Board Meeting - 23rd July 2024

The Healthy Minds Board of trustees met on Tuesday morning, 23rd July 2024, with seven trustees present, and Chief Officer, one Operations Manager and Business Sustainability Manager and Finance Assistant (notes), also in attendance. We were delighted to welcome Agnieszka Stobart, and Healthy Minds volunteer, Claire Gibson, who have both just been appointed as new trustees. This brings our board up to ten trustees. 
The board received the Chief Officer’s report, including a detailed update on each service. The board approved the proposed redundancy process for the Community Health and Wellbeing project and pilot. The board did so with a heavy heart since, in its lengthy pilot phase, this project has clearly come to contribute much to Calderdale, with recognition across Calderdale and beyond. The board would have much preferred the service to be established as a long-term project but understands that all has been done in order to make this possible. We are very sorry to see the service come to an end, and are proud of what has been achieved, individually, by the team and by Healthy Minds. We wish all staff involved well for the future, whether in new roles within Healthy Minds or elsewhere. 
The board received an update on the 2024-25 business plan. The business plan is a key document for us as an organisation, in translating our longer term strategy into priorities for this year. The business plan links then through to service operational plans. The board is assured that there will be a repeat of last year’s successful communication of plans through staff briefings later in the summer. It is important that not only does our business plan (and operational plans) deliver our strategy in terms of what we want to do, but also that it addresses the significant risks that we currently face. The board, through its Development Subcommittee, and in discussion with the Chief Officer and other staff, has asked that we review our risks in order to reconfirm the most significant risks, or identify any new or changed risks. The board held a wider discussion about how we identify, understand, describe and respond to our risks, so that there are meaningful links between the environment in which we operate, our strategy, our business and operational plans. We will hold a workshop on this, and consider further at a later board meeting. 
The board received an update on the development of our membership plans. We hope that our proposed membership model can be launched at our AGM, towards the end of 2024. The board also reconfirmed Jen Fagan as board safeguarding lead, received an update on policies, and received reports on work undertaken by recent Finance (service funding, latest accounts) and Development Subcommittees (business plan, risk).  
The board very much appreciates the wide-ranging and effective services delivered by staff and volunteers across Healthy Minds, in keeping with our values and commitment to co-production.  
Paul Hunt 
Chair of Trustees, 25th September 2024