MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND - Board Meeting Minutes - Tuesday 20 August 2024

Sep 22, 2026

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Board meeting minutes of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland held on Tuesday 20 August 2024 via Teams, recording attendance, declarations of interests, and key agenda discussions. The Chair delivers updates on ministerial correspondence, upcoming national event planning, governance hub training follow-up, and recruitment timelines for new Board members. The CEO reports on iMatter survey timing, proposed focus areas for improvement, and planned staff engagement regarding two newly added survey questions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Welcome and Apologies

Board Declarations and Register of Interests

Chair Update and Announcements

Chair Update on Minister and National Event

Governance Hub Training and Recruitment Updates

CEO Update

iMatter Survey Focus Areas

New iMatter Survey Questions

MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND MEETING OF THE BOARD HELD ON TUESDAY 20 August 2024 AT 11.00AM Via Teams Present: Sandy Riddell (Chair) Gordon Johnson Mary Twaddle Cindy Mackie Kathy Henwood Alison White David Hall Nichola Brown attended up to item 7.5 In attendance: Julie Paterson, Chief Executive Suzanne McGuinness, Executive Director (Social Work) Claire Lamza , Executive Director (Nursing) Julie O’Neill, Business Change and Improvement Manager Ashley Dee, Head of Culture and Corporate Services Arun Chopra, Executive Director (Medical) attended from item 7.6 Secretary: 1. Welcome and Apologies The Chair welcomed all to the meeting. It was noted that AC would join the Board meeting around 12.30. 2. Board Declarations and Register of Interests No declarations or register of interests were given. 3. Chair Update and Announcements The Chair firstly advised that he had received a letter from the Minister at the beginning of last month thanking us for having been given an advance copy of our Annual Report. The Minister stated that she welcomed the work of the Commission in protecting and promoting the rights of people living with mental ill health in Scotland and that working with the Commission and other partners continues to be of huge importance as we all work to achieve the changes we want to see. In relation to the Minister, the Chair noted that he was still hopeful that she will be able to attend our planned national event in November. He has discussed the event on a few occasions with JP and they will be meeting this coming Monday to firm up on the arrangements for the day. The programme is likely to consist of a few keynote presentations from the Commission, the Minister and the sponsor department, in addition to a world café type event involving focussed discussion and ending with a Q&A panel discussion. A ‘Hold The Date’ notice has been sent out. The Chair reminded the Board that it planned for Stephen Gallagher to attend next month’s Q&A for an informal, introductory meeting with the Board. Once Stephen has left the meeting, the Chair wants to provide an opportunity for some reflection on what was raised in the last Board selfassessment with a view to considering what still needed to be progressed. He asked that the selfassessment report that was presented to the Board at the beginning of the year be circulated in advance for information. The Chair reminded everyone that the October Board will be in-person only. It is hoped to have some development time organised for the day following the formal Board meeting and that colleagues should expect the meeting to end by 3.30 p. m. The Chair added that we have been advised that Diane Strachan who heads up the Mental Health Act Reform within our sponsor department is leaving at the end of this month. She has been excellent in this role, very supportive and helpful towards the Commission and will be missed. The Chair advised the Board that we have followed up with the Public Appointments Team on the need to recruit two new Board members. They have confirmed that they are aware, will be in touch shortly and envisage the process taking around 5-6 months. Finally, he explained that he and JP were advised last week by the sponsor department that there had been another commission issued on public bodies, this time by the Cabinet Office. Specifically, we were asked for information on two areas, namely 1) have the Board and Accountable Officer completed all relevant training on the Governance Hub and 2) to what extent is our body delivering on the First Minister’s 4 priorities (i.e. eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, invest in Net Zero and Public Services Reform) . This information was needed by yesterday. The Chair advised that he and JP had not previously been advised of the Governance Hub and have now set up accounts and have undertaken a number of the courses that appear relevant. There are perhaps only a small

FAQs

When and how was the board meeting held?

The meeting was held on Tuesday 20 August 2024 at 11.00AM via Teams.

Were there any board declarations or register of interests?

No declarations or register of interests were given.

What decisions were discussed regarding the iMatter survey and new questions?

The CEO reported that three improvement areas are likely after the next survey rather than five. For two newly added questions, the preferred approach is to engage staff through focus groups in January 2025 before adding them to the questionnaire in September 2025.

Sep 22, 2026

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