This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Appointments to Mental Welfare Commission
22/04/2004
Three appointments have been made to the Mental Welfare
Commission for Scotland.
They include Douglas White, the commission's first
part-time commissioner for people with learning
difficulties.
The post was created with the agreement of Ministers to
contribute to making the MWC more accessible to people with
learning disabilities. The holder is required to have
personal experience of, and a commitment to, supporting
learning disability issues and will undertake a broad range
of duties. This is in keeping with Millan committee
recommendations for enhanced service user and carer
involvement in the Commission's work.
MWC chairman Ian Miller said:
"The Commission is delighted with Douglas White's
appointment as a part-time commissioner. Last year, we held
a series of meetings around Scotland with users of mental
health services and their carers.
"One of the clear messages that came out of these
meetings was that we should consider appointing a
Part-Time Commissioner who had experience of using learning
disability services. Douglas White's appointment so soon
after these meetings will, I hope, be seen as evidence that
the Commission has listened to the views of service users
and their carers."
Health and Community Care Malcolm Chisholm said:
"I am pleased to announce this new post with the Mental
Welfare Commission for Scotland, which will contribute to
making the Commission more accessible to people with
learning disabilities. I believe that everyone has a right
to be as fully included as possible in society and that
this post will assist in safeguarding the rights and
improving the improving the quality of life of people with
learning disabilities.
"The new appointee brings valuable experience and
expertise to the Mental Welfare Commission, which I am sure
will assist it in its growing volume and diversity of work.
I would like to wish Mr White well in his new role."
The other part-time commissioners to be appointed are
Carol Dobson, with special interest in nursing, and Colin
Welsh, with special interest in social work.
Mr Chisholm also welcomed their appointments which have
been made by the Queen on the recommendation of First
Minister Jack McConnell.
The appointments started on April 1 and run for four
years. Part-time Commissioners are remunerated at £2,096
for an annual commitment of 15 days, plus a payment of £192
for each additional day devoted to Commission. They
currently give an average of 28 days commitment per
year.
Biographies
Douglas White, 46, has a wide of
experience of working for a variety of voluntary
organisations for persons with learning disabilities, both
as chair and as a member. He is currently a member of
ENABLE, is an integral member of their Consortium Area
Network, a member of their ACE group (the national
committee of people with learning disabilities) and their
Advisory Management Group. He undertakes work for the
Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities in an advisory
capacity and has joined the anti harassment campaign with
Edinburgh Development Group.
Carol Dobson BA MAEd, 49, is a senior
lecturer at Queen Margaret University College currently on
secondment to NHS Education for Scotland, developing
educational resources for NHS staff to support the
introduction of the new mental health Act. She began her
nursing career in 1976 as a nursing assistant in
Humberside, qualifying as a Registered Mental Nurse in
1980. She completed a BA in 1982 and became a registered
nurse teacher in 1988. Her further qualifications include
an MA in education management awarded in 1998.
Since 1994 she has worked as a senior lecturer and
discipline leader for community mental health and community
learning disability nursing. As an academic she has wide
experience, including serving as chairman of the editorial
board of the journal Mental Health Nursing from 1994-97 and
serving as an external examiner since 1994.
Colin Welsh, 47, will replace Mr Archie
Robb, who is due to step down in May 2004. Mr Welsh CQSW is
the Team Leader for the Community Outreach Team for Fife
Primary Care, offering intensive outreach services as well
as a case management approach to individuals in Fife with
serious and enduring mental ill health. Mr Welsh qualified
as a social worker in 1979 from Queen Margaret College,
Edinburgh and gained mental health officer accreditation in
1989.
The MWC protects mentally disordered people who are not
able to look after their own interests. It enquires into
cases of alleged ill treatment or deficiency of care or
treatment and visits patients in hospital or subject to
guardianship orders. The Commission has statutory duties
under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Adults
with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.
The appointments were made in accordance with the Code
of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner of
Public Appointments (OCPA). This confirms full compliance
with the OCPA Code of Practice at each stage of the
process.
All appointments are made on merit and political
activity plays no part in the selection process. However,
in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations,
there is a requirement for appointees' political activity
(if any declared) to be made public. Neither Mr White nor
Mrs Dobson has been involved in any political activity for
the last five years. Mr Welsh stood as an SNP candidate for
the Scottish Parliament for the North East Fife
constituency in 1999 and for the Kirkcaldy constituency in
2003.
None of the three appointees hold any other Ministerial
appointments.
The MWC is an independent statutory body, first
established under the provisions of the Mental Health
(Scotland) Act 1960. The current statutory provisions
conferring the MWC's constitution and membership are
contained in the 1984 Act. Members, including the Chairman,
are appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the
FM.
The MWC has 21 commissioners, 17 of whom are part-time.
Membership is currently drawn from the fields of
psychiatry, general practice, social work, nursing,
clinical psychology, law, voluntary sector, accountancy,
occupational therapy, minority ethnic interest, and service
user representation. It is also intended to shortly appoint
a commissioner service user for learning disability
services.