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RETIRING CHAIR Q&A


publication of ‘Informed Choices – Testing Guidance for Products in Mental Health Facilities’ (2020). Agreement was reached with BRE to act as the single source of testing, to provide independent and certificated declaration of performance. The set-up of the testing was another casualty of COVID-19 and the ensuing ‘lockdowns’, but this work will hopefully commence in the very near future.


JB: What do you feel will be the biggest benefits to the sector in having this new DiMHN/ BRE testing guidance available, and what has been the reaction to the guidance from product suppliers, and the architectural community and/or mental health Trusts, to date?


JG: The document already published has had good reviews from manufacturers/ designers and Trusts. One important benefit is a change of language. We have always referred to things being ‘anti- ligature’, which has often given the wrong impression of an item's safety. ‘Informed Choices’ changes this to the more accurate ‘reduced ligature’. However, the most important benefit will be derived from the ability to have products independently tested and certified. This should make choice easier for those procuring products, and ensure that it is no longer necessary for every project to purchase a door or a window etc to test internally using non- standard testing methods, often using funds which could be better spent within the building.


JB: How much do you feel the environment and therapeutic character of mental healthcare facilities have improved in the past 5-10 years, and in what particular areas do you feel the greatest improvements have been?


JG: There have been many changes in the last 5-10 years in mental health facilities. The publication of Health Building Note (HBN) 03-01 – Adult Acute Mental Health Units, in 2013, emphasised several important factors, including, among other things: l The importance of outdoor space with easy access from day spaces, and the preference for single-storey buildings to allow for this (but if impossible to achieve, to look at outdoor space at first floor level).


l Facilities should include single en-suite bedrooms, something which we are still working towards in older buildings, with monies having been released last October by the Government to fund the removal of dormitories in mental health.


l Drinks available 24/7. l Manufacturers have worked hard to bring out innovative reduced ligature products which are aesthetically pleasing, enhance the environment, and help to normalise the spaces.


JB: Do you feel there has been enough of a Government shift to afford greater priority,


14


The DiMHN’s President, Joe Forster, here pictured during a site visit, was among the individuals that Jenny Gill particularly acknowledged and thanked for their help and support during her time as the organisation’s Chair.


especially in terms of increased funding, to mental health? Is mental healthcare still very much ‘the poor relation’ to acute health?


JG: Over the years, thanks to many, the stigma of mental health has reduced massively, the understanding of mental ill health by the public has increased, and the consequence of this, plus coronavirus, is that more people turn to services for help. In terms of funding, mental health is still a Cinderella service, but this is made even more apparent by the increase in demand. NHS funding is going to be critical to improve services and buildings looking ahead.


JB: What are your particular hopes for the DiMHN over the next 3-5 years? Do you think it should have more of a ‘lobbying’ role, or is that not really its remit?


JG: A difficult question to answer at this moment in time (we are just entering our second lockdown as I write this). I hope that the DiMHN will continue to flourish and grow over the coming years, moving into the international arena to enable us to share more fully innovations, challenges, and solutions globally, learning from a wide range of experience.


JB: I know that you will be stepping down as Chair of the Network at the end of this year (2020), but I believe you are likely to still play an active part in its in its activities going forward. Can you say what your aspirations are here?


JG: Because of the postponement of the conference to 2020, I have agreed to remain as chairman of the conference group until the 2021 conference takes place. At the 2020 AGM (see also page 8) I was very honoured to have the position of Chairman Emeritus conferred, and I look forward to a long association with the Network going forward.


JB: Are there any particular individuals or organisations you would particularly like to mention who have facilitated your job as Chair of the DiMHN?


JG: There have been too many individuals who have helped and supported me in my role, including the Network’s Boards, past and present, to single out any individual. However, there is one person I would like to thank – my long-suffering and ever-patient husband, Peter, who has put up with me being away for meetings, agonising over various things, and often being a veritable pain in the neck, particularly in the run-up to the annual conference.


JB: What will you most miss about being the DiMHN’s Chair, and why have you decided that the time is right to relinquish the role at this juncture? What do you think the biggest strengths and attributes of your successor in the role, Philip Ross, are?


JG: Working with an enthusiastic group of people all eager to improve the environment from which mental health services are delivered. Equally, I will miss the networking, meeting, and talking to members and exchanging ideas with everyone involved in mental health design and services. I have, for a few years, been semi-retired from the ‘day’ job, and have now taken the decision to retire completely. Peter has been retired for several years now, and, pandemic allowing, we want to be able to go out and about in the summer unencumbered by other responsibilities and workloads. I know that Philip will bring to the role of DiMHN Chair an excellent understanding of the mental health environment, new ideas, enthusiasm, and, as with all our Board members, an overwhelming passion for improving facilities and recovery outcomes.


n


The retiring DiMHN chair said she was ‘very honoured’ to be awarded the lifetime title of ‘Chair Emeritus’ of the Network in recognition of her contribution as she stepped down at the 2020 ‘virtual’ AGM.


JANUARY 2021 | THE NETWORK


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