May 2011

We are looking for a Member or Fellow with experience in quality improvement and skills in quantitative, qualitative and health service research. The successful candidate will have a track record of generating income and securing grant funding, and will also have experience of developing projects with service users. The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate a commitment to working with others in the College (this includes the President and the other Officers, CEO, Publications, Communications and Policy and NCCMH departments) to get quality improvement, research and improved service user experience into the heart of psychiatry. The post holder will report to the President. The College wants to attract an outstanding candidate and will be flexible in the method of appointment. For further information, download the recruitment information pack containing the person specification and job description. Applications need to be received by 31 May 2011. Interviews will be held at the College headquarters in Belgrave Square on 21 June 2011.

Specialist adviser in mental health law

The College wishes to appoint a Specialist Adviser to provide leadership and advice on mental health law (England and Wales) and its impact on psychiatric practice. Key responsibilities will include liaison with the Chair of the Westminster Parliamentary Committee and providing support to the College Policy Unit in relation to amendments to, and implementation of, mental health law. The specialist adviser will also represent the College internally and externally in England, be an authority on all areas of the Mental Health Act (1983) and other relevant legislation, and liaise with other UK jurisdictions as necessary. For a full job description, contact Claire Churchill. Closing date for applications: 10 June 2011.

Examination Paper Writing Panels – Senior Trainee vacancy

The College wishes to appoint one Senior Trainee (SpR in at least 2^nd year of training or ST5-6) to join the Critical Review Examination Paper Writing Panel. The MRCPsych Examinations consists of three written papers (Paper 1, 2 & 3) and a Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) examination. Paper 3 is divided between two separate panels, responsible for the Critical Review and Clinical Topics components respectively.  The panels produce questions for the examinations question bank, from which questions are selected for the examination papers. The panels meet after the examination to review statistics. For further details, email Dawn Marshall-Fannon. Closing date: 3 June 2011. Interviews are due later in June.

Addictions (Substance Misuse) Psychiatrist required for the MRCPsych CASC Panel

The College wishes to appoint a member from the Addictions Faculty to join the panel responsible for writing stations used in the Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) examination. The CASC Panel meets four times a year with each member expected to write, on average, eight stations per year outside of meeting times. The successful applicant would need to attend the CASC examination that takes place twice a year in Sheffield. For further details, contact Juliet Mayne. 

An evening with Stephen Clift: 7 June 2011 at 6.30 pm

Stephen Clift, Research Director, Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, will be speaking about ‘Singing for Health’, a project for mental health service users.  This innovative community music project has involved over 100 people with a history of serious and enduring mental illness in regular singing, to promote wellbeing and health. ‘The Mustard Seed Singers’, a singing group established by a mental health service user and a musician, plays a key role and there is now a network of seven small community choirs in towns across East Kent. 

An evening with Patrick Cockburn: 14 June 2011 at 6.30 pm

Patrick Cockburn is an Irish journalist who has been a Middle East correspondent for the Financial Times and currently The Independent. He won the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009 for his articles on the Iraq War and his son’s schizophrenia. Patrick will talk about Henry's Demons: Living with Schizophrenia, a Father and Son's Story, the book he co-authored with his son Henry. The book covers the events leading to Henry’s diagnosis, extraordinary accounts of Henry's steep descent into mental illness, Henry's own account of his experiences, and Patrick's journey towards understanding the changes Henry’s illness has wrought.   

Special advisor on PbR: Dr Bohdan Solomka

“As Special advisor, I see my role as facilitating debate on PbR matters. So far, four areas have caught my attention:

• Training: accurate assessment of mental health needs is the cornerstone of PbR.  Psychiatrists are best placed to ensure that assessments do not skew provision of care.
• Psychiatrists’ roles; defining “what we actually do”. Care Packages specifically add up hours of “who does what” required to provide care to patient clusters.
• Outcome measures: PbR will be used to incentivise certain pathways; we need to ensure these are designed on good outcome data rather than fashion or tradition.
• Specialist fields: I’m a member of the DoH PbR Forensic subgroup, which has recognised difficulties with the 21-cluster tool. Alternatives are being piloted. I am also aware of similar concerns in CAMHS, LD and other fields.

Please email with your views."

Since 2010, NICE has developed a fellows and scholars programme that fosters professional development, creates a network of clinicians associated with NICE, recognises professional achievement and aims at improving clinical care locally, nationally and internationally.

The National Medical Film Festival: Dr. Kamran Ahmed, ST6, General Adult Psychiatry, Vice-chair, Psychiatric Trainees Committee

The College’s Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee is organising the first national medical film festival, ‘MedFest’, consisting of free events run by Psychsocs at universities around the country. There will be an event at each of the nine participating universities in May 2011, consisting of an evening of short film screenings relating to the festival theme, ‘The Image of Doctors’. Participating universities include Aberdeen, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, King’s College London School of Medicine, Manchester, St. George’s Medical School and UCL.

Northern Ireland goes to the polls next month with pundits predicting the first election that will be fought on policy issues rather than sectarian lines. The RCPsych in Northern Ireland has published its manifesto calling for investment in modern mental health services, commitment to single legislation for mental health and mental capacity, the introduction of a floor price for alcohol and a cross-government programme to promote mental well-being and to tackle stigma.

The Adopt-a-Book scheme aims to raise funds for the conservation and repair of the College’s antiquarian book collection. The collection consists of rare books dating as far back as the 15th century. It is an important source of information on the history of psychiatry, mental illness and learning disability. The appeal for donations is directed at members of the College, and anyone who is interested in restoring and conserving the collection to a condition suitable for its use by researchers and historians, and in its preservation as part of our national heritage.