Having a policy of zero
tolerance regarding racial harassment by or between members,
associates, trainees and staff.
The College will adapt the recommendation in CR92 regarding racial
discrimination by College members to include eliminating racial
discrimination from all College policies, procedures and
standards.
The College will create a specific policy regarding racial
harassment and bullying for members. This will be promoted amongst
the membership through a specific communications strategy and be
incorporated into the College manual and standards statement.
Also, the College will promote local support for members who
experience racial harassment by others such as patients, carers,
members of the public and other professionals.
There will be a clear process regarding complaints with the
specific aim of creating a culture in which individual members feel
able to raise complaints and this will monitored on a regular
basis.
Ensuring that core
training and education of members, associates and trainees includes
capability in race and culture issues
The results of the member scoping study on initiatives that seek to
improve access to services will be used to promote the interchange
of information and learning between members and to inform the
development of College policy and education and training
programmes.
Ensuring that Black and
minority ethnic members, trainees and associates have access to and
are able to fully benefit from all functions of the
College
The racial harassment policy for members will include steps to
address potential concerns related to the reluctance of overseas
doctors to raise complaints.
Taking action to
support members
in ensuring that Black and minority ethnic service users and carers
have access to mental health services
The College will use a communications strategy to promote the
specific College services and information that relates to Black and
minority ethnic patients i.e. translated leaflets and the list of
psychiatrists with particular language abilities.
This information will be made more widely available through use
of a range of mediums including the College web site, College news
and Black and minority ethnic media.
Access to services by Black and minority ethnic patients will be
incorporated in the training placement review process.
Regional advisors will include consideration of the role of
psychiatrists in improving access to services by Black and minority
ethnic patients when reviewing job descriptions.
The College will undertake a survey of members to ascertain
involvement in specific initiatives designed to increase access to
services by Black and minority ethnic patients.
Establishing and
sustaining effective consultation and engagement with Black and
minority ethnic user and carer groups
The Ethnic Issues Committee will devise a specific strategy for
engaging and consulting with Black and minority ethnic user and
carer groups. The strategy will include actions directed at
ensuring Black and minority ethnic users and carers have access to
information about the work of the committee and are able to
contribute to the committee's work.
Promoting awareness of
the potential for discrimination in use of mental health
legislation
The College will promote good practice among psychiatrists and
other relevant professional groups in the use of mental health
legislation regarding Black and minority ethnic patients through
the development of guidance notes and standard setting.
Ensuring that all
research directed or influenced by the College takes appropriate
account of race and culture
The College research committee will be asked to develop a research
strategy relating to the inclusion of Black and minority ethnic
communities in research. Specific guidance will be developed for
members when designing and reviewing research proposals and the
College will actively seek to engage relevant bodies to pursue
research in areas relevant to racial equality and
discrimination.
Ensuring race equality
is an integral part of College monitoring and quality assurance
policies, procedures and standards.
The College will take steps to ensure as wide a range as possible
of applicants to College staffing positions through its recruitment
processes which will promote the College's commitment to racial
equality. The College will also build on the progress made to date
to enable equal access through increasing use of open recruitment
to committee appointments.
Training and education - staff, members and trainees
Relevant College staff and officers will be trained in the new
'anti-racial harassment policy' and procedures, particularly
regarding the manner in which complaints are handled and reporting
systems.
Faculty and Divisional officers responsible for the user and
carer consultation groups will be provided with training on
community engagement and consultation techniques.
The training for doctors acting as advisors on appointment
panels and College examiners will be reviewed to include more
specific guidance on promoting race equality and eliminating
unlawful discrimination.
A training manual for cultural capability will be created and
used as part of the MRCPsych education programme and Continuing
Professional Development (CPD).
The Black and minority ethnic user and carer consultation
networks will be utilised to enhance development of the cultural
capability training and education programme.
Arrangements for consultation
The College will consult on the Race Equality Scheme and action
plan with members, trainees, staff, users and carers and relevant
outside agencies such as the Department of Health, Commission for
Racial Equality, other Royal Colleges and NHS Trusts. The
consultation exercise will be conducted through a variety of means
including:
- A postal questionnaire to all members
- Focus groups with overseas doctors, affiliates, inceptors and
trainees
- Response forms attached to the Race Equality Scheme on the
College web site
Also, in seeking to promote greater dialogue with Black and
minority ethnic users and carers the College will establish Faculty
and Division wide user and carer consultation groups. These
networks of Black and minority ethnic users and carers will be
utilised in the development of education and training programmes
directed at improving cultural capability. Also, these networks
will be consulted on issues related to access to information and
services.
Arrangements for monitoring and publishing results
The 2001 census categories will be incorporated in to the
College monitoring system and extended to MRCPsych examination
students.
A monitoring system for the Race Equality Scheme will be
established that includes:
- Number and outcome of complaints regarding racial harassment
and bullying
- Ethnicity of consultant appointments from College advisors
- Snap shot surveys of particular member groups i.e. inceptors
and affiliates who are non-career grade doctors, overseas doctors,
Black and minority ethnic member groups
- Results from MRCPsych examinations by ethnicity, first language
and place of primary qualification
- Results of overseas doctors sponsorship scheme trainees
- The work plans and framework within this statement to ensure
that it is a living policy.
- The numbers of staff in post, and applicants for employment and
training from each ethnic group
Monitoring results will be presented to the Ethnic Issues
Committee and an annual report will be presented to Council and
published on the College web site.