical and made easier to under-

stand.

Found this very useful, as we are going through the process. Informative.

Useful to hear that people’s experience mirrored what we have found.

Martin does an excellent job and gave an easy to understand presentation.

The ESA workshop was presented from a negative perspective. I thought it

would be about the application process. Shame we didn’t cover Universal

Credit.

Really good!

Excellent. Martin clearly understood mental health problems.

Lively, engaging session with useful and relevant content.

More solutions provided.

It should have been made clearer what regarding ESA was going to be dis-

cussed.

19

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

Council Tax Support and Beds Tax – Johanna

Explained and discussed issues. A very valuable but depressing discussion.

Gave a good presentation but didn’t cover a few other local authorities in

Derbyshire.

Well presented with good information on a difficult topic.

Honest, useful information given.

Found out options of what is available.

Excellent – well worth attending.

Very informative. Made me aware of there being local schemes which no-

body seems to be aware of.

Brilliant. Lots of information and questions.

Very Informative.2

Well presented and informative.

This is such an unpopular subject.

Came across as rather depressing.

Excellent workshop.

Good portrayal of situation as known so far.

Lively, engaging session with useful and relevant content.

Facilitator very knowledgeable on subject matter.

Very good. Amazed that all the borough councils are allowed to set their own

rate.

Good to hear about local provision and its effects.

20

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

Overall Comments

As an income officer with social housing I found the day extremely beneficial.

It has clarified the process for PIP, but also demonstrated the potential short-

comings of a closed decision – making process. On the surface there appears

to be a lack of understanding of the severe effects of mental health issues.

Very well catered for and organised. Could provide info or invite to some other

nationally based organisations like DHA or Community Legal Advice.

Very good informative day!

The idea of the day was important and the information given by DWP/Atos/

Capita. Yet the majority of the day was complaints about these organisations

and not about the changes to benefits or the general info on welfare.

This was a really well organised event with a wide variety of workshops. I think a

follow-up is necessary to allow us to collectively kick-up a fuss about new ser-

vices and the impact they will have on people’s mental health.

Thanks very much. I am interested particularly in the impact of welfare reforms

on people generally and preventing suicide risk. Is this something that could be

addressed in future training?

Excellent and informative day.

Well turned-out conference – list of delegates would be useful.

I would have liked more information on the scoring process for PIP.

Very interesting and thought-provoking. I felt there were too many emails sent

out prior to the event. More needs to be put on networking and encouraging

people to go around the stalls.

An excellent event. Please keep me informed of further offerings.

Really enjoyed the day, it was a lot of information for people to take in. Hope

there are more days like these as they benefit so many people. It was difficult

in the workshops when people were talking about their problems – we could

not hear them.

Very good conference mix, great audience. Well done.

Really informative day. More local information regarding policy for changes in

welfare reform.

Look forward to any follow-up events.

Very informative day.

Extremely informative day – sessions have been valuable, and networking ex-

tremely useful.

Came across as quite unprofessional set-up.

Excellent venue, well run groups. Lunch first class. MC was brilliant.

21

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

Overall Comments

Very well organised and set at the right pace to keep people engaged.

Lots of important information was given out.

To meet again in 6 months would be useful. Please may copies of all workshops

be circulated.

Very useful and well planned. Thank you.

The conference was good with many speakers workshops but no time to at-

tend them all. It was all too rushed.

Helpful – just all shows what a shambles we can expect from these changes.

A Good conference. Enjoyed the information. I despair of things that are hap-

pening to the most vulnerable people in our society. It needs a complete

change in thinking.

Too long a day. Not enough break time as workshops overran.

Well organised, delicious food, comfortable building, but more pre-event info

please.

Very good conference at a good venue.

The PIP part of the conference was very informative and professionally present-

ed.

Really beneficial advice and good to hear others’ advice and support. Meet-

ing new services out there.

Many ways forward for people with mental health problems not covered.

Good workshop on ESA covered many problems.

Useful, informative, engaging and timely!

A well-organised informative day! Lots of different people to talk to and experi-

ences to listen to. Would have been nice if someone from the Atos ESA dept

had come along, but maybe next time.

Very informative conference. All speakers had vast knowledge around their

welfare area. DVD was a nice change to hear service users’ voices about the

changes to welfare benefits.

I found much of the conference very useful indeed. The Council tax/Bedrooms

Tax session was very thought-provoking and depressing.

I thought the day was well-planned but such a large topic needed more time.

More info about the specific assessment domains and how to put across infor-

mation would have been good.

Good venue. Slightly brief re subject matter, should have been given a subject

outline on what each workshop involved. More time should have been set

aside to look around stalls etc.

22

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

Overall Comments

Great day and lots squeezed in. Lots of topics and interesting discussions.

Good insight into the changes in benefits and potential impact.

Excellent conference. Useful information that can be put into practice when

working with vulnerable clients. Good chance for networking and useful info

stalls. Benefits Newsletter

Absolutely brilliant. Please try to get some partner organisations involved in it.

Yes, can you include benefits info?

Please continue the newsletter.23

Please sign me up for newsletter.

Yes. More time for Q&A and lots of thought-provoking questions and points

can be identified.

It would be great if we could continue the email distribution list.

Yes, advertise events in the East Midlands if possible. Opportunity to get in-

volved in MHAG.

Please add Age UK Derby and Derbyshire to your mailing list.

Please give attention to carers. We do need to be listened to.

More info for north of the County please.

I have been grateful for the work people in Derbyshire have done to put this

event on and provide the newsletter and would like information of similar ac-

tivities in Notts. MHAG could offer this kind of networking information.

Your communication prior to the conference was superb – thanks. Follow up Event ?

Yes.59

23

ANNEX B (Cont’d)

Evaluation Comments

What happens next?

Work time-constraints would prevent me from attending future events. Howev-

er, this session has been extremely useful.

This has been a valuable day at a calculated time.

Yes in South Derbsyhire/Swadlincote please. In Derby City too.

Something on Universal Credit.

Follow-up events.9

More on PIP and comparison of Atos and Capita when they have been as-

sessing for a while.

Would be useful to know what other conferences or workshops are available in

the midlands region.

Yes, can we cover dementia?

In Chesterfield please.4

More events as long as they are free.

It would be useful to have a session planned in the Derby City area to focus on

the local population. I would envisage these as being done locally.

Yes, just updates in the process of benefits implementations.

Please bring it to Nottingham.2

Universal Credit.6

Follow up in 6 months please.

This was very informative with little representation from the local authority, so I

would like to see more conferences so that we can all benefit. This wil assist us

when supporting people.

This was a fantastic conference, the workshops were excellent in facilitating

debate and bringing together many different service providers. I would defi-

nitely come again and will recommend to colleagues.

More coverage for Glossop and Buxton please.

Conference workshops on the outworking of changes to the NHS from this April

would be interesting, eg can service-receivers influence the process?

Yes please. I would like sessions on benefit changes and tips on filling-in forms

etc. More for service receivers.

This has been a very well attended event and it would be good to have a fol-

low-up.

Would like to see follow up on how the changes are impacting on people.

Please do another day to cover Universal Credit and update PIP.

This is the first one I have been to. I have found it very useful. Workers are not

always aware so it would be good to be informed of any future workshops.

24

ANNEX C

Conference Accounts

N

o

Title Provider Cost

1a Income County MH Commissioner £2,000

1b Income Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Fd Trust £1,250

2 Hire of Venue Post Mill Centre -£637.00

3 Tea/Coffee Post Mill Centre -£308.00

4 Buffet Lunch S.B. Catering -£980.00

5 Photocopying Derbyshire Mind -£40.36

6 Pens Poundstretcher -£4.90

7 Badges Poundland -£18.00

8 Post-it Notes Wilkinson’s -£6.95

9 Folders Viking -£46.76

10 Permanent Markers B&M -£3.56

11 Conference Banner Aidan Shingler -£110.00

12 Minibus Provision Falcon Cars and ST Travel -£180.00

13 Business Cards Vistaprint -£14.03

14 Travel Expenses Conference helpers -£18.45

15 Gifts for Speakers Co-op -£44.92

16 Photographic and

DVD services

Roy Brown-Lowe -£85.00

17 DHCFT pens DHCFT Free

18 Sashes for helpers DHCFT sewing room Free

19 Scrap paper MHAG resources Free

Total Income £3,250

Total Expenditure -£2497.93

Balance £752.07

25

ANNEX D

Thanks and Acknowledgements

We would like to give sincere thanks to the following people who came together

to make all this happen.

Derbyshire PCT/Mental Health Commissioning Board and the Derbyshire

Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for generously offering the funds needed to stage

this event. Without this money, we could not have reached so many people.

The Post Mill Centre who, despite the odd glitch (inevitable in such an event) pro-

vided everyone with a first-class day, good organisation, good facilities and a

great lunch! The DHCFT Sewing Room (Cath) for making the yellow sashes.

Roy, our MC for the day, who kept us all on track for time, made many decisions

on the hoof and whose technical expertise saved us from disaster more than

once. Roy and Tony also produced the excellent DVD which started the day.

Martin, Johanna, Allan and Gemma from the County and City Council Benefits Ad-

vice Service who managed the workshops on ESA, Council benefits and the Local

Assistance Scheme. Delegates found these sessions very valuable and informative.

Fran Henderson from the DWP, Phil Seth from Atos Healthcare, and Haqeeq Bostan

from Capita, who jointly presented the “Customer Journey” through PIP, and an-

swered some very tricky questions in the subsequent panel session. They all made

long journeys to be with us voluntarily.

Steve, Wendy, Tony, Chris, Steve, Neil, Niki and Phil who were our Conference

“Elves” and helped with reception, parking and other general duties, and who or-

ganised the whole event as part of our Benefits Working Group along with other

members. Tony was also our official photographer.

The Delegates who gave up a day from their busy schedules to come along and

participate. This was all for them and they responded magnificently.

26

Fran Henderson

DWP

Conference in

full swing

Haqeeq Bostan

Capita

Allan Reynolds

Derby City Council

The Conference Team L-R

Steve, Wendy, Neil, Roy,

Phil, Niki, Chris.

Photographs by Tony