Annual Review 2008/09

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2008-2009 Annual Review

Supporting people living with HIV & Hepatitis C in Scotland


Contents Our Vision and Our Mission About Waverley Care Introduction Our Services Highlights/Key Achievements Our Work with African Communities Including Crusaid Hardship Fund in Scotland

3 3 4 5 6 7

and Spiritual and Pastoral Care

Our Work with Children and Young People Our Work with Gay Men

8 9

Including Health Promotion and Advocacy and Information

Our Work at Waverley Care Milestone Including Outreach and Support Our Work with Women Including Counselling Volunteering Fundraising and Communications Financial Summary Thank you Directors and Patrons

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10 11 12 13 14 15 16


Our Vision Waverley Care’s vision is that everyone affected by HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C in Scotland should receive the highest standards of care and support to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Our Mission Our mission is to make a significant and meaningful difference to the lives of people affected by HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C. We do this through the provision of high quality supportive services, and by campaigning for excellence in blood borne virus treatment and care, and for an end to the stigma and discrimination surrounding these conditions.

About Waverley Care Waverley Care is Scotland’s leading charity providing care and support to people living with HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C and to their families, carers and children. Established in 1989, the support offered by the charity has helped thousands of people cope with the practical and emotional challenges that an HIV or Hepatitis C diagnosis brings with it. Over the years our services have expanded to help people affected by Hepatitis C and have most recently focused on providing specialist support to groups already discriminated against by society such as Africans, gay men and drug users, individuals who, once diagnosed with HIV or Hepatitis C, face double discrimination. Positive Annual Interest Review 33


Leading on making a positive difference Introduction

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elcome to Waverley Care’s Annual Review for the financial year 2008-09. The year saw Waverley Care continuing to operate in a climate where the one constant factor in our history – change – has been to the fore. As HIV has changed, so our services have adapted to the changing needs of our service users and whilst change can be challenging we believe that we have risen to meet the challenges and continued to develop new and innovative services.

Amongst other things the year saw us close our public café in December 2008 and saw our Solas support centre, which housed the café, move to new premises at the end of March 2009. Under the new name “Waverley Care Community Support Services” a new and exciting era began at 3 Mansfield Place. Changes in personnel during the year included the retirement of Gill Stewart as Convener of the Board of Trustees after nearly six years in post. Gill’s wisdom and considered approach helped steer the charity through 6 years of major change. We also said goodbye to Graeme Thom who had been the charity’s Treasurer since its founding and who gave us many years of invaluable financial advice. We welcomed Shelley Chan of KPMG as our new Treasurer and Tom Wood as our new Convener. Tom is a former Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police and Chair of SAADAT (Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams) and brings valuable skills to the Board and to the challenges ahead. 2008-09 witnessed a number of achievements which are listed on page 6, and reflected in the every day work of our projects as described elsewhere in this review. We are, of course, delighted by our achievements but acknowledge the challenges of the current year with rising rates of HIV and Hepatitis C infection and an economic situation that is surely going to impact on all sectors for the next few years. The Scottish Government’s HIV Action Plan will, hopefully, give some impetus to the fight against rising infection rates and the discrimination, stigma and rejection that many people living with HIV face but it is likely that overall resources will shrink. Waverley Care will continue to do everything it can to help with the practical, physical and emotional consequences of a positive diagnosis. In doing that we are grateful for your support and the hard work of all of our staff, volunteers and supporters.

Tom Wood Convener

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David Johnson Director


Our Services

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averley Care provides care and support to people affected by HIV and Hepatitis C. Whether someone is living with HIV or Hepatitis C or is the partner or family member of someone affected by these conditions, we have services that can support them and provide up to date, accurate information and resources. Below is a summary of the services we offer.

Short-term Residential Intensive Support Support Services for all, including specialist services for: • Africans • Children & Young People • Gay Men • People affected by Drug Misuse • Women

Community Projects & Support Services including: • Advocacy and Information • Arts Project • Befriending/Buddying • Complementary Therapies • Counselling • Crusaid Hardship Fund Administration • Health Promotion • Outreach and Support

Our Partnerships

• Spiritual and Pastoral Care

Waverley Care offers its services in partnership with:

• Skills and Employment

Prevention & Awareness Raising

• The City of Edinburgh Council • The Councils of Mid, East and West Lothian • Crusaid • NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Lothian • The Scottish Government

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08-09 Highlights/Key Achievements Services • Developing our services supporting children and young people who themselves are HIV positive. • Initiating a joint project based in Malawi with Interact Worldwide to develop services in the country for hard to reach young people. • Launching African Support Services in Lanarkshire.

Volunteers • Providing over 8000 hours of voluntary support to our services and fundraising efforts (equivalent to 4.5 full time members of staff). • Celebrating the work of our volunteers at a reception with Sarah Boyack MSP.

Communication • Improving the way we communicate with our service users, supporters and the general public through rebranding our marketing material, developing new material, and launching a new website.

Awards • Winning the inaugural Gilead Sciences award for “Putting Patients First” for our work with Africans in Scotland.

Funding • Securing continued funding for all of our services from statutory funders (the NHS, local and national government). • Meeting our fundraising income target of £335,000 allowing us to continue offering those services not supported by statutory funders.

Reporting • Developing an organisational database to effectively report back on the difference we are making to people’s lives.

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Breaking down barriers

Our Work with African Communities

T

his year our support for African communities living in Scotland continued to grow alongside the rise in the number of Africans in Scotland diagnosed with HIV. In February we extended our services to Lanarkshire with the appointment of a new African Health Project Worker based there. This new post builds on the work taking place in Edinburgh and Glasgow to make it easier for Africans to access HIV testing and services and to help with issues such as immigration, employment and housing. As part of this work we trained healthcare providers to be aware of the different needs of African communities because of differing cultural backgrounds. Our main African social events took place in Edinburgh this year with a Festival event and an evening joining African food and Scottish music. Social events allow us to increase awareness of sexual health and HIV amongst Africans in Scotland, encourage HIV testing, and, for those already diagnosed, encourage them to seek emotional and practical support from Waverley Care.

‘increase awareness’

For a number of Africans living with HIV in Scotland, their first contact with Waverley Care this year has been through the Crusaid Hardship Fund in Scotland which is administered by Waverley Care. The fund has distributed hardship grants to a number of Africans who have found themselves in extreme poverty. The grants are used to purchase basic necessities such as food and bedding. With faith often being a major part of African culture, our Spiritual and Pastoral Care service has worked closely alongside the African Health Project. Service users have sought comfort in being able to be open about their status with a religious leader, seek spiritual support and ask questions about their HIV status and their faith. Our Spiritual and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator has also held work­shops to encourage HIV awareness amongst faith leaders and communities, and reduce stigma and discrimination.

Annual Review 7


Inspiring a Positive Future Our Work with Children and Young People

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or a child struggling to cope with growing up, discovering about the world and who they are, the impact of the stigma brought by HIV can be devastating. Devastating to their confidence, to their self-esteem and to their sense of self worth. Through individual support, and group work via playschemes and residentials, our Children and Families service has continued its work in developing relationships with children from families where a family member is HIV positive. Trust has been built up so children feel safe in sharing their worries and concerns. Support has been offered on issues such as bullying, isolation and social exclusion, whilst also helping some of the children through bereavement and dealing with loss.

‘inspiring confidence and self-esteem’

2008/9 saw day trips to the cinema, East Links Family Park and educational trips to places in Edinburgh such as the Royal Botanical Garden and Dynamic Earth. Residential trips went up to Fort William and Arran which for many of the children was their first experience of the countryside, having spent all of their young lives in the city.

‘encouraging a sense of worth’

This year was also the first full year of our new Poz Youth project for young people who are themselves HIV positive. For youngsters in Scotland living with HIV, Poz Youth has allowed them to come together in a safe environment where they have met, shared experiences and offered each other support. For some this has been the first time they have met another young person living with HIV. The youngsters have inspired each other by their successes and their confidence and self-esteem has been boosted by making new friends and knowing they are not alone in living with HIV.

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Encouraging Peer Support Our Work with Gay Men

O

ur support for gay men this year has been strong across most of our services. Levels of HIV amongst gay men are increasing and our dedicated gay men’s support service has seen a rise in referrals, with our peer support work being especially popular. Through providing social engagement, the service is effective in combating isolation and encouraging mutual support. A number of the gay men we work with have attended our Positive Self Management Programme (PSMP), part of our Health Promotion service. The course provides participants with the skills and techniques which allow them to improve their physical, mental and emotional health. Participants left the course more knowledgeable about healthy living and with a range of techniques to better manage their condition and lifestyle. Our Advocacy and Information service has also been a major source of support for gay men and, for many, was their first point of contact with Waverley Care services. Men who have had their HIV status unintentionally disclosed have sought assistance with housing issues after suffering severe harassment from neighbours. Our Advocacy and Information workers have managed to work with council housing officers to find suitable alternative

‘combating isolation’ housing. Others have sought out additional information on HIV treatments to better understand possible side effects. Empowering individuals with information is a great step forward in improving self-esteem and confidence.

Jake After being diagnosed with HIV I often felt isolated and alone, in the same way I did before coming out, and I was glad to discover the social group. I managed to chat to different people from various walks of life, all at various stages of living with this chronic condition, and who had contracted it in different ways too. Being able to talk about the experiences of disclosing to everyone from work colleagues to loved ones has helped incredibly. You can learn from each other and gain from the voice of experience. Any advice is good advice. I also got reassurance from the guys who had been living with HIV longer than me, that eventually you get to a stage where it fits into your life rather than overwhelms you. I got to ask questions in a safe environment without fear of embarrassment or risk of unnecessary disclosure. Having this group to support me has been invaluable in knowing that I’m not the only one going through this.

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Providing Breathing Space Our Work at Waverley Care Milestone

S

hort term residential intensive support is provided by Waverley Care Milestone. This year the unit has continued to offer a supportive atmosphere with practical help and advice from a team of specialist nurses and social care workers. Many of the Milestone service users continue to be those who have experienced addiction problems and find difficulties with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and mental wellbeing. Milestone has given them a break from the challenges of coping with life on their own and allowed them to access help from trained professionals and support from others in a similar situation. Milestone has also supported people through the difficult side effects experienced when changing HIV treatments - a period that can drain people both physically and mentally. A number of events took place at Milestone to bring people together and allow people to either take their minds off their condition within a safe space or to access peer support. Events that took place included Halloween and Christmas parties and a pamper day where service users received beauty and complementary therapies to encourage them to relax and to help them feel good about themselves. Service users are often unhappy with their physical image because of the effects of HIV and/or the side effects of the treatments.

‘I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Milestone’

Our Outreach and Support service, also based at Milestone, has continued to work closely with the residential unit staff. The service has supported people individually and also involved them in group activities. This work has meant that many service users have been able to live independently in the community and have had more engagement in that community as a direct result of the confidence generated through outreach and support involvement.

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Empowering Individuals Our Work with Women

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he women that have used Waverley Care’s services this year have come from many different backgrounds and come with many different experiences. Through our ISIS women’s group they have supported each other by sharing experiences and discussing topics such as disclosing their status and managing treatment side effects.

The arts have continued to be key to the work of the ISIS group this year with workshops in many different areas including sewing and jewellery making and group visits to galleries. The arts give the women a channel through which to explore their emotions and an activity to focus on whilst they share their thoughts and experiences. Improved self-esteem and confidence have led to tangible benefits for the women who are members of the group and have included • starting further education/training • healthier lifestyles • improved knowledge of HIV and its treatment and additional support services available to them • giving and receiving peer support (to other women living with HIV). The Counselling service is one of the other Waverley Care services regularly accessed by women this year. The issues brought to counselling include dealing with diagnosis, coping with stigma, relationship issues, loss of selfconfidence and concerns about future hopes and dreams. Service users have undertaken counselling on both a short term and long term basis and it has made a difference to people’s lives by helping construct coping strategies.

Beth I was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 17 when I fell pregnant. For 18 years I kept the secret of my diagnosis, feeling isolated and sometimes being physically sick with terror when thinking about people’s reactions were they to find out that I was HIV positive. Suddenly, after years of physically coping well with my condition, I was taken very ill and was admitted to hospital. It was during this hospital stay that I was referred to Waverley Care’s ISIS group by the hospital counsellor. When I finally summoned the courage to attend the group, I was transformed by the experience of meeting other women in the same situation. After years of having my head in the sand almost in denial about my condition, I began to share experiences and gain a wealth of information about HIV treatments, side effects and healthy living. I finally felt normal knowing that other women shared the same emotions and experiences that I did. As I’ve continued to attend the group my confidence has grown and this year I have been attending a counselling skills training course so that I can offer help to others.

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Being there for other people Volunteering

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he ability to offer our many services is partly due to the thousands of hours of voluntary support provided by volunteers – over 8000 this year which equates to 4.5 full time members of staff. Volunteers have carried out a huge variety of tasks including providing reception cover, gardening, painting, stuffing envelopes, shaking collection buckets, supporting service user groups and overseeing the running of the charity as trustees. Some of our services wouldn’t be possible at all without volunteers and one of these is our Buddying service. 28 service users received one-to-one support during the year from a volunteer buddy. Buddies support people to attend hospital appointments, on shopping trips and no doubt many gallons of tea and coffee were drunk during supportive chats.

‘it’s so valuable in my day to day life’

Our Complementary Therapies service also wouldn’t have been possible without volunteers. Therapies ranging from massage to Reiki were provided by volunteers to service users who reported benefits including restful sleep and relief from the side effects of HIV treatments. Finally, the café at our Solas support centre also relied on volunteers to function. The café operated for 9 months during the year and closed at Christmas after 18 years of support. The closure was a tough decision for Waverley Care staff and trustees but agreed as the right one as the needs of service users had changed and resources needed to be redistributed elsewhere. Many of the café volunteers served for over 10 years and have now moved onto other roles within Waverley Care. Thank you to all of our volunteers for devoting their spare time to help Waverley Care in its work to make a difference to the lives of those living with HIV.

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Funding a positive difference Fundraising and Communications

A

successful fundraising year at Waverley Care put us in a strong position to weather the early storms of recession.

There were many highlights of the year. We had a number of great events including two comedy benefit galas and four come and sing events which included our first venture into jazz with Bob Chilcott conducting his ‘Little Jazz Mass’. Charitable Trusts continued their generous support of our work this year and our Patron Shirley Manson, facilitated a donation by MAC AIDS Fund of £51, 000.

‘their support is invaluable’

Bucketshaking during the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh was very successful with £15,500 being collected at The Pleasance. We also enjoyed some marvellous support from individuals who raised a total of £12,000 through sponsored events as diverse as the Edinburgh Marathon, the Forth Rail Bridge Abseil and a cycle challenge across the Arctic. Finally an acknowledgement must be given to those regular donors who support us by giving every month. This regular support is invaluable in helping us with forward planning. In October we launched our new website, a new logo and a new look to our promotional literature. The launch has benefited us and our service users in many ways, including providing us with clearer communications and a more attractive and eye-catching brand. Feedback tells us that service users now have a clearer picture of what we do and supporters are better able to understand how money is used. Thank you to all who contribute to our fundraising for your ongoing support.

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Financial Summary Waverley Care (a company limited by guarantee) Summarised Consolidated Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2009 2009 £

2008 £

Income and Expenditure Account Income

1,791,581

1,638,213

(1,660,839)

(1,682,477)

130,742

(44,264)

Fixed Assets

525,976

626,730

Net Current Assets

583,095

492,679

Pension Liability

(26,000)

-

Expenditure Surplus on Activities for the year Balance Sheet

Total Assets Less Liabilities

1,083,071

1,119,409

- General

118,982

54,502

- Pension reserve

(26,000)

-

- Designated

429,555

429,399

97,474

97,893

Financed by Unrestricted Funds

Restricted Funds Capital Reserve

463,060

537,615

1,083,071

1,119,409

£ Voluntary Income Investment Income

344,676 37,014

Income from Charitable Activities

1,409,891

Total Income

1,791,581

£ Charitable Expenditure Costs of Generating Funds

1,613,217 102,649

Governance Costs

19,528

Total Expenditure

1,735,394

Accounts audited and approved by Chiene + Tait CA.

A copy of the full accounts is available from finance@waverleycare.org

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Thank you Our thanks go to everyone who has helped us during the past year: Abbott Laboratories Limited

Gay Kilts

New Town Bar

Apex Hotels

GHQ

NHS Lothian Health Promotion

The Appletree Trust

Gilead Sciences Limited

Nicolson Square Methodist Church

Balerno Community High School

James Gillespie’s High School

North British Hotel Trust

Eleanor Barton Trust

Glasgow and Galloway Diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church

North Edinburgh Drug Advice

BBC Children in Need Bearscots Boehringer Ingelheim Limited The Bohemians Lyric Opera Company Joseph Bonnar Jewellers Boroughmuir High School Broughton High School The Bruce Trust Cadenza Café Habana CC Blooms The Church of Scotland HIV/AIDS Project

GlaxoSmithKline UK Limited Greggs Foundation in Scotland Harvey Nichols Heart of Midlothian Swimming Club Hilton Caledonian Hotel Hilton in the Community Foundation The Hope Trust

Peebles High School PF Charitable Trust Pleasance Festival Theatre The Pleasance Trust Portobello High School

The Hospital Saturday Fund

Queens Hall

The Inchcape Foundation

The Robertson Trust

Jedburgh Grammar School

Rotary Club of Edinburgh Breakfast

Cornerstone Bookshop

Elton John AIDS Foundation

Craigmount High School

The JTH Charitable Trust

Cruden Foundation Limited

Kelly Family Charitable Trust

CWAC

Kelso High School

Deans Community High School

Leith Academy

Edinburgh Children’s Holiday Fund

Palmerston Place Church

Pfizer

Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor

Jenners

Drummond Community High School

Off The Kerb Productions Paths for All

HBOS Foundation

The Martin Connell Charitable Trust

The Dickon Trust

The Northmoor Trust

Church of the Sacred Heart S.M.Y.C.M.S. St Andrew’s & St George’s Church St Augustine’s High School St George’s School for Girls

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Loretto School

St James The Less Bishopbriggs St John The Evangelist St Margaret’s Episcopal Church

Lornshill Academy

St Peter’s Episcopal Church

Edinburgh Concert Band

Loud and Proud Choir

Edinburgh Diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church

The Luvvies MAC AIDS Fund

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Rae MacIntosh

The Street

The Edinburgh Playhouse

The Mainhouse Charitable Trust

Tartan Silk PR

Edinburgh Presbytery of the Church of Scotland

The Nancie Massey Charitable Trust

Taste Club Night

Mayfield Salisbury Church

Thunderdog Ceilidh Band

Edinburgh Royal Choral Union

John Menzies plc

Tynecastle High School

Ernst and Young

Metro Newspaper

VMH LLP

ESCA

The Sir James Miller Edinburgh Trust

Voluntary Action Fund

EU BLOGS

The Moffat Charitable Trust

George Watson’s College

Face & Body

The Monument Trust

James Weir Foundation

Filmhouse

Peter Moores Foundation

Whitburn Academy

Firrhill High School

Napier University Students Association

William Grant & Sons Limited

Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust

The Netherdale Trust

JK Young Endowment Fund

Standard Life Stevenson College

And a big thanks to our many individual donors!

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Directors and Patrons Directors

Patrons

Ms Shulah Allan

Anthony Alderson

Ms Karen Cairney

Christopher Bell

Ms Shelley Chan (appointed 26 June 2008)

Kate Copstick

Dr Karin Froebel

Sir Tom Farmer CBE KCSG

Mr Andrew Marshall-Roberts

Alexander McCall Smith

Ms Pauline Scott

Sheena McDonald

The Right Reverend Brian Smith

Shirley Manson

Ms Gillian Stewart CB (Convener) (retired 30 October 2008)

Christopher Richardson

Mr David Taylor MBE Mr Brian West Mr Tom Wood QPM (Convener) (appointed 28 August 2008) Dr Helen Zealley OBE

Waverley Care, 3 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6NB Telephone: 0131 556 9710 Email: fund@waverleycare.org Scottish Charity No. SC036500 Company Limited by Guarantee No. 253043

www.waverleycare.org


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