British Holistic Medical Association
BRITISH HOLISTIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Annual Report ending June 2011Annual General Meeting: 24 April 2010
Agenda Item 4
1Introduction
This report complements the Trustees’ report of the accounts from June 2010 –June 2011.
The association has come through a difficult financial time over the last year. We have been reliant on investment income over previous years with the expenditure exceeding income year on year. With no investment income, and the staff costs in the order of £35,000 the decision was taken in July 2010 to close the BHMA Somerset office and move the administration to the Chairman’s house.
The website that had been developed over the previous 18 months never fully met its original brief and there were problems with the management of the site. The decision was taken in February 2011 end the association with ‘Jack at half a second’ group was managing the BHMA website and database. A new website developer, Ian Hengis set up a new website and database and the project was completed in 2 months and has been running efficiently since April 2011.
Although the membership has dropped by 30% the association are now in a sustainable position. We can offer our members an active website and three issues of the journal annually.
The main challenge for the BHMA is to develop a strategy that enables the association to meet its charitable aims, which is to increase the membership and promote holism in healthcare.
The trustees need to consider a sustainable way to manage the charity and plan succession of the trustee group in order that the charity can continue to be viable.ANNUAL REPORT 2009
1Introduction
This report complements the Trustees’ report in the final accounts (see Agenda Item 3) and seeks to provide a fuller and more up to date account of the Association’s activity since the last AGM in February 2009.
The Trustees’ report in the final accounts (see Agenda Item 3) focuses on the Association’s achievements during the financial year ended 30 June 2008. Because AGMs have traditionally been held during the winter months, recent developments will not be included.
It is my intention, therefore, to present an annual report to the AGM that paints a more up-to-date picture of our achievements and ensures that significant developments and issues that may have taken place or emerged since the last AGM are reported to members.
The key strategic objectives of the BHMA remain:
to increase the membership
to increase income levels
to raise the profile of the Association.
This annual report outlines a range of activity designed to support the achievement of these objectives.
This activity has taken place against the backcloth of a difficult financial situation. Income from membership subscriptions is not sufficient to cover the costs of managing and administering the Association and we have been reliant upon donations, sponsorship and bequests to maintain the work of the charity.
The Association’s financial reserves have declined more sharply than anticipated as a result of a loss of value in the investment portfolio caused by difficulties in the financial markets. At the end of the reporting period reserves had fallen below the level considered to be sufficient to cover the annual shortfall between income and expenditure and all liabilities.
Trustees have consulted with the Charity Commission and have concluded that, so long as measures are taken to confine activity levels within estimated income levels and so long as there is rigorous scrutiny of income and expenditure, the Association should continue to seek to deliver its main charitable objectives. Trustees have taken measures to increase income and where possible to reduce expenditure.
Membership subscriptions increased from 1 April, from £35 to £48 for ordinary members. This is the first increase for over five years. In addition, nine funding bids to secure core funding have been submitted to funding organisations. To date four of these have been unsuccessful. Marketing and communications activity have been scaled down in order to reduce costs.
Following the closure of the charity, Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP), the BHMA has beenwas allocated £30,000 from its residual surplus funds. This funding willhas both contribute to the Association’s core costs and enabled the us BHMA to develop information materials that are consistent with what werethe DPP’s original objectives and provides us with some short term financial securityto continue to maintain itsour operation over the last year. In particular, it has enabled the development of a number of initiatives that are considered to be important for the long term future of the Association (see section 9 below).
The main challenge for the BHMA is to generate sufficient funding to remain in the business of representing the case for holism in healthcare and enabling people, whether practitioners or patients, to access resources on self-care and well-being.
2Membership
The membership according to the BHMA groupspaces database on the 1st June 2011 shows 346 full members and 68 online members. The total names listed on the data base shows 783; some are basic members and the remaining are non-renewed members. This shows a reduction of 30% from last year. There continues to be new members of 5-10 per month joining the BHMA. All our renewals of membership have been had an e-mail over the last 18 months since changing from ISOS website management group to ‘jack at half a second.’ The renewal system has been inconsistent and unsatisfactory. The rates of renewals were higher by post. The new database makes it easier to identify and follow up defaulters and targeting specific groups. Since April we have been sending reminders by e-mail then a second one a month later, followed by a final postal reminder. Members not on e-mail get a postal reminder. The database shows that 85 of our members do not have e-mail addresses.
Membership has remained relatively steady over the period since figures were last reported. Currently, the Association has 586 members. While we are attracting around fourteen new members each month, a similar number is either not renewing or cancelling membership. It has previously been observed that some new members may have expectations that membership will directly benefit their practice. Membership currently stands at 439 which represents a 17% decline over the past 12 months. This reduction may be explained in part by the lengthy period during which the website has not been fully functional. Financial constraints have also resulted in the Association cutting back on conferences and events and thereby limiting the ability to maintain a high profile.
3Events
It has been a tradition in the past for the association to hold an annual conference. The expense in organising, promoting and running a conference without external support is outside the Associations means at the present time. Although the Association decided not to hold a BHMA annual conference, it has collaborated both with the Foundation for Integrated Health and Confer in the staging of two major conferences. The Foundation’s conference, Putting People First, was held in June 2009. The conference theme was integration in health care. The Confer conference, Landscapes of the Mind, was held in September 2009 at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The conference brought together ecologists, eco-therapists, clinicians and teachers to explore how psychological health depends on the relationship with nature.The 2008 BHMA Silver Jubilee Conference, Medicine as if people matter: patients, practitioners and places, was held on 18 and 19 April 2008 at the University of Westminster. The conference was opened by Claire Rayner, President of the Patients Association. The conference’s themes included: sustainable healthcare; taking care of ourselves, our community, our world; participation and engagement; citizenship and the co-creation of health.
The first day of the conference focused on the surroundings in which we practise and how important they are for enabling person-centred healthcare. Keynote presentations were given by: Dr Sam Everington, Lord Darzi’s Advisor for Primary Care and a Council member of the British Medical Association and who is also a GP at Bromley by Bow, a community regeneration project; and Dr David Reilly, lead consultant physician at the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital’s highly regarded Integrated Care Unit.
A main feature of the first day was an exhibition of the shortlisted entries to the BHMA-Nutri Centre Good Practice Awards 2008 – Healing Spaces in Holistic Healthcare. These awards were open to organisations whose surroundings reflect how architecture, interior design, the use of sound, light, colour, or new ways of using healthcare space creatively can empower holistic healthcare and co-creation. The prize in the large projects category was awarded to the Breast Cancer Haven in Fulham, London; and the Kai Clinic based in Tufnell Park, London won the prize in the small projects category. The awards were presented at an evening reception by Sunand Prasad, President of RIBA.
The theme of the second day was patients and practitioners, and how to make people once again the healthcare system’s over-riding concern. Speakers included: Harry Cayton, Chief Executive of the Centre Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence; Jan Alcoe, a writer and trainer representing the patient’s perspective; Bob Sang, Professor of Patient and Public Involvement, London South Bank University; and Dr Chris Johns, Professor of Nursing, University of Bedfordshire.
This ambitious conference was highly successful in attracting sponsorship and exhibitors, and for raising BHMA’s profile. Around one hundred people attended the exhibition and the evening reception for the presentation of the Good Practice awards. However, paying delegate fees numbers for day two were disappointing and overall the event incurred a loss. Trustees have decided that in the current financial climate and in view of the high costs of venue hire and catering, the next annual conference will not be a low key event.
The BHMA once again facilitated the Heart of Wellness residential retreats led by Dr Harvey Zarren and Michal Curry, two healing practitioners from the USA, which took place in July 2008. These retreats included classes and exercises relating to physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellness in order to create a stronger mind–body connection.
4Newsletter
The newsletter continues to be produced and written by the chairman, Dr Craig Brown, on a monthly basis and sent by e-mail to all members (basic, full and on-line). It consists usually of five items with news of the BHMA, holistic events and summary of articles. Since the new website format, that was launched in April, The BHMA’s regular quarterly Newsletter for members is circulated to members with the Journal of Holistic Healthcare and is designed to keep members informed about the Association’s activities. It was not, however, possible to produce a Newsletter for the September 2008 issue. Members will have recently received the January 2009 Newsletter.During the last year a monthly newsletter has been emailed to members. While simply a collection of short items this approach is designed to provide up-to-date information and news. The newsletter is edited by Dr Craig Brown who would be pleased to receive items for inclusion from members.the news items are posted on the BHMA website as a blog, then at the end of each month sent as a newsletter to members. Any visitor to the website can view the blogs and an archive of past newsletters are accessible on file.
5Journal of Holistic Healthcare
Four Three issues of the Association’s journal were have been published insince the last AGM in April 2010. February 20082009:
- Issue 7.21SeptFebruary 2008May 201009: this issue’s theme was soft skills and considered the arguments for and against integration in health care and contained two papers on healing which were sponsored by the CHO.papers delivered at the Foundation for Integrated Health conference, Putting People First, held in association with the BHMAincluded articles on holism and climate change, integration, well-being and whole person care
- Issue 7.32May 2008ADecugust 201009: included papers from the Spring conference, Medicine as if people matter and a report on the Healing Spaces awardsthis issue had some key articles taking a philosophical view of medical care with some practical examples. focused
on self-care and included articles on long term conditions, helping patients to help themselves, self care for medical students, self care and interactive IT, and self regulation for the heart
- Issue 8.1 May 3 September November 20082009: 2010; this issue was about whole person care at the end of life with some forward thinking views from distinguished writers.
included articles on mainstream integration, education, addiction and the winning David Cobbold prize student essayon ecopsychology drawn from a successful conference held at the Eden Project and supported by the BHMA.
Issue 4 December 2008: included articles on homeopathy and coronary heart disease.
6Going for Gold campaign
The Going for Gold campaign was launched at the 2008 Spring Conference. Our intention was to work up detailed proposals for fund raising with a view to implementing this major development programme aimed at shaping a healthcare system in which people – both patients and practitioners – matter.
Our first tenative steps into this area have indicated just what a challenge this is likely to be. In order to attract long term funding it is necessary to invest significant resources in the short term. In our current financial situation we believe we do not have sufficient capacity to make sufficient progress in this area.
Trustees have, therefore, been considering other options that focus on ensuring that the BHMA continues to provide a voice for holism and that we remain relevant for the younger generation of holists whose 21st century view of the world needs to be taken into account in shaping the Association’s future (see Agenda Item 5).
7Local Groups
Local network groups in Brighton, the North West and the Bristol and Bath areas have continued to meet on a regular basis.
Three meetings have taken place in the Bristol and Bath area over the last twelve months. On average, meetings have been attended by seventeen people from a multi-disciplinary group including: osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, GPs and NHS commissioners. Topics covered included: Power and Vested Interests in the NHS, a discussion of the nature of vested interests, their effects and how to overcome them; Low Back Pain and the NICE guidelines: can the NHS deliver?; Quantum mechanics meets Carl Jung, a lecture followed by a discussion including an invited Jungian analyst.
The BHMA Brighton local group has 30 people on its e-mail list and will generally get 6-16 attending each meeting. WeIt meets in the Charter Medical Centre in Hove on a Wednesday evening usually every 6-8 weeks. We had Sseven meetings overwere held April 2009 to April 2010. The subjects titles of the meetings were: Spiritual care, Funeral celebrations, Summer Holidays and haiku, Creating togetherness, Tai Chi, How well are you? Telling your story. The meetings take s the form of a facilitated workshop with plenty of sharing, discussion and fun. It is a group of friend’s where visitors are welcome.
The North West region group meets at the Christie Hospital Rehab Unit, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX. 6pm for 6.30pm. At the last meeting on 10 March 2020 the topic was 'Acupuncture services and evaluation in a cancer care setting'.
This Bristo and Bath group was formed late in 2007 and has grown in strength. There have been three sorts of activity involving BHMA members: evening group meetings in central Bristol – five of these with subjects ranging from what to do with our awful English food culture, to mindfulness meditation and poetry in GP consultations. In another we invited an actress to role play difficult patients! The second sort of activity has been two daytime study half-days for local GPs held in Bath in May and November on ‘coping with uncertainty and risk – a burden to carry’, and ‘caring for yourself – avoiding burnout’. Both sessions were set up and led by BHMA trustees and very well supported. The third sort of activity has involved Bristol University medical students: a study day on the contribution of the new sciences in understanding CAM therapies, tutorials on holistic medicine, and the inaugural meeting of a new ‘Holistic Medical Society’ started and run by medical students and affiliated to the BHMA. The first meeting was on acupuncture, and a further meeting on homoeopathy is planned for the New Year. The West Country holistic contingent is looking forward to another event packed year in 2009.
8The student essay David Cobbold Essay Prize
The fourth second third annual BHMA David Cobbold student essay competition attracted eight twenty entries. This year’s theme was Medicine as if people matter – patients, practitioners and communities and the prize of £250 was awarded to Amy Bright, a third year medical student from Brighton and Sussex Medical School. The 2009 competition invites invited undergraduate healthcare students to submit a 1,500 word essay on the theme Students’ Health Matters. The first prize of £250 was awarded to Krishna Sreedhar, a third year medical student from Imperial College, London. The winning entry was published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Holistic Healthcare.