20
November, 2000
Ladies
and Gentlemen
It
is my pleasure to present to you the annual report of the Medical Benevolent
Association of NSW for the year ending 30 June 2000.
The
Medical Benevolent Association of NSW exists to alleviate suffering in doctors
and their families. The Association is the same age as the modern Olympic Games.
Like the Sydney Olympics, our Association has just had its best year ever.
Unfortunately, in our case, “best” implies that distressed doctors and their
families are presenting in ever growing numbers and with increasing needs.
Fortunately, continuing support from generous individuals and organisations
allows us to meet these needs. This report sets out the nature and dimensions of
the Association's work. It is also an opportunity for me to offer personal
thanks to the many people and organisations who, by way of donations of money,
time, facilities and moral support, make this great work possible. The help thus
given provides assistance to colleagues and their families by way of financial
support, social work counselling and preventative education.
FINANCIAL
SUPPORT
At
the end of last calendar year, 262 individuals were receiving assistance from
the Medical Benevolent Association. Seventy-one of these were doctors. One
hundred and fifty-nine beneficiaries were adults, eighty-five were student
dependents of doctors and eighteen were pre-schoolers.
In
the decade 1990-1999 we received a total of 459 new persons by way of referral
i.e. approximately 46 new beneficiaries per year were added to our existing
list.
SOCIAL
WORK COUNSELLING
Not
all of the people who have need of our services require financial assistance.
Many need help from a professional who is familiar with the culture and
environment of medical practice and who is bound by a code of ethics similar to
that observed by the medical profession. However, many doctors are unwilling to
seek help from members of their own profession. Social workers have been trained
to fill this specialised role. This association has great experience in tactful,
confidential counselling of distressed doctors. In the past financial year, our
full-time social worker, Mrs Mary Doughty AM,
provided 1,138 hours of social work support. She spends much of her own time in
attending conferences that are relevant to her profession and the Association’s
work.
PREVENTION
The
Medical Benevolent Association sees itself as having a role that not only
provides relief after the misfortune has occurred but also attempts to prevent,
or a least mitigate, the circumstances that give rise to distress in doctors and
their families. Accordingly, Mrs Doughty seeks invitations to speak to doctors,
their spouses and medical organisations about the pressures of modern practice
and how to cope with them.
The
Medical Benevolent Association of NSW is recognised as the foremost provider of
charitable services to Australian doctors. We work on behalf of the doctors of
New South Wales and the ACT but our wealth of experience is freely offered to
the medical benevolent associations in other states. In November last year the
Queensland Branch of the AMA hosted a very successful national Doctors'
Health Conference. Mrs Doughty and I attended and provided much-appreciated
stimulus to the workshops. The conference was very interested to learn how we go
about solving the problems common to all medical benevolent associations. I was
invited to give an address on “What Works and Why”. You will not be
surprised to hear that my advice to our sister organisations was that our
services can only be provided effectively by a trained social worker dealing
directly with the beneficiaries in a totally confidential manner. We speak
regularly with the Victorian and South Australian associations about our modus
operandi.
Mrs
Doughty has been a member of the Doctor's Mental Health Implementation Committee
and its Working Party since its inception.
The
Medical Benevolent Association's educating and preventing role is also being
conducted via our website. This informative and attractive site was set up and
is being maintained for a fraction of the cost of commercially provided
facilities, thanks to the skill and energy of one of our directors, Dr Gary
Galambos. We continue to distribute our brochure, 'Take
Care', which assists doctors in preparing their personal, professional and
financial affairs in such a way that distress to them, their dependents and
their patients is minimised if ill health or unexpected death occurs.
In
recent times it has also come to our notice that there is a great need for
skilled social work assistance for medical students. We realise that students
usually have a reluctance to expose their personal problems to counsellors on
campus, due to embarrassment and fear of an adverse effect on their careers. The
Medical Benevolent Association Council is presently discussing with senior
psychiatric colleagues, who have special interest in this growing problem, what
non-threatening, confidential assistance could be given to students. We have no
ambition to duplicate existing counselling services but psychiatrists working in
the field are certain that the students' needs are not presently being met. The
Association has ample experience to confirm that, if the students' problems are
not resolved at that stage, there is a considerable chance that they and their
families will be seeking our help for more intractable problems after they
graduate. We feel that assisting in early intervention, by providing social work
support rather than financial help, is a necessary and proper role for this
organisation.
RECOGNITION
OF CONTRIBUTIONS
The
Medical Benevolent Association thought of downsizing management decades before
the big end of town. Our first paid employee commenced in 1943 and we still
employ just one person, apart from a few hours of clerical assistance per month
during busier times. This is in spite of beneficiary numbers almost doubling
between 1986 and the present. We do not claim to be management magicians. Our
partners in this work are many. This great productivity is funded by generous
donations from individual donors and organisations. The NSW Branch of the AMA
provides a meeting room and office facilities. Our accountants and auditor, to
be mentioned by name in the Treasurer's report, surely donate at least part of
their services. The worry of investing the funds entrusted to our care is
relieved by the never-failing professionalism of Westpac Investment Management.
Our
first full-time employee was, and is, Mary Doughty. The success of this
organisation is due greatly to her energy and dedication. As well as being our
social worker, Mrs Doughty is the Association's executive secretary. Her
contribution is too well known to require my description but I take this
opportunity to thank her on behalf of our profession for her efforts for doctors
and their families.
Many
thanks also go to the Association's Executive and Council. This is my
opportunity to recognise your willing sacrifice of family and professional time.
You carry great responsibility, not only for stewardship of funds given by
generations of donors, but also correct corporate governance of an institution
that must conform to rigorously applied legislation. It has always been a
pleasure for me to serve our profession in some small way through membership of
the Medical Benevolent Association. Sharing the burdens of office with you has
been ample reward.
Richard
Herlihy
President
20
November, 2000
Mr
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure
in presenting the audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30th
June, 2000.
We
completed the year with a $38,024 excess of income over expenditure, having
provided $247,973 in supporting our beneficiaries. Our total income of $415,954
was slightly less than last year. $212,676 was raised by appeals from the
profession and $203,278 from sound management of our investments.
As
well as the support of our beneficiaries, expenses included the Social Worker's
salary and expenses of $59,720, appeal expenses of $25,883 for two appeals and
the financial expenses of Portfolio Management fee of $18,427, accountancy fee
of $4851, auditor's fee of $2000 and bank charges of $2091.
The
Council continues its rigorous appraisal of payments to beneficiaries, while
ensuring that all needy cases are treated with compassion and receive adequate
financial support. Overall, the Medical Benevolent Association has had another
successful year -- providing help to those we support, while overseeing the
finances of the Association with the future in mind.
On
the website are details of methods of making donations
to the Association, including the addition of a codicil
to a will (bequest) in favour of the Medical Benevolent Association.
We
owe a debt of thanks to Gary Scarr of Westpac Investment Management for his wise
management of our portfolio in a difficult economic climate; to Dennis Mattiske
of HLB Mann Judd, our accountants, for their professional help during the year;
and to Mark Kelly of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, our auditors, special thanks for
his constant availability to myself and to Mary Doughty in dealing with the
ever-changing legislation, GST requirements and the like.
Mary
Doughty continues to serve the Profession and Association with great skill,
dedication and compassion.
Mr
President, I put this report to you and move that it be adopted.
Robert
D Wines
Honorary Treasurer
20
November, 2000
It
has been a busy year, with many new referrals and several re-referrals from
previous years. Once the confidential counselling relationship has been
established, the beneficiaries do not hesitate to contact the Medical Benevolent
Association again if the need arises.
I
have just completed the Annual Review of all beneficiaries and calls made to the
Association between 1st January and 1st November this year. Of the 118 family
units currently being assisted, 39 units are new referrals during that time. In
this figure there are 64 doctors, mostly self-referrals, of whom 38 are male and
26 are female.
The problems
remain many and varied. It is satisfying to know that the Medical Benevolent
Association's counselling role is being used more and more and that at least
one-third of referrals are for advice and support with marital problems and
social problems arising out of impairment and psychiatric illness.
It
is disappointing to note the lack of referrals from the Doctors’ Health
Advisory Service and the NSW Medical Board. Three new referrals earlier in the
year were from doctors who had been in touch with the Doctor’s Health Advisory
Service twelve/eighteen months previously but were not advised to contact the
Medical Benevolent Association. In the case of the Service, it would be helpful
for the information on its Call Report Form to be made available to the
Association’s social worker. Another possibility, now that the Doctors’
Health advisory Service has Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance,
would be for the Medical Benevolent Association’s social worker (or a Council
member) to be on the Management Committee again.
I
have recently been talking with Anne Scahill and Evan Rawstron at the Medical
Board about the referral of doctors and their families where there is
impairment.
As
Dr Herlihy mentioned, I attended the National Conference on the Health of
Doctors in Brisbane and talked to many people from various areas of the medical
profession. Interestingly, although the Conference was run by the Queensland
AMA, the Queensland Medical Benevolent Association still has no social worker,
although a social worker from one of their hospitals was there.
Our
discussions with the Medical Benevolent Association of Victoria have been most
useful. I have been asked to have, and have had, face to face discussions on
several occasions this year. Dr George Tippett, its President, attended a
conference in the USA on doctor's health and advises that the NSW model is the
one used in America.
I
have also had several long
and fruitful discussions with Dr Peter Joseph from Adelaide about the
restructuring of their Medical Benevolent Association. Until quite recently,
decisions regarding gifts have been made by one or two doctors and the
administrative work done by the ex-secretary of their Medical Defence Union --
but no social work counselling at all. He agrees that the gifting of money,
without advice/counselling, is not the best way to work. He is hoping to be in
Sydney for further discussion about this.
I
attended the Medical/Dental Fellowship Annual Ecumenical Service and, as a
result of discussion with some medical students present and later with Professor
Jill Gordon of Sydney University, the Medical Benevolent Association’s poster,
which was prepared for the National Conference in Brisbane, has been re-produced
in A4 size and will be distributed to as many university/teaching hospital
student noticeboards as possible -- Doctors Chris Dalton and Clement Loy have
undertaken this task. At the request of several of the Divisions of General
Practice for publicity material, a copy of the poster will also be sent to them
for display at their workshops/seminars/offices.
I
also make the most of Continuing Education seminars and workshops to talk with
colleagues about the work of the Medical Benevolent Association. The National
Conference of the Australian Institute of Family Studies in Sydney recently
provided an excellent venue to speak with professionals from many areas of the
welfare community. This has already resulted in several referrals.
The
administration/donor side of the work is well under control, with some clerical
assistance from time to time.
My
sincere thanks to the staff of the NSW Branch of the AMA for their ever-ready
assistance in many areas and to all on the Council of the Medical Benevolent
Association who give so generously of their time and advice when the need
arises.
Mary
Doughty AM
Social Worker/Executive Secretary
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Copyright
© 1998-2004.
Medical Benevolent Association of New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Citation suggestion:
Medical Benevolent Association of NSW, Annual Report 1999-2000 (http://www.dmh.org.au/mba/report_2000.htm)
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Last revised: 03 May 2004 05:29
