Members' eNewsletters

President's blog – June 2024

Lade looks back at an exciting Congress which featured Dr Hilary Cass giving her first ever keynote. She also reflects on Pride month and the importance of continuing to celebrate and support our LGBTQ+ members, staff and patients.

Help us improve the member experience

College CEO Sonia Walter announced the launch of a new membership survey at Congress last week. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and tell us how we can best represent and support you.

College response to election manifestos

Ahead of the General Election, President Dr Lade Smith CBE has commented on the manifestos issued by the major UK political parties and what this means for mental health care in the NHS.

Top psychiatrists recognised by the King

The recently published King’s Birthday Honours list recognised two psychiatrists as well as many others for their contribution to mental health.

RCPsych Awards – one day left to nominate!

Nominations have been extended for our yearly RCPsych Awards. The deadline for nominations is now 5pm BST on 28 June.

Become an Equity Champion

The College is recruiting Equity Champions to work with divisions, faculties and devolved nations to help deliver the College’s Fairness for all strategy aimed at improving equity for all. Applications close on 1 July.

Recording packages for Congress

Over 2,600 College members attended Congress last week in Edinburgh. If you were unable to make it, you’ll soon be able to purchase a recording package of most of the sessions.

Celebrating Pride

The College has been celebrating Pride month in various ways including recording a video with a member who talks about the importance of role models.

Northern Ireland perinatal campaigner recognised with MBE

A leading Northern Ireland campaigner in perinatal mental health has been recognised for their work with an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Chief Executive's blog

Sonia Walter, RCPsych Chief Executive, reflects on this year’s International Congress in Edinburgh and takes a look at the innovations that were introduced.

Election update: voting rights for patients

With the deadline to register to vote fast approaching, we have joined forces with Rethink Mental Illness to remind people of the voting rights of hospital inpatients.

International Congress 2024

An exceptional programme of talks plus wellbeing sessions, highland dancing lessons, and stand-up comedy – just a taste of Congress 2024 in Edinburgh next week.

RCPsych Awards deadline extended

We have extended the deadline for the RCPsych Awards until 28 June to give members the most time possible to nominate this year’s heroes of psychiatry.

High-level appointment

NHS England has appointed Dr Adrian James, former RCPsych President, as the first ever National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity.

How prevalent is autism in doctors?

The College has agreed to support a survey to assess the prevalence of autism and autistic traits of doctors in the UK.

Sculpture exhibition

An exhibition of sculptures that investigates how emotions, feelings and motivations can be exposed by art is on display at the College in London until mid-July.

Chief Executive's blog

As a regular feature of the members’ eNewsletters, we’re sharing the College CEO Sonia Walter’s blog posts for RCPsych staff. In her most recent posts, Sonia talks about the upcoming general election and the start of Pride month.

President's blog – May 2024

In her May blog post, Lade makes an impassioned call for more acceptance and support for people with severe mental illness, emphasising: 'Urgent change is needed'.

Join our election manifesto campaign

Read our election manifesto, information about patient voting rights and guidelines on influencing activity in our 2024 General Election campaign hub.

The College’s Annual General Meeting

Members, Affiliates and Associates are invited to attend the College’s Annual General Meeting on 18 June in person at Edinburgh International Conference Centre or online.

Could you be an RCPsych Equity Champion?

The College is now recruiting Equity Champions to work with divisions, faculties and devolved nations to help deliver the College’s Fairness for all strategy aimed at improving equity in mental health.

NCCMH welcomes new sign ups to tackle health inequalities

A groundbreaking collaborative that uses QI and co-production to help mental health organisations tackle health inequalities across England is inviting new organisations to join for wave 3.

Smoking and mental health: a framework for action in Wales

The RCPsych Wales and the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre have developed a report and framework for action on smoking and mental health in Wales.

RCPsych Awards – last chance to nominate

Have you submitted your nominations for this year’s RCPsych Awards? There’s just hours left to highlight the amazing work of your colleagues, trainees or mentors.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Earlier this month we used Mental Health Awareness Week to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with serious mental illnesses.

College welcomes Commonwealth fellows

The College welcomed Commonwealth fellows to our head office recently  as part of our commitment to learning and sharing best practice in the UK and internationally.

And finally...

As a new feature of the members’ eNewsletter, we’re sharing the College CEO Sonia Walter’s blog posts with staff. In her recent posts, Sonia talks about the College’s motto ‘Let Wisdom Guide’ and reflects on the American Psychiatric Association’s annual conference.

Scotland call for ring-fenced funding to combat drugs deaths

The chair of Addictions Psychiatry in Scotland is calling for ring-fenced funding to tackle the harm caused by illegal drugs in Scotland.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week activities 2024

Find out what the College did to mark Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and World Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day on 1 May.

Collaborate to conquer inequity

Join the third wave of the Advancing Mental Health Equity Collaborative, supporting frontline teams, middle management and leadership to address local mental health inequities.

Delivering true health equity

Dr Amrit Sachar, one of the College’s Presidential Leads for Equity and Equality, has co-written a powerful blog post about what’s needed to deliver true equity in healthcare.

President's blog – April 2024

In her April 2024 blog post Lade discusses the pressures on our members' own mental health, stigma and the PM's recent comments about ‘sick note culture’.

Our detailed response to Cass Report

Read the College’s detailed response to the independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, chaired by Dr Hilary Cass OBE.

Dismissing the seriousness of mental illness

We felt it was important to publicly respond with our disappointment at the recent language used by the Government around mental health and sick leave.

Agency locums not the solution, says RCPsych in Scotland

Spending money on agency locums is ‘a massively expensive patch-up job that doesn’t fix the problem’ says RCPsych Scotland after 50% rise in workforce costs.

Public Mental Health Leadership Course launched

After many months of hard work and preparation, we’re delighted to have launched the registration for our Public Mental Health Leadership Certification Course.

International Congress 2024 in Edinburgh

If you missed the early bird deadline don’t worry, you can still book for this fantastic event at our standard rate – find out how.

Winning RCPsych award a ‘wonderful experience’

Last year’s RCPsych Psychiatrist of the Year is urging members to nominate colleagues and teams for the RCPsych Awards.

RCPsych Invited Review Service

Read up on the College’s Invited Review Service (IRS), which is designed to support both NHS and independent mental health services.

And finally...

As a new feature of the members’ eNewsletter, we’re sharing the College CEO Sonia Walter’s blog posts with staff. In her latest post, Sonia looks forward to this year's International Congress.

Election results out

The latest set of College election results were published today (11 April). Find out who was elected to each position, including the new chair of RCPsych in Wales.

Cass Review response

The College has provided an initial response to the independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, chaired by Dr Hilary Cass.

Mental Health Bill update

RCPsych President Dr Lade Smith CBE has commented on the publication of the Government's response to the Joint Committee report on the Mental Health Bill.

International Congress 2024

We’re delighted so many of you have already purchased your ticket for this year’s International Congress in Edinburgh. If you missed the early bird deadline don’t worry, there’s still places available. You have until the end of May to book at our standard rate.

This year’s Congress will feature over 60 cutting-edge sessions with keynotes from 16 world-renowned speakers, including Dr Hilary Cass.

RCPsych resource on stopping antidepressants updated

We've updated one of our most popular patient information resources on stopping antidepressants, which is endorsed by the RCGP, the RPS and the CMHP.

RCPsych welcomes new cross-sector ADHD taskforce

The College welcomed the news from NHS England of a new ADHD taskforce and supports the ambition to better understand the challenges for people living with ADHD.

St Matthews Healthcare launch Act Against Racism initiative

Another organisation has signed up to our Act Against Racism campaign – St Matthews Healthcare have launched their own initiative which builds on the College's guidance.

President's blog post on Physician Associates

In her latest blog post Lade discusses what the College is doing to address member concerns about Physician Associates.

Launch of RCPsych Awards nominations

Nominations open today for the 2024 RCPsych Awards – which mark the highest level of achievement in psychiatry.

Advancing Mental Health Equity Collaborative

Mental health provider organisations can now apply to be part of the RCPsych’s third wave of the AMHE Collaborative.

Question Time with the Officers #7

In our March 2024 QT we answer your questions on:

• Physician Associates
• the Valdo Calocane case
• rising demand for ADHD services
• the College’s position statement on supporting transgender people
• Act Against Racism guidance
• education study budgets
• and more.

International Congress 2024: Last chance to secure early bird rates

You have until the end of the day today to register and receive discounted rates for this year’s Congress in Edinburgh.

Special article: ‘Severe mental illness and the perimenopause’

A BJPsych Bulletin article discusses the physical and psychological symptoms caused by the hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause.

High demand and financial pressures putting strain on MH workforce in Scotland

The annual workforce census produced by the College shows vacant psychiatry posts continue to rise year-on-year.

Vote in RCPsych elections

Voting is now open for elections across a number of Faculties, Divisions, Devolved Nations, Special Interest Groups and the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee. All voting will close at midday on 10 April.

Submit your applications for the 2024 Clinical Impact Awards

Applications for the Clinical Impact Awards opened last week and will close at 5pm on 15 April 2024 – read our guidance to help support you with your Clinical Impact Award application.

RCPsych publishes new guidance on staying safe online

We’ve produced new guidance to help members stay safe when using social media channels. This is supplementary to our existing social media policy.

International Women’s Day 2024

Catch up with all the activities at the College as we celebrated this year's International Women's Day.

Voting now open in College elections

Voting opened yesterday (13 March) for elections across a number of Faculties, Divisions, Devolved Nations, Special Interest Groups and the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee.

Census highlights consultant vacancies

The College has published the latest workforce census results, revealing a worrying trend of growing consultant vacancies in the sector.

RCPsych in Scotland Chair on C4 News

“Mental health waits are costing lives in Scotland” was the main message behind a special Channel Four News report, broadcast last week.

College appoints new Chief Examiner

The College is delighted to announce that Dr Vivek Agarwal will become our new Chief Examiner, when he takes over from Dr Ian Hall in June.

Retired member is now uni's oldest graduate

A retired psychiatrist has become Kingston University’s oldest graduate after gaining a Masters in Modern European Philosophy, aged 95.

President's blog

In her latest President's blog post Lade calls for the restoration of continuity of care across our mental health services.

Eating Disorders Week

Our story about child and adolescent eating disorders services have never achieving NHS waiting time targets hit the headlines.

International Women's Day

Join us for a discussion about what more we could do with data to help us improve mental health care for women and girls.

Question Time with the Officers

In this month’s QT we answer your questions on:

• what the College is doing to address reductions in funding for mental health services
• the importance of family and improving the prognosis of mental illness gender services and gender dysphoria
• supporting the BMJ’s call for government to declare a national health and care emergency
• the possibility of introducing a Fellowship exam
• our position on the doctors’ strike
• affiliate voting rights
• the cost of holding AGMs and EGMs in 2022 regarding affiliate voting rights
• and more.

Get the best rate for this year's International Congress

You’ve got just a month left to secure your early bird ticket to the 2024 RCPsych International Congress. Find out how you can save up to £100 and attend our award-winning event.

Understanding intellectual disability and mental health information

We are asking our members to complete a five-minute survey to help us understand what information resources people with intellectual disabilities and their carers find helpful.

Join Q&A webinar on the expansion of the AMHE QI Collaborative

We’ve improved our offer to organisations who sign up to the latest wave of the Advancing Mental Health Equity (AMHE) Quality Improvement (QI) Collaborative – find out how.

Design your own RCPsych Scotland tartan and leave a mark on our history

A unique competition has been launched for Scottish members, asking them to design their own tartan – to mark the 30th anniversary of RCPsych in Scotland.

College welcomes return to power-sharing government in NI

RCPsych NI chair Dr Richard Wilson has spoken of his hopes for the future in Northern Ireland following the momentous restoration of power-sharing at Stormont.

College’s call for investment is front page news

The College used Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week to highlight a 50% rise in referrals of young people to mental health crisis teams – and the story made big headlines.

Find out how you can help your organisation act against racism

Fifteen organisations have signed up to adopt the 15 actions in our Tackling Racism in the Workplace guidance – find out how your organisation can do the same.

Physician Associates update

The College is undertaking a comprehensive review of the role of Physician Associates within the multi-disciplinary team.

Advancing Mental Health Equity QI Collaborative to go live in March

Use Quality Improvement techniques to address systemic mental health inequalities – the new wave of the AMHE QI collaborative launches next month and you can be part of it.

Members – make sure you are vaccinated for measles

The College is supporting a call from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges encouraging members to ensure they are vaccinated for measles.

Standing for a College position – closing 9 February

Listen to a first-hand account from a member who has held a College position, and find out how you can apply to do the same. Don’t delay, apply today!

Other news

• RCPsych Council Meeting Summary – 26 January
• Question Time with the Officers – 26 January

President's blog

In her first blog post of 2024, Lade talks about the Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society that she attended this month, prescribing clozapine and more.

College launches 2024-2026 Strategy

Find out the priorities for the College’s 2024-26 Strategy, which were set following an extensive collaboration including the College’s Council and Presidential Leads.

International Congress 2024

• Registration is now open for Congress this summer in Edinburgh – book your place today.
• Present your work in-person at one of the rapid-fire poster sessions – submit your poster.

Question Time with the Officers

New for 2024, we’re bringing you Question Time with the Officers as a main feature of each members eNewsletter. Watch the video and hear your questions answered.

Listening to you

Find out about a listening exercise the College undertook with members last month, and the next steps to make sure we act on members’ concerns.

Stand for election - nomination deadline is tomorrow!

You have until noon today to put yourself forward to stand for election for a College leadership position. Help contribute towards national policy.

All members: take part in the survey on women’s mental health

We’re calling on all members – men as well as women – to complete this short survey and help us understand the experience of women and girls accessing mental health services.

£10,000 prize for a woman working to improve mental health care

Nominations are invited for the Pascal-Boyle Prize for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman working to improve mental health care in Europe.

New Year Honours list 2024

Find out which of our members and those who work with the College were recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Dr Amar Shah appointed National Clinical Director

Dr Amar Shah, the College’s QI lead, spoke of his delight this week after he was announced as the new National Clinical Director for Improvement.

Surge in calls prompts Scotland chair to call for funding boost

Calls to NHS 24 about psychosis symptoms have increased by 100% in two years, new research has found.

Women and mental health survey

We’re asking all members to take a short survey to help us understand the challenges faced by women in our workforce, and the experience of women and girls accessing mental health care.

Start the new year with a new challenge – stand for election

We’re looking for members who would like to stand for election for a leadership position at the College, with a variety of leadership opportunities currently open.

How does technology affect your time for patient care?

The Health Foundation is looking for the views of psychiatrists on the impact of technology on the time that clinical staff have available for patient care.

New resources to help deliver more sustainable care

In collaboration with Greener NHS, the College has produced new resources to help members deliver more sustainable care on the path to Net Zero.