WELCOME LETTER

From Maggie Wilson, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Kenneth Simpson, Chief Executive.

The year 2020 / 2021 has been dominated by the Coronavirus pandemic. However, in VSA there have been many exciting projects and developments. The expansion of our care at home service and the development of carers respite has meant we can reach even more people with vital services.

The completion of our much-needed Mountbatten House mental wellbeing facility – offering residential and outreach support – will also extend our help to so many in our community who are struggling with the impact of addiction and other mental health issues.

VSA has, throughout its history, been innovative and forward-thinking in its service provision and never more so than now there is a need to adapt and change to society’s needs as demand increases and financial pressures bite following the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have been here to serve the most vulnerable people of Aberdeen and the surrounding area for 150 years – and we will continue to support and assist those most in need for decades to come.

Coronavirus

As we ventured into 2020, the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic presented us with one of the most significant challenges we have faced in our 150-year history.

Fortunately, in January 2020, our leadership team had identified Coronavirus as a potential risk to the vulnerable people we care for. As a result, we responded early to the potential threat, invested in PPE and initiated our emergency response procedures. We established the Pandemic & Business Continuity Group, consisting of key personnel from across our organisation. We were proactive in monitoring media reports from around the globe, reviewing guidance from the World Health Organisation, and liaising with local and national government to understand the spread of the virus and the impact on VSA and our services.

We made a conscious decision to take pre-emptive action weeks ahead of official government advice. This action undoubtedly protected the lives of our service users, staff, and volunteers. It enabled us to continue delivering the best of care to the vulnerable people we care for.

Every member of the VSA family played their part – from our incredible and selfless frontline colleagues through to our amazing volunteers. Our IT department, communications team, marketing, fundraising, administration, and finance teams found new and innovative ways to provide support. Some people adjusted to the challenge of working in isolation at home, while others faced risks to travel to work and offer essential care. Our recruitment team ensured that we had stability in staffing and could minimise any cross-contamination between different units and settings. Everyone did an exceptional job in the face of unrelenting pressures.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to take a moment to reflect on all the challenges we have faced as individuals and as teams, and to express our sincerest gratitude. In particular our frontline colleagues who made personal sacrifices and faced unknown risk to respond to the challenge that Coronavirus presented. I feel humbled that they did so without question, to ensure every vulnerable child and adult in our care continued to receive the service and support they needed.

We must also acknowledge the role played by the people we care for and their loved ones. As a result of government restrictions to care settings, families were unable to see each other in person for many months. VSA invested in virtual technologies to facilitate contact between residents and their families, and we are grateful for the way in which people engaged with these to maintain relationships and provide essential social interaction.

Throughout 2020, care homes were a particular focus of heightened political and media attention. At the start of the pandemic, we made conscious, and sometimes difficult, decisions which protected our residential settings and minimised the risk of a Covid-19 outbreak. As a result, we can confirm that none of our care home settings had an outbreak, and there were no deaths due to Coronavirus infection.

Across our wider organisation, as a result of the Delta variant, we did experience a small number of positive cases linked to community transition. This affected 2 young people and some tenants living in their sheltered homes. In each situation the infection was controlled and contained.

Fortunately, a vaccination programme was implemented. We have been active in making this available to those we care for, and our staff and volunteers, as soon as possible. There has been maximum take-up and we are currently encouraging everyone to take the ‘booster’.

Projects and Developments

Despite the challenges in relation to the pandemic, we are proud of the continued impact we have in changing and shaping the futures of vulnerable children and adults living in Aberdeen and beyond.

I’d like to highlight three areas:

- School based counsellors - Mental health and wellbeing - Public support and generosity

School Based Counsellors

A key highlight during 2020/2021 was our school based counsellors. There has been an increased demand for this service as young people struggled with the impact the virus and associated restrictions were having on their mental wellbeing. The team expanded the service over the school summer break to deliver more sessions ensuring vital mental wellbeing help and support was available to those who urgently needed it.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Our brand new state-of-the-art mental wellbeing facility – which we have proudly named Mountbatten House, in honour of the late Duke of Edinburgh – is now open and offering huge support to those seeking to recover from addiction and other mental health challenges that can affect any one of us.

The city centre unit will be able to house 20 residents with their own en-suite bedroom, each with a kitchenette and lounge, as well as a host of communal facilities. The building will also be home to our at home service to provide critical care and support for people living with a mental health issue at home.

Community involvement and generosity

It was disappointing that 2020, which was VSA’s 150th anniversary, was so compromised by the Covid-19 restrictions. We had plans for great community involvement to share our stories and history and to let people know about the life-changing services we offer to people in the North-East.

However, we were also touched by the public’s generous response to our Covid-19 appeals. Every year we are grateful for the way in which individuals, organisations and communities engage with our programmes for volunteering and fundraising. In the face of a challenging year, our amazing supporters have been loyal and generous. So, whether you volunteered, donated, or provided a gift in kind, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without your support we simply could not change the lives that we do.

Conclusion

The journey ahead holds many significant challenges. The digital revolution will bring opportunities and will also require new ways of thinking and working. The aftermath of Brexit brings recruitment shortages across social care. New models of social care funding will change the political and funding landscape. The lasting impact of Coronavirus will be felt for years to come.

In VSA, we are confident that, with over 150 years’ experience and our team of industry experts, we have the commitment and drive to rise to each of these challenges.

Maggie Wilson

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Kenneth Simpson

Chief Executive