Foreword and contributors

Read the foreword from our Registrar Professor Owen Bowden-Jones CBE, and see who contributed to the creation of this document.

Foreword from the Registrar

“I am delighted to introduce this report for which the credit very much goes to others. It was initiated by the previous Registrar, Dr Trudi Seneviratne, and many people across the College have contributed to its development. The report is titled ‘Job Planning for Psychiatrists’ and it is a response to the concerns raised by many psychiatrists about inappropriate or even undoable job plans.

“To address this concern, each Faculty has been asked to write a chapter about the structure and activities specific to their area and to provide guidance regarding what would constitute an acceptable job plan. Psychiatrists work in a very wide range of settings and job plans will necessarily look different. I am aware that some people had hoped that the report would specify the number of patients a psychiatrist in a particular area should work with. Due to the wide range of different job settings, this has not been possible, however the report tackles issues such as clinical leadership, training, remote working and research and quality improvements activities. Guidance is also given on the time needed for assessments of different clinical complexity and the balance between clinical and non-clinical work.

“Our hope is that this document will helpfully inform job planning meetings and support psychiatrists in identifying when organisational requests fall beyond this guidance.

“The report is written for psychiatrists working in all four nations, and we have attempted to use common terminology where possible. To avoid this report becoming out of date, it will be available on the RCPsych website as a ‘living’ document which can be regularly updated as needed.

“There is an important debate, wider than is possible in this report, about the role of the psychiatrist in our rapidly evolving health systems. Changes in workforce composition, emerging digital technologies and new models of service delivery are just a few examples of current challenges and opportunities. Over the coming months, as part of my work as Registrar, I will be asking you to join me in further discussions about the best way to articulate and embed the role of the psychiatrist within multidisciplinary services. I look forward to hearing your views.

“Finally, as with all College work, we welcome your feedback on this report and how useful you have found it. Please do not hesitate to contact me with thoughts on the report and any suggestions you may have.”

Professor Owen Bowden-Jones CBE
FRCPsych SFFMLM MSc MBChB
Registrar, Royal College of Psychiatrists

Contributors

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is grateful for the large number of Officers, Members and committees who contributed to the creation of this document.

Particular thanks are given to: