Douglas Inchbold Is Keeping Count On MUN Election !

Manchester Users Network

carried out its annual elections, [Wednesday 28 TH November, 2012] it brought a change in the chair, Alan Hartman, instead of standing for chair, stood for the position of vice chair and was elected Vice chair.

Paul Reed stood for and was elected chair of Manchester Users Network. Prior agreement concerning sharing the experience of holding both offices was considered good practise and hopefully will encourage other services users to stand in future elections. The positions that are required to maintain the constituted positions of annually electing a Chair, vice chair, Treasurer, & Secretary of Manchester Users Network.

Being constituted and adhering to the strict process which allows for those who are elected by their fellow service users, to speak and act upon the behalf of those who annually are elected as representatives of the Manchester service user’s voice.

It saddens all concerned with fairness and the issues surrounding democracy, involved in the delivery of Manchester Mental Health Services, that those given power over people less fortunate and in many cases much older than themselves, who are being allowed to bully and victimise those who have clearly been given an elected mandate to represent annually the people who have clearly and fairly elected them to do so.

When it came to seeing that the elections were carried out with total fairness, service users, wanted one man for the job. Douglas Inchbold has been fighting to give service users a voice for over thirty years. In 1987 he and recently retired Neil Harris edited the ground-breaking publication of ‘ The Patients Case’ a publication available from (ISBN 0948260.2.03) Registered Charity No 271008, which published views from experience: Living Inside And Out Of Psychiatric Hospital and told the story of services users who had until that period in history had not been allowed a voice. A young Alan Hartman (MUN elected Chair) was a leading contributor.

Service users have great respect for people like Douglas, who over many years has gained the respect of patients who through their experience of him, have seen at every venture he has represented them with courtesy respect and honesty. Douglas Inchbold is a Public Health Development Manager at Manchester Healthcare and Social Care Trust he was invited to oversee the election count and gave the following account:-

The results for Manchester Users Network elections were independently counted and announced by Mr Douglas Inchbold Health Development Manager at Manchester Healthcare and Social Care Trust.

Wednesday 28 Th November, 2012

Chair elected Mr Paul Reed.........................................29 votes  
Vice chair Mr Alan Hartman........................................35 votes

Joint Secretary Mr Alan Valentine............................. .22 votes

Joint Secretary Mr James Atkinson.............................18 votes

Treasure Mr Paul Reed......................................... ... ..27 votes

Back Up Officers..................................................... ...46 votes

Total Votes Cast 186

I the undersigned Douglas Inchbold do hereby confirm that I independently counted the votes and agree with the total outcome.

Signed this day Wednesday 28th November 2012

Signed Douglas Inchbold’