Quality Assurance ‐ A Voluntary Group Perspective
| Published date | 01 September 1998 |
| Date | 01 September 1998 |
| Pages | 27-28 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13619322199700028 |
| Author | Cath Lindley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
The Mental Health Review 2:3 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) 1997 27
Cath Lindley, former Director
NEWPORT MIND
Newport Mind Association was founded
eighteen years ago and is a mental health
charity and company limited by guarantee.
With an annual income of £500,000, it employs 30
staff (half on a part-time basis) and provides a number
of community-based services which include:
●a drop-in
●a weekend drop-in
●a women’s drop-in
●four accommodation projects
●community support workers
●a welfare rights services, and
●a full programme of luncheon clubs and special
interest groups at the main centre in Newport.
Newport Mind is committed to quality assurance
and to regular reviews to ensure that services are
of high quality and responsive to service users’
preferences and needs. The following are examples
of how we attempt to put these values into practice.
Clear organisational objectives
and accountability
Half the organisation’s executive committee are
mental health services users. The executive is
responsible for monitoring the quality of the services
and agreeing clear strategic goals. Measurable team
and individual objectives are defined and an annual
business plan is produced. The organisation operates
within a national framework of good practice and
guidelines, some of which are required by national
Mind, others are as a result of good practice reviews
pursued locally.
Investment in staff
Well-trained staff are central to our success. As
a result, staff are paid a reasonable salary, have
good service conditions and are consulted with
and involved in the development of policy and
procedures. Supervision is offered to everyone and
regular review and peer support is available. Each
member of staff has annual objectives and receives
regular review and feedback. Most significantly,
supervision and staff management are provided to
enable staff to reflect on their work and learn and
develop their skills. The organisation seeks to create
an atmosphere where it is safe to talk about failures,
low performance and anxieties.
Quality assurance
We use a number of approaches, including user
feedback, views from referring agencies and internal
quality assurance mechanisms and initiatives.
User feedback
The opinions and feelings of users are gathered
through a number of channels and fed into the
annual business planning cycle. T
wo key methods
are:
●anonymous questionnaires: these are distrib-
uted every two years and ask a range of questions
about the services and the attitude and skills of
staff. Users are asked to suggest different ways
they would like services offered or for ideas on
new services.
Information is also generated to update the
profile of people using Newport Mind’s various
services. Information on diagnosis, gender, age
Quality Assurance –
A Voluntary Group Perspective
VOLUNTARY SECTOR PERSPECTIVE…
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