Blackthorn Trust

Last updated

Blackthorn Trust
Formation1986
Legal statusCharity
PurposeRehabilitation through work and community
Headquarters Maidstone
Location
  • St Andrew's Road
Coordinates 51°16′08″N0°29′14″E / 51.2688°N 0.4873°E / 51.2688; 0.4873
Region served
Kent
LeaderEmma Halpin – CEO
Budget
£84,000 (1994) [1]
Website Blackthorn Trust
RemarksCompany Limited by Guarantee No. 05964574, Charity No. 1117979

Blackthorn Trust is a UK charity in Maidstone, Kent which offers specialist therapies and rehabilitation through work placements in the Blackthorn Garden. They offer help to people with mental health difficulties, chronic pain and type 2 diabetes. The charity's work is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner (an Austrian philosopher, social reformer), and the charity aims to assist individuals to progress towards their full potential.

Contents

History

In 1983, Dr David McGavin was in general practice in Maidstone. Through his work in the local community, he found out that conventional medicine was not able to help patients with chronic illness and were becoming increasingly passive and inactive, which was not helpful for their illness. He then met Hazel Adams (an art therapist) working on anthroposophical principles of Rudolf Steiner. As they worked on few of the Dr McGavin's most severe patients, several noted improvements were made. More therapists were brought into the small practise but this became impractical. So he decided to set up a new trust and a new medical centre. [2]

Blackthorn Medical Centre

This is owned by the Blackthorn Trust and part of it rented to the Practice. It was built in 1991, designed by Camphill Architects (from the Camphill Movement) and opened in December. [2] As a result of the fundraising and hard work of patients, their families and friends, local and national industry, grant making trusts and the National Health Service. They may be prescribed anthroposophic medication and one of a number of anthroposophic therapies which are available on a one-to-one or group basis. [3] These include biographical counselling, eurythmy therapy, rhythmical massage (developed by Ita Wegman) or art therapy. Therapies are offered at the discretion of the doctor.

It provides the usual family doctor services for around 7,200 people and is a GP training practice. [2] Blackthorn Trust rents its premises via the NHS to the primary care team and the complementary practitioners.

The centre and trust is partially funded by the NHS, but needs to raise an additional £100,000 per year to cover its running costs. This is achieved by grants, donations, bequests and fund raising activities (including selling produce from the garden).

Blackthorn Garden

On the site of the grounds of the former psychiatric hospital of Oakwood Hospital, it occupies 22 acres and is under the direction of the Trust Management Team. Founded in 1991 and funded by the Trust. It has a flower garden, greenhouse and lath house (a framework of treated lumber covered with plastic netting, giving shade and protection for young plants). The lath house is a relic from the mental asylum. There is also a very large vegetable garden, a craft room for art therapy, a Cafe and kitchen serving organic lunches. [2]

The garden has up to 60 people working in the garden per week.

In 1995, the garden and its therapies were evaluated by the Centre for Mental Health. [1]

The aims of the garden: [1]

The garden is opened, Monday to Saturday – 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. On Saturdays, workshops are open to the general public.

The garden also has a shop (run by volunteers) selling second-hand clothes and other used items.

The trust has various events during the year including Spring Fair, Summer Fair, Christmas Fairs. Selling local handmade crafts and specialist food stalls as well as the traditional stalls. [4]

Funders

The local community and the people of Kent, Abbey National Trust, Alchemy Trust, Aylesford Samaritan Benevolent Fund, Big Lottery Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, European Social Fund, The Hambland Foundation, Hayward Foundation, Interreg IIIa, Smith's Charity, Invicta Community Care NHS Trust, Kent Social Services, Kimberly Clark PLC, Lankelly Chase, Lloyds TSB PLC, Mental Health Foundation, The Percy Bilton Charity, The Pilgrim Trust, Rochester Bridge Trust, Smith Kline Beecham PLC, South East Regional Health Authority, Tudor Trust, West Kent Health Authority and Wimpy PLC.

Awards

Visits

Related Research Articles

A foundation trust is a semi-autonomous organisational unit within the National Health Service in England. They have a degree of independence from the Department of Health and Social Care. As of March 2019 there were 151 foundation trusts.

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, formerly called St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, is based in Tooting in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and serves a population of 1.3 million across southwest London. A large number of services, such as cardiothoracic medicine and surgery, neurosciences and renal transplantation, also cover significant populations from Surrey and Sussex, totalling about 3.5 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mental health trust</span> Social care services for people with mental health disorders in England

A mental health trust provides health and social care services for people with mental health disorders in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust</span> NHS foundation trust based in London, England

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, also known as SLaM, is an NHS foundation trust based in London, England, which specialises in mental health. It comprises four psychiatric hospitals, the Ladywell Unit based at University Hospital Lewisham, and over 100 community sites and 300 clinical teams. SLaM forms part of the institutions that make up King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre for Mental Health</span>

The Centre for Mental Health is an independent UK mental health charity. It aims to inspire hope, opportunity and a fair chance in life for people of all ages with or at risk of mental ill health. The Centre acts as a bridge between the worlds of research, policy and service provision and believes strongly in the importance of high-quality evidence and analysis. It encourages innovation and advocates for change in policy and practice through focused research, development and training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maidstone Hospital</span> Hospital in England

Maidstone Hospital is a hospital in Barming, Maidstone, England. It is managed by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

Fenwick2 Health and Wellbeing Centre is a community health and well-being centre at Pike's Hill, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England. Fenwick2 was formerly known as the Fenwick Cottage Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare Gerada</span> London based general practitioner

Dame Clare Mary Louise Francis Gerada, Lady Wessely, is a London-based general practitioner who is President of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and a former chairperson of the RCGP Council (2010–2013). She has professional interests in mental health and substance misuse.

Healthcare in the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area is largely provided by the National Health Service (NHS). Until July 2022, this was provided through the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group. Facilities include a large teaching hospital – Bristol Royal Infirmary – which offers nationally commissioned specialist cardiac, cancer and children's services from its city-centre campus to patients in the southwest of England and beyond.

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust provides community and mental health services across Dorset. It serves a population of almost 700,000 people, employing around 5,000 staff. The Trust's income is approximately £242.5 million.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust was a mental health trust in Manchester, England, between 2002 and 2016.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) is an NHS foundation trust which provides mental and community health services. It runs Foxglove Ward, Goodmayes Hospital and Sunflowers Court in Ilford, Phoenix House in Basildon, Heronwood & Galleon Inpatient Facility in Wanstead, Grays Court Community Hospital in Dagenham, and Hawkwell Court in Chingford. Altogether it operates from more than 150 sites.

As part of the English NHS programme of separating the provision of services from commissioning known as Transforming Community Services a number of community health trusts were established when these services were separated from primary care trusts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Kent</span>

Healthcare in Kent has, from 1 July 2022, been mainly the responsibility of the Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board. Certain specialised services are directly commissioned by NHS England, coordinated through the South East integrated regional team. Some NHS England structures are aligned on a Kent and Medway basis, others on a South East basis and there is liaison with London to provide many tertiary healthcare services.

Healthcare in Somerset, England was the responsibility of three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) until July 2022. These covered the ceremonial county of Somerset, which comprises the areas governed by the three unitary authorities of Somerset, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.

Callington Road Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Bristol, England. Opened in 2006, it primarily replaced Barrow Hospital, providing psychiatric inpatient and community services for Bristol and the surrounding region. It is run by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Whately</span> British politician (born 1976)

Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Harding</span> British general practitioner

Professor Nick Harding OBE BSc FRCGP FRCP HonMFPH DRCOG DOccMed PGDIP (Cardiology) SFFLM, born 21 December 1969, is a British general practitioner and Chief Medical Officer at Operose Health.

The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations at the start of January and those for 2021 were announced on 30 December 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nehring, Julia; Gareth Hill, Robert (1995), The Blackthorn Garden Project, Community Care in the context of Primary Care (PDF), Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2013, retrieved 13 December 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cooper Marcus, Clare; Barnes, Marni (7 July 1999). Healing Gardens: therapeutic benefits and design recommendations. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 288–293. ISBN   978-0471192039.
  3. ↑ "SERIOUS CLOWNING – Interview with Dr David McGavin", nosetonose.info, Autumn 2004, retrieved 13 December 2013
  4. ↑ Hurley, Gilly (24 November 2012). "Blackthorn Trust's Fair". kentonline.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Track Record of Blackthorn Medical Centre & Trust, docstoc.com, 2009, retrieved 13 December 2013
  6. ↑ NHS Beacon Award Winners Announced, gov-news.org, 26 May 1999, archived from the original on 23 February 2014, retrieved 13 December 2013
  7. ↑ HRH visits the Blackthorn Medical Centre and the Grange in Kent, Government of the United Kingdom, 10 November 2004, retrieved 13 December 2013
  8. ↑ HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE AWARDS 2003 FINALISTS IN DHSC's, Government of the United Kingdom, 2003, archived from the original on 23 August 2004, retrieved 13 December 2013
  9. ↑ durham, neil (4 June 2009), Practice offering sheltered working wins award, gponline.com, retrieved 13 December 2013
  10. ↑ Autumn/Winter 2012 Newsletter (PDF), blackthorn.org.uk, 2012, archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2013, retrieved 13 December 2013
  11. ↑ Prince Charles' tour of Kent, kentonline.co.uk, 10 November 2004, retrieved 13 December 2013
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.