11 Mars Create Tender
28 January 2010
Mr John McMurray
Acting Director Operations
Northern Sydney Central Coast Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol
Dear Mr McMurray,
Re:Call for Expressions of Interest from Non Government Organisations (NGO) Grant Funding for North Shore Ryde & Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Mental Health Srevice
The above is a invitation to tender for the funding of the Health Service’s Create Team (Community Recreation—Education Access—Training & Employment) which runs the award winning Mars Inc (previously Macquarie Area Rehabilitation Services).
The Create team reports to the Heath Service and has a close working with the independent board of Mars which includes community representatives as well as the Health Service. I am also a member of the Mars board.
I am setting out some detail and history in this communication as this letter will be copied to a number of Health Service personnel as well as a wide range of our political representatives, both NSW and Federal. We are calling for a bipartisan approach to this very urgent and serious matter.
Mars was formed in 1988 in order to create a legal employer for consumers of the local mental health services. Mars started operating the Cornucopia Cafe and Horticulture & Nursery business on the closed Gladesville hospital site in 1996. Mars employs over 50 consumers who have mental health issues. They run the cafe and horticulture/nursery business in Gladesville and more recently the horticulture business based in Wahroonga (Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Mental Health Service). These employees are managed and trained by the Create team which is part of the Health Service.
For reasons set out in Annexure A the Health Service has decided to tender out the “Create/Mars” to an NGO.
However the tender issued has some very basic flaws, namely:
- There has been no proper consultation with consumers (employees), carers, Create staff or the Mars board as required in terms of the National Standards for Mental Health Services (the Standards”) as well as NSW Health Policy and Guidelines.
- The tender stipulates that the new business will only offer employment on a transitional basis up to a maximum of 12 months. This differs from the present model which has a combination of “semi-permanent” (for those unable to gain employment outside Mars) but contribute to the viability of the business with efficiency and sufficient reliability, and others who are transitionary. To be a viable business there must be a blend of both. I have been approached by consumers and carers in tears saying “what will we do when my son loses his job?” There is understandably a lot of anger in the community. (see Annexure A)
- The amount of funding offered is too low namely $310,000, whereas we have estimated the funding at present is approximately $500,000 (excluding the social-recreation/education/general training programs that only last week have now got some separate funding via 2 new positions –see Annexure A). To be effective and viable the business, Mars, requires sufficient trainers and facilitators.
We therefore request, as a matter of urgency, that the tender be immediately withdrawn to allow proper consultation to take place and the tender then reissued.
In principle we are not against an NGO getting involved but the present process and setting up is seriously flawed for the reasons set out herein.
The Action Foundation for Mental Health Inc. (the Foundation”) runs psycho-social programs such as art, music, outings etc for consumers on the Lower North Shore (‘LNS”) as well as advocating on behalf of consumers and carers. We work with the Create “social-recreation/education/general training” team---see annexure A (separate from the Create –Mars staff).
As already stated I am also on the board of Mars. I have advised the board that I will be writing this letter but have not given them the details as yet. At this stage the letter is therefore from the Foundation on behalf of consumers and carers. Obviously as I am on the Mars board I am personally aware of a number of issues included herein.
Its Time--- for true consultation as required by the Standards
Unfortunately for reasons that have long escaped carers, consumers and the Foundation, in our view this Health Service has a long list of examples of a lack of true consultation as required by the Standards.
While we have some understand of your reasoning for decisions relating to “Mars/Create” you are missing some very important aspects of the present model which would have surfaced if proper consultation had been held.
As an overall point of principal we are also calling on our political representatives and the Health Service to urgently develop a review system relating to consultation, so that there is timely, true and proper consultation as required by the Standards.
As set out above we therefore request the tender be withdrawn and proper consultation take place before it is reissued. All parties wish to work with you to develop a best practice model flowing from this award winning business, Mars Inc.
Yours sincerely,
Patrick Webb
President
Annexure A
- Mars Inc & Create team
Mars was originally set up in 1988 by members of Ryde Community Health to provide a business structure for them to legally employ mental health consumers, initially in cleaning and gardening. The business activities were supervised by people employed by Ryde Community Health. The partnership gained impetus with the closing of Gladesville Hospital and the opening in 1996 0f Cornucopia Cafe and nursery on the Old Gladesville Hospital Site.
The CREATE Team with the help of the MARS board have taken MARS to the position of having a turnover of $520,000 pa and employing over 50 people part time in the cafe, nursery and garden maintenance businesses. The business structure has also been used to give legality to work crews operating in Chatswood and Hornsby. Total Create staff running Mars at present at Gladesville—4.6 and 1.6 in Wahroonga giving a total of 6.2 FTE.(Full Time Equivalent staff). This is spread as follows-- 1 for cafe, 3.6 in horticulture/nursery, 1 team leader/business manager and 0.6 admin and bookkeeper. We have estimated with the new lower funding in terms of the existing tender about 3.5 staff could be employed.
A separate part of the Create team has been responsible for providing social-recreational/education and general training opportunities for consumers in the Ryde/North Shore area (in the order of over 150 participants). At present there are 3 FTE employed by Health for these programs. These were to be totally scrapped but only late last week because of an outcry from stakeholders the Health Service advised that 2 new positions would be created for these programs 1 in Gladesville and 1 in the LNS—named “Community Integration Co-ordinators”.
- So the present structure is:-
MARS Inc------employs over 50 consumers
CREATE Health Service team facilitates and trains Mars employees. Works closely with Mars board via team leader/business manager to ensure Mars viability (responsibility of Mars board).
CREATE Health Services social-recreational/education/general training team runs appropriate programs mainly in Gladesville/Ryde such as art, music, computer training, healthy lifestyle etc for over 100 consumers.
ACTION FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH INC runs psycho-social programs such as music, art, computers, outings etc on LNS and liaises with appropriate Create staff based in LNS. The Foundation is a registered charity and is funded independently.
- Governance issues.
Over the years there have been numerous attempts by the independent board of Mars to better define the relationship with the Health Service through the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”). There has always been community, carer and health representation on the board.
There has been concern from the Area Health Service over the governance issues because of the lack of any finalised documented agreement (which the Mars board wanted—documentation available.)
In September 2008 consultants Walter Turnbull were employed by Area Health Service to undertake a review of the business structure. Unfortunately, again because of a lack of proper consultation, the report seriously misunderstood the structure, governance and other important aspects of Mars and Create. The report was not discussed with the Board.
The result of the main recommendations was either to tender out “Create/Mars” to an NGO or formalise the existing relationship. The tender option has been chosen by the Health Service. Details of the tender were not discussed in any detail with the Mars Board. The Health Service specifically requested that the option of the tender not be discussed with consumers or staff and be kept confidential.
As stated in the letter above we are not opposed in principal to a tender for a NGO to take over the Create/Mars operation. However the tender is flawed and it requires consultation to rectify it.
- Consumers meeting last week and carers contacting the Foundation
A meeting for consumers was held last week attended by 50 angry and articulate consumers—one of the benefits of the Mars program and the Health Service.
Consumers and carers are all against the model set out in the tender.
There are number of issues in the tender not dealt with in this document that also need clarification and discussion.
Out of interest on a radio interview with ABC radio 702 on Wednesday 27 January after Deborah Cameron interviewed the mother of a Mars employee she questioned, on air, Ms Andrea Taylor, acting Director, Mental Health of the Area Health, who stated that no employee would lose their jobs. In terms of clause 4.3.3 of the tender documents employment opportunities would be provided “not exceeding 12 months”
- Best Practice
There is a high level of evidence for work rehabilitation programs which result in real work for real pay in improving outcomes with severe and persistent mental illness.
There is widespread acknowledgement that there is a need for a range of different work programs for different needs and to provide for individual choices. There is no one size fits all.
Both public and NGO services need a recovery approach and related psycho-social programs to support and motivate people in work programs.
It is wide and common knowledge that transitional short term work placements will not have sustained good outcomes if they have to transfer to open jobs when at the best of times this is difficult but especially at times of high unemployment.
Patrick Webb
Action Foundation for Mental Health Inc
|
