Anne Beales has over 18 years experience working directly with those who access mental health services. She describes ‘working in partnership to bring about positive change’ as the best summary of her working philosophy and uses her own experiences of accessing mental health services in this work.
In 2004 Anne was appointed by Together in a new directorship role in order to set up, develop, and lead the new Service User Involvement Directorate (SUID). The SUID, which is now in its 11th year, has a two-fold remit. It develops involvement, leadership, self management and peer support within Together and it also supports service user leadership outside of the organisation.
Anne was a founding member and continues to be a supporter of the National Survivor User Network (NSUN), which brings together service user run groups to support each other.
In 2008 until 2014, Anne was appointed as one of just two service user consultants to the NHS Confederation Mental Health Network (MHN), the network which provides a distinct voice for mental health providers.
Anne served as part of the government Social Work Task Force, set up to examine the quality, recruitment and retention of the profession and reported in the Autumn of 2009.
In addition to these roles she also sits on the Equalities Ministerial Advisory Group for Mental Health, has been appointed as a Trustee for Disability Rights UK and is also the current Deputy Chair, and was recently appointed to sit on the advisory board for Healthwatch England’s public enquiry into unsafe discharge.
Prior to joining Together Anne spent six years setting up and co-ordinating the work of the Capital Project Trust, a service user led group in West Sussex, which offers training and support in order that people with ‘lived experience’ can have their say and positively influence developments locally. She received an MBE for services to healthcare for her role at Capital in 2007.
