College News
1. National honours: College
procedures: Vanessa Cameron, Chief Executive
2. Medical management work in the
College: Dr Neil Deuchar, Associate Registrar for Medical
Management
3. Practical advice on working with
media
4. New capacity and mental health
legislation in Northern Ireland
5. RCPsych calls for action on pro-ana
websites
Consultations
6. Pandemic influenza and changes to
the Mental Health Act
7. Taskforce on health aspects of
violence against women
8. New move to help disabled workers
retain jobs
New guidance
9. Information sharing and mental
health guidance
10. ACCEA guidance 2010
New publications
11. The Young Mind: an
essential guide to mental health for parents, teachers and young
adults
New reports
12. Big screen mental health
stereotypes
13. Sainsbury Centre for Mental
Health: Implementing recovery
Events
14. Celebrating World Mental Health
Day? 10 October 2009
15. 3rd Annual Scottish
Mental Health and Arts Film Festival: 1-22 October 2009
In the news
16. Health Secretary acknowledges
scale of financial challenge for the NHS
17. NHS sick list hitting
patients
18. Remembering Professor Anthony
Clare
19. What’s new online?
College News
1. National honours:
College procedures: Vanessa Cameron, Chief Executive
The College has established an Honours
Committee, with the aim of increasing the number of national
honours awarded to psychiatrists and other individuals who
have made a significant contribution to mental health. The Cabinet
Office describes the procedure for nominations. It confirms that
honours are for people who:
- have changed things, with an emphasis on
achievement
- have delivered in a way that has brought
distinction
- exemplify the best sustained and selfless
voluntary service
- have demonstrated innovation and
entrepreneurship
- carry the respect of their peers
- have shown sustained achievement against the
odds requiring moral courage
To nominate a psychiatrist or another
individual who has made a significant contribution to mental
health, please send a supporting letter (maximum 500 words)
explaining why the College should support the nomination,
accompanied by a
completed nomination form to Professor
Hamid Ghodse, c/o Vanessa
Cameron, Chief Executive. The Honours Committee
reviews nominations throughout the year.
2. Medical management work in the College: Dr Neil
Deuchar, Associate Registrar for Medical Management
Work has been going on in the four jurisdictions
of the UK to develop links with colleagues in different parts of
the College, and to mainstream the issues and views specific
to medical managers in all College work. This sort of engagement is
increasingly important as medical management develops as a specific
specialism in its own right requiring, in due course, its own set
of accreditation standards and collegiate quality assurance and
regulation.
The Medical Directors Central Executive
comprises representatives from each of the regional networks of
MDs. These networks offer an opportunity for key
messages from the Department/College to be embedded
through the Medical Directors of mental health provider
organisations. Some groups have integrated CPD into their
proceedings, and several include liaison with local chief
executives, nursing directors, directors of public health and other
representatives from the relevant SHA.
Over recent months, medical managers in the
College have started to contribute more formally to College Policy
initiatives via consultation responses and seminar input. I
continue to liaise with colleagues in the Professional Standards
department around revalidation and CPD. Dr Andy Brittlebank,
Associate Dean, will be presenting to an MDE meeting later this
year on the College’s approach to embedding the leadership
framework developed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
and Institute for Innovation & Improvement into the specialty
training curriculum. The MDE also works with Dr Martin Elphick to
enable outcomes to drive Payment by Results in mental health
care.
We liaised with Dame Carol Black in respect
of the CRTU review, mental health in the workplace and the
potential for medical director leads from other specialties to form
a group under the auspices of the Academy of Medical Royal
Colleges, and supported by each of the relevant Colleges.
The MDE is represented at the Medical
Leaders Professional Council. I am a member of the Board of the
British Association of Medical Managers. These groups provide the
MDE with a vehicle for knowledge transfer in terms of upstream
thinking around the professional regulation of medical managers. I
have also started as Medical Director, NHS West Midlands, through
this work the MDE has advised the Department of Health’s Medical
Board about issues relating to mental health policy and its
implementation.
Following a successful conference in
Belfast, MDE support officer Liz Atkinson was able to join the
Scottish medical managers group for their June 2009 meeting.
This was valuable for those on both sides of the border. In
December 2009 the MDE will meet with Welsh medical managers in
Cardiff, which is timely in view of imminent service
reconfigurations in Wales.
Over the summer I was in contact with the
Chair of the Management Special Interest Group and have been
co-opted to the SIG committee. The SIG is led by a group of
enthusiastic trainees, and we hope to work together more closely in
the future. For the first time we are offering reduced cost
places at the
Annual MDE conference for trainee SIG members. I
am pleased that Dr Frank Holloway has agreed to work with us
for a year to look at whether the College has a stronger role to
play in supporting Clinical Directors, Associate Medical Directors
and other medical managers who are not Medical Directors. For
information on any aspect of this work please contact Liz
Atkinson.
3. Practical advice on working with media
The Public Education Committee 
(PEC) has
revised its handbook
offering practical advice to College members on working with the
media. Fully-updated, and with a new introduction from
PEC chair, Dr Peter Byrne, the handbook outlines the tools and
techniques to use when talking to print, TV and radio journalists,
and makes suggestions for working with the media at a local level.
Members are also advised to remind themselves of the College’s
guidance on psychiatrists giving their professional opinions to the
media (page 11 of the guide). College members without experience of
working with the media, but who would like to get involved, are
welcome to contact the College press office: Liz
Fox, press officer or Deborah Hart,
head of communications and policy . Tel 020 7235 2351 exts.298
or 127.
4. New capacity and mental health legislation in
Northern Ireland
Psychiatrists have welcomed the announcement
of a world-first single capacity and mental health legislation,
bringing equality for people with mental health problems. Announced
by the Northern Ireland Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey, on
10 September, this will mean that people who are unable to make
decisions for themselves will come under the same legislation,
whether this is for physical reasons or because of mental health
conditions.
“This move to
single legislation makes very good sense,” said Professor Dinesh
Bhugra, President. “Scotland, England and Wales each have two
pieces of legislation, which is often seen as one for ‘good’ people
with incapacity who primarily require protection, and another for
‘bad’ people who primarily need detention and treatment against
their will. This effectively endorses the stigma that people with
mental illness face every day, and which inhibits recovery and is a
barrier to people living fully inclusive lives."
Dr Philip McGarry, Chair of the 
Northern
Ireland Division, said, “We are pleased that the Health Minister
has listened, and that the principle of autonomy integral in
the Bamford Review has been maintained, so that individuals who
have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves will be
allowed to do so.
“Drafting a world-first piece of legislation
will be challenging, but there will be considerable goodwill in the
mental health and legal community in Northern Ireland, and the
Royal College of Psychiatrists has pledged to work closely with the
Department of Health to ensure that legislation will work in
practice."
5. RCPsych calls for action on pro-ana
websites
The College has called for urgent action to tackle the dangers of websites
that promote disorders such as anorexia. It wants the
the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to include these
sites in its definition of harmful web content.
The Eating Disorders Section launched its new
position paper at the start of the London Fashion Week which it
believes acts as a show case for underweight women. Dr John Morgan
told Channel 4 News “Every eating disorder specialist in the
country has come across clinical cases where [the websites] have
been a significant perpetuating factor. What the sites do is
reinforce the abnormal beliefs of the patient.”
“It’s impossible to ban anything on the
internet. But one should extend the same definition of harmful
websites as is already extended to other websites. That’s
particularly important in raising the profile of danger of [these]
websites among teachers and parents, many of whom are simply
unaware that this is going on.
“On a positive note they have seemed to
provide some patients with a modicum of companionship, but we’ve
come to a position now where there’s a consensus among specialists
that the harm done far outweighs any good.”
Consultations
6. Pandemic influenza and changes to the Mental Health
Act
A
consultation exercise is running until 7 October
2009 on temporary changes to the Mental Health Act 1983, which
might be needed in the event of a severe staff shortage during an
influenza pandemic. Your comments are invited by 28 September
2009 to Claire
Churchill.
7. Taskforce on health aspects of violence against
women
The new taskforce aims to identify the role
and response of health services in preventing, identifying and
supporting women and girls who are the victims of violence or
abuse. It will also make recommendations on what more could be done
to meet their needs. The taskforce will report in early 2010. You
are invited to
submit examples of local good practice, suggestions for improvement
and other evidence for the taskforce’s consideration
by 14 October 2009.
8. New move to help disabled workers retain
jobs
The government recently announced that
people with mental health problems will receive extra support to
manage their conditions to help them stay in the workplace.
A series of pilot schemes has proved
successful in helping people with fluctuating mental health
conditions retain their jobs. Following these trials, the welfare
minister Jim Knight, announced that the Government will extend the
support on offer. Measures will include a national strategy for
mental health and employment which will detail expectations of
employers, healthcare professionals, organisations and individuals
in improving well-being in the workplace.
Other proposals include a new network of
mental health experts across Jobcentre Plus who will work with
colleagues in the health system to co-ordinate support for people
who have mental health conditions.
A
consultation on Right to Control, will give disabled
people, including those with mental health problems, greater choice
and control over how public money is spent to meet their needs.
New guidance
9. Information sharing and mental health
guidance
The Department of Health has issued
new guidance on information sharing and mental
health. The guidance sets out opportunities and
constraints involved in the exchange of information between health
services and statutory and non-statutory organisations, as well as
between health services and individuals.
10. ACCEA guidance 2010
The Department of Health has published the
2010
ACCEA guidance. There are substantial changes from the
2009 version. A one page summary of these changes accompanies the
guide.
New publications
11.
The Young Mind: an essential guide to mental health for
parents, teachers and young adults
The Young Mind, edited by Professor Sue
Bailey and Dr Mike Shooter, and with a foreword from Professor
Tanya Byron, is a fascinating and timely insight into mental health
for young adults. This comprehensive and accessible book
is divided into five parts covering topics such as child and
adolescent development, school, emotional health and social
problems.
The guide also provides information on:
- abuse, neglect and domestic violence
- drugs, alcohol and other addictions
- sex and sexuality
- anxiety, stress and eating disorders
- delinquency and problem behaviours
The Young Mind is a compilation
of advice from some of the most distinguished and respected
professionals in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.
Buy your discount copy from us – even cheaper than
Amazon (£11.99).
New reports
12. Big screen mental health stereotypes
Film characters with mental health problems
are being depicted as more demonic and crueller than at any time in
movie history, according to a new report -
Screening Madness - by Dr Peter Byrne for the
anti-stigma mental health campaign Time to Change,
Dr Byrne found that depictions of people
with mental health problems have not changed since the silent era:
they are either evil or simple, with nothing in between. Cinematic
depictions of people with experience of mental health problems have
become more damaging.
"Mental health stereotypes have not changed
over a century of cinema. If anything, the comedy is crueller and
the deranged psycho killer even more demonic," he said.
The report shows that the public gets its
understanding of mental illness from movies, more than from any
other type of media. A YouGov survey commissioned for the report
found that almost half (49%) of the public had seen people with a
mental illness acting violently in films. The survey also found
that more than two fifths of the 1,989 people polled (44%) believed
that people with a mental illness would act violently.
Citing the Batman film The Dark
Knight as a low point in depicting mental illness, with the
violence and humour based almost entirely on a misunderstanding of
schizophrenia, Dr Byrne said: "Batman describes the Joker as a
schizophrenic clown, and when the film's second hero Harvey Dent
becomes Two-Face and embraces evil, the familiar stereotype of
schizophrenia is activated.
Exceptions to the rule are few and far
between, but Dr Byrne highlighted Daniel Craig's portrayal in
Some Voices and Russell Crowe's Beautiful Minds
as more realistic portrayals of schizophrenia.
13. Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health: Implementing
recovery
Mental health trusts should actively
recruit people with personal experience of using services,
according to this report from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental
Health.
Implementing Recovery, by
Dr Jed Boardman and Professor Geoff Shepherd, sets out the ten
major challenges for mental health services to put recovery at the
heart of their everyday practice. It calls on mental health
services in Britain to make radical changes to the way they work
with service users and how they are organised. Every interaction
with service users should assist them to take control of their
lives and increase opportunities for a ‘life beyond illness’.
It recommends that every NHS mental health
trust establishes a ‘Recovery Education Unit’ to train and support
people with lived experience of mental illness to tell their
stories and promote awareness of recovery principles. These units
would also begin to train a new generation of ‘peer professionals’
to provide direct care within local services. The report
suggests that, over time, up to 50% of mental health care could be
delivered by peer professionals, with existing professional staff
working alongside them.
Events
14. Celebrating World Mental Health Day? 10 October
2009
The 2009 World Mental Health Day global awareness campaign will
focus on "Mental
Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental
Health.” This year's theme will address the
continuing need to “make mental health issues a global priority”,
and will stress the all too-often neglected fact that mental health
is an integral element of every individual’s overall health and
well-being.
The campaign theme is intended to draw worldwide attention to
the growing body of information and knowledge focusing on the
integration of mental health in primary healthcare, and to provide
this information to grassroots patient/consumer, family
member/caregiver, and advocacy and educational mental health
associations around the world. This is a significant trend in
shifting mental health diagnosis, treatment and care from the
traditional separate, but unequal, mental health services delivery
system into mainstream healthcare.
15. 3rd Annual Scottish Mental Health and
Arts Film Festival: 1-22 October 2009
The 3rd Annual Scottish
Mental Health Arts and Film Festival are organising
over 200 affordable events taking place in over 100 venues across
Scotland.
In the news
16. Health Secretary acknowledges scale of financial
challenge for the NHS
Responding to Secretary of State for Health Andy
Burnham’s speech to the King’s Fund, the Fund’s chief
executive Niall Dickson said: "Not before time the government has
acknowledged the scale of the task ahead for the health service in
the future public spending squeeze. This is without doubt the most
significant leadership challenge facing the NHS over the coming
years. Even if the NHS does better than other areas of spending, it
will be a real struggle to protect and develop high quality
care.
"The Health Secretary is right to say that all
political parties need to engage in an adult discourse about the
future of the NHS. Given the impending general election, this will
certainly be a challenge. We welcome his commitment to support
local leaders in the NHS who are redesigning services – the shape
of health care services does have to change and it will require
will and determination to make this transformation. In some cases
this will mean fewer hospital beds and more care in the community,
in others more concentration of services in specialist centres.
"The commitment to reward quality instead of
just paying for volume of work is a good move, but care will have
to be taken on how it is introduced to ensure it encourages better
performance from all providers and does not, for instance, hamper
poorer performing hospitals’ ability to progress."
17. NHS sick list hitting patients
More than 45,000 NHS workers call in sick
each day - around one and a half times the absence rate seen in the
private sector.The
first national audit of NHS staff habits has
found that hospitals with worse staff health are less productive
and have higher rates of superbug infection, unnecessary use of
agency workers and higher patient death rates.
Other findings about the NHS's 1.4 million
staff include:
- More than one in five staff smokes, with
about 40,000 NHS workers smoking more than 20 cigarettes a
day.
- More than a third of workers have moderate
to very poor mental health, with many expressing concern about
intimidation from patients and relatives.
- Approximately 40% of staff exercise less
than three times a week.
- More than three-quarters of staff think
that the state of their health affects patient care.
"It is ironic that the NHS is trying to
focus on the public health agenda, yet not making it available to
its own staff, because staff should be exemplars," said Dr Steve
Boorman, the audit's compiler and a leading occupational health
expert.
18. Remembering Professor Anthony Clare
A Garden of Commemoration to Professor Anthony
Clare was opened by President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, next at St
Edmundsbury Hospital, Lucan. 
The Board of Governors have had the original
courtyard garden at the St Edmundsbury psychiatric hospital
transformed from a rather tired and dull plot into an oasis of
glorious calm. A fabulous water feature and a plethora of roses
(Professor Clare’s favourite), along with a variety of shrubs and
flowers especially selected to attract birds and butterflies has
been created.
19. What’s new online?