Board Meeting - 19th July 2023

The Healthy Minds Board of trustees met on Wednesday evening, 19th July 2023, with six trustees present, and Chief Officer, Operations Managers, Business Sustainability Manager, and Admin Support (notes), also in attendance. The board also welcomed the Chair, Vice-Chair and Chief Officer of North Halifax Partnership as observers to the board. The purpose of their attendance was for the mutual learning of larger charities in Calderdale. The Chair and Chief Officer of Healthy Minds will attend a future meeting of North Halifax Partnership’s Board. 
The board meeting began with extended consideration of the Staff Wellbeing Survey. The Survey was presented by the Business Sustainability Manager, standing in for the Projects Development Manager, who had led consultation on staff wellbeing experience, and who had prepared the report. The board welcomed the process, the range of information gathering and the quality of the report. The board thanks all staff for their engagement in describing their experience, and also the openness of the Chief Officer and senior team to the undertaking and implementation of the Survey. The board was keen to understand what would happen following the Survey. The board welcomed the intention for feedback through the sharing of the report in full, presentations in team meetings and through team briefings, and for an action plan to be developed over the next three months. The board notes that HM’s commitment and approach to staff wellbeing will be set out either in a standalone policy or as an addition to the staff handbook. The board proposed that the Survey be repeated once there had been time to implement the action plan, and for improvements to become embedded. 
The board discussed its approach to a pay award for 2024/25. The board asked the Finance Sub-Committee to develop some detailed principles, to include staff recruitment, retention and reward, affordability, pay comparators, for adoption over the medium term, rather than just for the current or next financial year. The board will consider the Finance Sub-Committee’s recommendations later in the year. 
The board received a report from the Membership and Engagement Coordinator, proposing an outline of a membership model, for refinement and consultation. The proposal reflected the discussion on options, discussed in May 2023. The board agreed the proposed direction of travel, and for further discussion, before considering a full proposal at the September 2023 board meeting. The intention is for a launch of an agreed proposal at this year’s AGM, and then consultation, including with staff, volunteers, forum members, service users and others with an interest in HM within Calderdale. 
The board also received and discussed the Chief Officer’s operational report, an update on employment and other policies, board Essential Trustee survey, Development and Finance Sub-Committee reports. 
There are continuing stresses in life, including anxiety over conflicts in Europe, climate change, pressure on health services, local authority budgets and, of course, cost of living increases. These affect the population we serve in Calderdale and, indeed, the staff and volunteers of HM. The board thanks its staff and volunteers for the committed and creative way in which they responds to these challenges, and to the staff’s engagement in helping create a positive wellbeing environment.   
Paul Hunt 
Chair of Trustees, 27th September 2023