I've left the APA conference in
Philadelphia now, and will be stopping by the College before
heading back home. I attended so many interesting sessions and
talks, some of which I blogged about earlier in the week. Another
highlight was the Convocation
Lecture given by Edward Kennedy Jr, who gave an
impassioned and informed delivery on how, why and what we
should be doing to ensure the needs of those people with
physical and learning disabilities and mental illness are
met.
But perhaps the most valuable part of the
trip was the opportunity to catch up with so many fellow
psychiatrists from across the world, especially those I had only
previously been in contact with by email. The challenges we face
are very similar to those being faced in the US. It is also
apparent that ways of working (if I can use that phrase) that have
been commonplace in the UK (i.e. multi-disciplinary and
cross-agency working) are, in many places in the USA, still in
their infancy.
I managed to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing,
including a visit to Liberty Bell, the symbol of American
independence. As you can see from the photograph, it was surrounded
by people - mainly teenagers - keen to take photos and
have their photos taken in front of it. The pageantry of
yesterday's state opening of parliament did make the American news
and received a deal of coverage - but not necessarily a great deal
of understanding!
Listening to the Queen's Speech, I was
pleased to see the inclusion of legislation looking at adult social
care, albeit only in draft form which will mean that a full bill
will not see the light of day for some time, and hope that the
issue is not kicked into the long grass. I hope that the
forthcoming White Paper on the same subject will include the issue
of funding for social care, an area which was somewhat lacking in
yesterday's speech.
The Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill is due
to reintroduced to the House of Lords, following support from the
government last year and is likely receive its first reading on 15
May, before beginning its journey through Parliament. The College has been committed to the anti-stigma aims
of this Bill from its outset and look forward to continuing to
work closely with Lord Stevenson and others to ensure it reaches
the statute book.
Sue
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