In my experience
Sarah Phillips talks about her experience as a non-executive director at North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
Sarah Phillips, who describes herself as a 61-year-old housewife from Essex with multiple sclerosis, is not a typical patient. Not only is she a non-executive director at North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust but also chairs the UK MS Society and the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation.
'The group set out to make sensible recommendations to encourage more people with disabilities to become, and remain, non-executive directors'
'I thought that if I could become a non-exec I would have a lot to bring to the trust from the voluntary sector but that would work in reverse too,' she said.
'The roles are really complementary and it doesn't matter that MS has nothing to do with mental health because the whole process of bringing users to the centre of the organisation, which I passionately support, is based on the same principles.'
Sarah is the non-exec with special responsibility for the trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service and local public/patient involvement work, and she is very proud of the structures that the trust has put in place to listen and respond to users.
'The MS Society is an absolute beacon of user involvement. We never have to ask if someone affected by MS is involved in a project or group - they just are now. User involvement is implicit in everything we do there and I feel sure that is what everyone is committed to for the trust as well.'
One of the tools she has brought across from the MS Society is a question she asks whenever the trust considers new ideas or proposes service redesign: 'How is this going to benefit our service users or their families and carers? If we can't see that benefit clearly then we should take a step back and re-think the issue. This might stop us from making an expensive mistake,' she said. 'But if you are constantly getting feedback from users you may have the answer to that question anyway!'
Her non-exec work has led her to play a role in, and now chair, the disability advisory group for the NHS Appointments Commission.
'This has been a really positive experience. The group set out to make sensible recommendations to the Appointments Commission so that reasonable adjustments could be made to encourage more people with disabilities to become, and remain, non-executive directors. The Appointments Commission has been really supportive and taken up our suggestions so we can now see positive outcomes.
'However, there is one issue where we have been unable to make an impact so far and that is the problem regarding benefits. If you are appointed as a non-executive director the remuneration you receive may affect your entitlement to income-related benefits such as incapacity benefit. However, fees for sitting on a disability tribunal or allowances paid to local authority councillors are not treated in the same way.
'This is a complete anomaly and a real barrier to many disabled service users who could bring a great deal of experience and insight to any NHS board. But, rest assured, we are not giving up on this!'
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