Today I’m in Naples at for the annual meeting of the Council of the
European Union of Medical
Specialists (UEMS). It’s raining, so I feel at home!
The delegation from the UK includes
representation from the BMA in the form of consultant psychiatrist
Dr Ed Borman and the BMA’s international affairs policy lead. I am
attending on behalf of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges,
supported by the policy lead from the Royal College of
Surgeons.
I’ve been actively involved in the UEMS for
the last six years, in my role as vice-president of the EUMS
section and board of child and adolescent psychiatry. I know that
enthusiasm for collaborative initiatives across medicine in Europe
can be variable. But I believe RCPsych members should become more
enthused. The UEMS is an important body which has now started to
deliver a European identity to medicine that reflects the needs of
the service users and carers we serve. Key areas of work
include:
eHealth
This is a field where the UEMS has
demonstrated a high level of commitment. Work is chaired by
Professor Cillian Twomey from Ireland. The working group is looking
for volunteers to feed in thoughts and information, and I’m sure we
can do this from across our membership. If you are interested,
please let me know.
CME-CPD
An area where the UEMS will become
increasingly important is in continuing medical
education/continuing professional development. The working group on
CME-CPD is chaired by Dr Ed Borman, who I mentioned above.
Post graduate training
This includes the development of curricula,
syllabuses and log books. RCPsych Fellow Dr Brian Jacobs is
currently leading a group of child psychiatrists on a new
curriculum, following a successful log book (2006) used across
CAHMS in Europe.
There is also a host of other work around
exporting the model of being a good doctor, the migration of
doctors and regulation of the market, and representing the views of
the UEMS to other organisations.
Finally, thanks to all of you who have
responded (or are going to respond) to our short survey on the Health & Social Care Bill. I
really appreciate you sharing your views – especially the very
direct comments about how the college needs to engage more with
members and represent their views more assertively.
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