September 2010

College news
Consultations
Other news
Online

 

Professor George Ikkos College news

 

 

10 things you didn’t know about College finances

The Honorary Treasurer, Professor George Ikkos, highlights some key areas about the College’s finances.

 


Lecture by Dr Paul DeBell on Decoding the Spiritual Messages in Everyday Life: How Life Tells Us Everything We Need to Know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Robin Murray, Professor of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social inclusion and Mental Health - edited by Jed Boardman, Alan Currie, Helen Killaspy & Gillian Mezey
 
  • Vacancies

    Chair of the Westminster Parliamentary Liaison Committee

    Our Westminster Parliamentary Liaison Committee is seeking to appoint a new chair. This Committee exists to promote the College’s priorities to MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament. This includes working closely with Parliamentarians, charities, professional groups and other stakeholders. The chair will be actively involved in promoting College policy as it applies to proposed changes in legislation/law, issues debated in the House of Commons and Lords, and general parliamentary activities, including representing the College at the party conferences. Members interested in this role can discuss it with Dr Ian Hall, outgoing chair (Tel: 020 8121 4444). Please email a letter and brief CV outlining why you are interested in this role and any experience in this area to Neil Balmer. Closing date: 30 September 2010.


    Examination Paper Writing Panels

    The College wishes to appoint 2 new consultant members to join the examination paper writing panel for Paper 2 of the MRCPsych. The panel is responsible for producing questions for the examinations question bank, meeting to review the draft paper before its submission to the Examinations Sub-Committee and discussing the post-exam statistics. An application form can be obtained from Dawn Marshall-Fannon. Closing date: 30 September 2010


  • Prestigious lecture series

    The next event in this series will be an evening with Dr Paul DeBell, Psychiatry Professor at Columbia Medical School, on Decoding the spiritual messages in everyday life: How life tells us everything we need to know. This will take place at 6.30pm on Monday 6 September 2010, Society of Chemical Industry, 14 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PS.  If you are interested in attending, contact Nicola Boyce.



  • Psychiatrists’ Support Service: find out more

    This service has been running for three years and has provided support and help to members who have found themselves in difficult situations. This article in BMJ Careers includes information on how the service was developed, how it works and some feedback from doctors who have used the service. It is hoped that this article will be used as a framework document for other Colleges to adopt and develop their own services for their members. 


  • What’s in a name?
    The College is seeking the views of members as to what trainees should be called. This article brings some of the issues to the attention of the wider membership in the hope of receiving opinion and feedback from psychiatrists at all stages of their career and inform the debate. The article is authored by Dr Jon van Niekerk, chair of Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee and Professor Nick Craddock, chair of Faculty of Academic Psychiatry.

  • News on members of the College: congratulations to...

    Professor Robin Murray, Professor of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and Professor Ray Dolan, Mary Kinross Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Director, Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, who have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society. The Fellowship of the Royal Society is composed of 1300 of the most distinguished scientists from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland. Fellows of the Royal Society are elected for life.


    Dr Margaret Oates, Consultant in Perinatal Psychiatrist, Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust, who was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.


 

 


NHS White Paper - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol-licensing regime

Consultations

 

  • NHS White Paper - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS

    In July, the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, set out the government's long-term vision for the future of the NHS, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

    The Department of Health is consulting on elements of these proposals, along with a number of other separate consultation areas:

     * Transparency and outcomes: a framework for the NHS

     * Commissioning for patients

     * Increasing democratic legitimacy in health

     * Regulating healthcare providers

    The College has produced user-friendly summaries on the White Paper and its consultation areas. If you wish to contribute to the College responses, email Claire Churchill.


  • NHS White Paper - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS

    A letter from Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services, announces the refresh of the national Carers’ Strategy. The Government is keen to seek views on key priorities that will have the greatest impact on improving carers' lives for 2011-2015, supported wherever possible by evidence of good practice and reflecting the views of carers. Deadline for responses 20 September 2010. If you wish to contribute to the College response, email Claire Churchill.


  • Consultation on the Coalition Government’s plans for Welfare Reform

    Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has set out his plans to completely change the benefits system, 21st Century Welfare. He proposes to help people move into work by letting them keep more of their earnings. Consultation period runs till 1 October 2010.


  • Alcohol-licensing regime

    The Home Office has launched a consultation on the Government’s plans to overhaul the current alcohol-licensing regime, and to increase the powers of the police and local authorities. Amongst the proposals in the consultation are measures to enable more involvement of local health bodies in licensing decisions by designating health bodies as a responsible authority. It also seeks views on making health a material consideration in licensing decisions. Closing date: 8 September 2010.


  • Statutory guidance – autism strategy

    The consultation on statutory guidance for health and social care bodies to support implementation of the Adult Autism Strategy was launched on 29 July. The guidance will be a functional document intended to provide frontline staff with clear directions on how to implement the policy set out in the strategy. Responses by 22 October 2010.

 


 

The College is seeking the views of members as to what trainees should be called

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third annual report of the Care Quality Commission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recruitment of associates to NHS Clinical Leaders Network (CLN)

 

 

 

 

 

Other news

 

Parliamentary Health Select Committee: recruitment of Specialist Advisors

The Parliamentary Health Select Committee is seeking to improve the way in which it identifies specialist advisers to assist in its work. The role of an adviser is ‘to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee’s order of reference’. This usually means explaining policy and practice and helping to interpret the evidence gathered during inquiries. The Committee is seeking to appoint an adviser who would act as a “talent scout” in its search for the most appropriate people to provide it with policy advice. The Committee’s objective is to secure advice from people who are well-informed and active in the health field, but do not necessarily have a public profile and who might not otherwise come to the Committee’s attention. People who have previously advised the Committee are welcome to apply. Anyone who is interested in taking on this role is asked to set out in a statement (no more than 750 words) on why they consider they would be an appropriate candidate and to email that statement, along with a copy of their CV, by noon on 6 September. The Committee expects to hold interviews for those shortlisted. If you have any questions, contact David Lloyd on 020 7219 6244.

 

Quality Improvement Fellowship opportunities

The Health Foundation, an independent charity working to continuously improve the quality of healthcare in the UK, is looking for people with a passion for improving quality in health services. The Quality Improvement Fellowships enable senior, clinically qualified healthcare leaders to spend a fully funded year at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in the US, combining academic and practical learning in quality improvement. Closing date: 15 October 2010.

 

Health and social care services monitor controlled drugs more effectively

The third annual report of the Care Quality Commission addresses the progress made in implementing regulations introduced in response to the Shipman Inquiry. The report analyses arrangements for monitoring controlled drugs and makes further recommendations for protecting people who use services. It concludes that managing and monitoring systems for controlled drugs will require ongoing activity and vigilance to sustain the developments achieved in the past three years. The report recommends that “The Royal Colleges should develop guidance on appropriate use of opioids and amphetamines for all sectors to ensure best practice.”

 

Psychiatry as a career: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

A new intake of foundation doctors started this August, with a cohort of medical students following in September. All are potential psychiatric trainees, but some will be uncertain as to whether this pathway appeals. In November, a Royal Society of Medicine Psychiatry Section meeting will address the uncertainties medical students and trainees might have about choosing a career in psychiatry. Consultants and higher trainees who mentor medical students, foundation doctors, or core trainees in other specialties are encouraged to recommend this event to anyone who might be interested.

 

New resource on workforce development planning

The Centre for Workforce Intelligence is the new body that will provide a single, authoritative resource on workforce development planning for all parts of the NHS and social care system. The Centre will provide objective, robust and rigorous workforce intelligence to support the delivery of high-quality services and will enable leaders, senior managers and clinicians to use this intelligence to develop the workforce in the short, medium and long term.

 

Recruitment of associates to NHS Clinical Leaders Network (CLN)

The CLN is currently recruiting a network of associate members. CLN associates may not have the time to attend monthly action learning sets, but will want to network online and seek ways to improve their clinical leadership skills. Colleagues will have an interest in leading on innovation and reform in their organisation. As a CLN associate, you will have the opportunity to participate in Department of Health clinical engagement opportunities as they arise, attend regional/national CLN events and take part in online polling.

 

News from other organisations and the NHS

  • Defend our NHS        
  • Carers and young carers’ strategy in Scotland
  • Where do I go from here? New report from Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
  • Less use of laws to protect people who may need to be deprived of their liberty

  • Independent commission on funding of care and support for adults in England

  • New report: extent and causes of international variations in drug usage
  • Autism charity aims to set legal precedents
  • Children’s trusts – removal of bureaucracy
  • Big society boost for NHS enterprises 

 

 

 

 


 

Probity in professional practice: Part 1

Online

 

 

 

 

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© 2010 Royal College of Psychiatrists