RCPsych eNewsletter

May 2021

Welcome to our eNewsletter for members

In this issue we announce the release of annual report for 2020, reveal more details about our Virtual International Congress for 2021 and comment on the recent events in South Asia and the Middle East.

Members: Please don’t forget to take part in our first ever membership experience survey.

The latest from the Devolved Nations

Read the latest news and blog posts from Northern Ireland.

Read more news and blog posts from Scotland.

Building on the success of our ‘Opening Up in Lockdown’ podcasts last year, we have created a new series called ‘ReConnect’ which explores coping mechanisms people have turned to the past year.

Ahead of the Welsh Parliament election, which took place on 6 May, we circulated a post and short report highlighting our engagement work with politicians over the last 18 months. We were pleased to see that political parties have overwhelmingly understood and adopted the headline message of parity for mental health with physical health, as well as the need for timely access to the right services.

Read the latest news and blog posts from Wales.

Other news from around the College

Free access to eBrain

Did you know you have access to the eBrain learning platform?

eBrain is a non-profit initiative brought to you by the Joint Neurosciences Council. It provides 650+ interactive, multimedia-rich lessons in 24 modules, such as Performing a Neuropsychiatric Examination and Principles of Developmental Neuropsychiatry in Children and Young People. The learning material on eBrain also includes question banks, virtual case reports, practice examinations, learning paths, and a bibliography.

The website has a new look and layout for 2021 plus a new podcast series.

To get access contact the College Library at infoservice@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Suggest a book

Is there a particular book we don't have that would make a useful addition to the library? Do you think we need more copies of an important textbook? The Library welcomes suggestions from members for library stock. Members can send us an email at infoservices@rcpsych.ac.uk or give us a call on 020 3701 2761 / 020 3701 2520. These can be for books, journals or online resources.

Items suggested will be carefully considered but not all necessarily obtained

Please always check the library catalogue before making a suggestion.

Accessing eBooks

Have you checked out the College Library's collection of ebooks? We have 45 available, including the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines, Oxford Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. We're also looking for recommendations – get in touch!

The Psychiatrists' Support Service (PSS) provides free, rapid, high quality peer support by telephone to psychiatrists of all grades who may be experiencing personal or work-related difficulties.

Our service is totally confidential and delivered by trained Peer Support Psychiatrists (PSPs). Our PSPs are from diverse backgrounds and have received training in many different areas, to improve their understanding and ability to support all those who call the PSS.

As a service, we are aware that the difficulties faced by doctors vary enormously. We will support you through whatever they may be, including burnout, workplace bullying and discrimination, serious incidents, as well as coping with stress and change. Our support service manager and our PSPs will talk with you in confidence, without stigma or prejudice.

The service can be contacted by phone on 020 8618 4020 or by email at pss@rcpsych.ac.uk.

MindEd are excited to inform you of our 2 new e-learning modules launching in Autumn 2021, aimed at education and education-mental health professionals. The modules will outline how initiatives within the government’s education-mental health Green Paper will fit within current wellbeing delivery in educational settings, and how schools and colleges can support and intervene effectively and early in bullying and cyberbullying.

Each module is being written by partnering experts in the fields of mental health and education, alongside people with lived experience of the topics being covered. The modules will each feature standard knowledge-based e-learning sessions, and a case study to help users develop key skills.

Meet the team

My name is Unnati, and I have recently joined the CCQI AIMS Rehab team as Project Officer. I have a BSc in Psychology and currently undertaking an MSc in Health and Clinical Psychological Sciences. Before this role, I worked as an Activities Coordinator in an acute mental health ward.

My name is Matthew, the new Project Officer from the Quality Network of Older Adult Mental Health Services. I was intrigued by the idea of “There is no health without mental health” and I always want to work in the mental health field. I found assessing and improving the quality of mental health service in the UK is very important and I am enjoying what I am doing in CCQI now.

My name is Lauren and I am the newly appointed Deputy Programme Manager for AIMS Rehab and QNOAMHS Quality Networks and Accreditation within CCQI. I previously worked in the NHS within Medical Education quality and governance processes, HR and Medical Staffing for almost 10 years and look forward to meeting and working with you all!

Dates for your diary

  • Aiming for Accreditation Workshop – Tuesday 8 June 2021
  • AIMS Rehab Advisory Group – Wednesday 21 July 2021
  • QNOAMHS Special Interest Day – Thursday 22 July 2021
  • AIMS Rehab and QNOAMHS Peer Reviewer Training – Friday 20 August 2021
  • QNOAMHS Advisory Group – Thursday 26 August 2021

Please continue to report cases of potential psychiatric and neuropsychiatric (as well as neurological) complications of COVID-19 and/or the SARS-CoV2 vaccine to this important UK-wide surveillance project.

You can report any cases you have seen during the pandemic by completing this brief (1-2 minute) form.

Note: All those who have submit cases are cited and searchable by name in PubMed as members of the CoroNerve Study Group in any publications such as this first paper in Lancet Psychiatry.