Last week I had a quick 24 hour turnaround to and from Vienna to be
at the
European Psychiatric Association
meeting as part of my role on the ‘Rules of Procedure Group’ as it
has changed into an association blending individual members with
national societies. I believe this will give a strong voice
to psychiatry in Europe, able to reflect and respond to mental
health needs across Europe.
I don't normally do" anxiety" but last week (and this) has been
anxiety-provoking and dominated by progress on our move from
Belgrave Square and Standon House into a new home that can house
the staff from both. We need a home where we can hold examinations,
receptions, lectures and where we can host meetings with other
Colleges and mental health charities. We have now accepted monies
for the value of the remaining lease on Belgrave Square and staff
and officers have identified a potential new home. The next step -
as previously agreed by those members of Council who are trustees -
is to convene an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, with our
agents and solicitor on hand to advise. As soon as I know more I
will let you know. Change is always challenging and finding a good
home within our means was always going to involve some degree of
compromise. So, we present where we are to our trustees and then
let's wait and see.
On Tuesday last I attended the Haverian oration held by the Royal
College of Physicians, an annual lecture followed by a splendid
dinner. The older, larger Colleges have very considerable
endowments and it does show up the contrast with our own. Our
founding fathers (and one of them, Thomas Bewley, was at this
dinner) showed great forethought and skill in acquiring the lease
for Belgrave Square. By capitalising on the remaining value
of the lease now, we should be able to afford to buy our next home
outright giving the College and the members a tangible asset for
the future for the very first time.
The after dinner speaker at the RCP dinner was
Chief Constable Sara Thornton of Thames Valley Police, who
spoke of the future links between medical colleges and the about to
be launched police college. She spoke very positively of
Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who is an Honorary Fellow and
friend of the college. I am writing to both because I believe there
is much we could do to support their learning in the new college
around mental health and every police officer’s understanding of
the nature of mental illness. I have also expressed my concerns
about how Section 136 of the Mental Health Act is functioning at
present. I have been inundated with emails about this and
welcome any other information or feedback to report to a
forthcoming multi-agency meeting about the issue, which is likely
to hit the press this week.
Finally, I have had several more meetings with parliamentarians,
including Education Secretary, Michael Gove, where I joined other
Royal Medical Colleges to discuss concerns about the proposed new
‘safeguarding’ guidance. Hopefully this was productive, as we
presented robust evidence and practical solutions.
So after the hustle and bustle of the week, I used the weekend to
enjoy the relaxation of moving the endless mountain of leaves from
the back garden and joined my grandson’s pleasure that he is now
promoted to junior ninjas and is singing in the school choir at the
Manchester Evening News arena later this year.
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