AGM attendees hear of ‘evolutionary journey’

A well-attended online Design in Mental Health Network 2023 AGM on 16 November saw the Network’s Workstreams report on a busy year during which the charity took on its first full-time CEO, saw manufacturers begin testing products under the jointly developed Informed Choices scheme, staged another successful annual conference and exhibition, and initiated an independent review of its governance and policies. The Network’s editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

The ‘online’ 2023 DiMHN AGM began with a welcome from Chair, Philip Ross. After apologies for absence, and confirmation that the Minutes of the 2022 AGM were a true record, he explained that the reports from the various Workstreams had already been circulated to Board members, and asked each to introduce themselves. While at previous DiMHN AGMs, the authors of each report have read them out in full, Phil Ross said that this year – for brevity – only the highlights would be discussed. To give readers of The Network a fuller picture of each Workstream’s activities during 2023, however, here we will include relevant detail from each.

Introducing his Chair’s report, Philip Ross said that with a step-up of activity and significant change, both at the Design in Mental Health Network and in mental healthcare generally – and with new innovations ‘continuing to challenge long-standing ideas of what mental health environments should look like’, the phrase ‘the days are long, the years are short’ had never felt so true. He said one of the main drivers was that ‘more technology is being used than ever before’.