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Duchy Health Charity reflects on contribution to local health projects at AGM.

Details of the Duchy Health Charity’s work to support a broad range of health related projects in Cornwall in the past year were reported at the charity’s AGM at the Knowledge Spa in Truro on Monday evening (24th November).

Addressing trustees and guests at the AGM, Michael Galsworthy, Chairman of the Duchy Health Charity outlined how the number and quality of applications received ensured that the charity utilised nearly the whole of their investment income in 2007/08, by providing a total of £234,000 of grants to eleven separate projects in the county.

Now in it sixteenth year, the work of the charity to support local health project stretches beyond their grant making capacity, which now exceeds £6.5 million, as the charity has also provided a vital interest-free loan to help the Merlin Project to lever in additional grants to complete the first phase of their project.
Over the past year the Duchy Health Charity has been a catalyst for an exciting new initiative to improve health care for the younger generation in the county. Mr Galsworthy explained that the charity’s 2006 seminar on healthcare provision for young people in Cornwall revealed that there was widely expressed anxiety about the adequacy, effectiveness and fragmented nature of the provision of health care as well as the level of behavioural guidance available to young people. Since the seminar the charity has focused its attention on the issues raised and as a result an innovative pilot project has been developed. The Integrated Health Centres project will be officially launched in the New Year and will receive funding from the Duchy Health Charity towards the creation of three centres which will deliver healthcare support and guidance in secondary schools.

At the AGM Mr Galsworthy also spoke of the success of the first president’s lecture last October by cardiothoracic surgeon Mr Francis Wells entitled ‘Leonard’s Heart’ which drew upon the continuing relevance to modern day heart surgery of Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical research and drawings and more recently the lecture presented by Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, which provided thought provoking insights into the issues and concerns for young people today.

Three projects which have benefited from the charity’s largest grants in the past year attended the AGM to speak to members about their work and how the support from the Duchy Health Charity is being spent.
Amongst the projects presented at the AGM was the Rural Community Link Project which has received £90,000 over the next three years for a new project to provide counselling to people with mental health issues in Restormel and the surrounding area. The Duchy Health Charity’s funding has enabled the appointment of four professional therapists and two student counsellors to deliver one-to-one sessions for individuals seeking support on a broad range of personal problems including such conditions as post traumatic stress disorder, childhood abuse and post-natal depression.

The Counselling project launched at the start of April this year and has already seen high demand for its services as Glynis Meloy, Project manager, explained: "The type of service that we offer is unique to Restormel and without the help of the Duchy Health Charity simply wouldn’t have been possible. We offer a fresh approach to counselling and the majority of our clients self-refer and have come directly to us because their issues need more long term, in depth counselling than what is on offer through their GP or they do not meet the criteria to access a service via the local mental health team.

"In our first six months we have provided services to 36 individuals to work through issues and find the strength to lead independent and fulfilling lives and the continual demand for our services means that we have many more on our waiting list. As our first group of clients work towards the end of their one to one therapy, the flexibility within the programme to match the service to client needs means that we are currently planning a pilot ‘counselling group’ to provide a transitional service for those who feel this would be a useful tool."

Cornwall Brook, the free and confidential sexual advice service for young people under 25 has received £27,300 from the Duchy Health Charity with joint funding from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust to enable the charity to appoint a dedicated business development manager at the end of August.

Brook Cornwall’s Director Meg Pengelly said: ìBrook is already well established and respected by young people in Cornwall but we recognise that there are many ways that we can improve the services that we offer. The support from the Duchy Health Charity is giving us the opportunity to make our services even more accessible and suited to local need.

ìAlthough our business development manager has been in post for a relatively short time we have already made good progress towards a sexual health needs assessment to support the implementation of Cornwall’s new sexual health strategy. We are currently developing a service users group and are creating innovative ways to target vulnerable and hard to reach young people so that within the next six months we can start to deliver new services.î

Cornwall Macmillan has received £41,000 to support the provision of complementary therapies to cancer patients over the next five years. Massage, aromatherapy and reflexology will be provided by professional therapists alongside other services at fortnightly clinics at community hospitals in Falmouth, Helston, Liskeard and Stratton. The charity first started offering complementary therapies three years ago using volunteer therapists and a small grant which has now been exhausted. Macmillan patients and their carers will be able to enjoy courses of six treatments thanks to the funding from the Duchy Health Charity.

Angela Carey, team leader for the Community Macmillan Team in West Cornwall said: "I’m so excited about the funding we have received from the Duchy Health Charity. It’s what people with cancer and their carers are always asking for and sessions are always fully booked because there is such a great demand. It can help with emotional as well as physical wellbeing and provides the space to relax and be heard by someone at a difficult time."

Grants have also been made in the past year to Cornwall Blind Association (£10,000), Cytology Research (£5,500), Fleet (£9,900) The Cornwall Mobility Centre (£10,000), Relate (£9,750), Cornwall Care (£10,000), Sound Waves (£10,000) and Disability Cornwall (£10,000).

Sally Jane Coode was introduced at the AGM as the charity’s new chairman of the Grants Committee following the retirement of Dr John Hyslop, who was thanked for the wise leadership he has brought to the role for so many years. Vice Chairman David Harris has also retired from the charity and will be taking on the important role next year as the national chairman of the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. The role of Vice Chairman will now be held by Michael Maberly.

New additions to the board of trustees were also announced with Tim Guy, Dominic Byrne, John Barnes and Mary Vyvyan becoming trustees following the retirement of longstanding trustees Ken Hocking and Jim Beaching and also the resignation from the board by Dr Keith Round.

To conclude the AGM, Kate Mitchell from the national charity Connect, which supports people with the communication disability aphasia, gave a presentation about how the funding received from the Duchy Health Charity for the past three years is helping to provide a brighter future for people living with communication difficulties in Cornwall. Charity members and guests heard how the partnership project between the Primary Care Trust, Adult Social Care, Stroke Association and Connect has piloted innovative new peer-led services to empower people living in Cornwall with the condition to help others living with aphasia to live fulfilling lives.

For further information about the work of the Duchy Health Charity, or to apply for funding for a project that will have a direct impact on the health of people in Cornwall visit: www.duchyhealthcharity.org or call 01872 276116.

For further media information contact:
Laura Tregonning (PR on behalf of the Duchy Health Charity)01208 77900 laura.tregonning@dca-pr.co.uk

Richard Robinson
Honorary Secretary
01872 276116