New RCPsych curricula launched

The College is pleased to have recently launched our new 2022 curricula which are shorter and simpler than the previous ones.

The Curricula Implementation Hub contains resources and training on all aspects of the new curricula. The rules that oversee core and specialty psychiatry training have been moved out of the curricula and into the College’s Silver Guide. Resources include an extensive set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the curricula that were raised during drop-in sessions and events.

The new rules and curricular focus on flexibility and personalisation. Mandated requirements have been replaced by recommendations, to ensure that any trainee in any placement is able to meet the demands of each curriculum. A holistic approach, combined with adherence to the College’s values for psychiatrists, are central to each curriculum.

Most trainees - aside from those about to complete core or higher training - will move to the new curricula over the next two years. This process will be guided at all times by their Trusts/Health Boards and supervisors. Everyone who needs to transition must have done so before August 2024.

Dr Subodh Dave, Dean of the College, said:

“The new curricula have at their heart a person-centred ethos, with key capabilities tailored to deliver personalised care for patients and personalised professional development plans for learners. Our new curricula speak to our identity as psychiatrists – integrating psychosocial sciences and neurosciences. Ensuring that our curricula help deliver improved patient outcomes has long been one of my cherished goals.

“I am really pleased that in our new curricula we have a world-leading set of learning outcomes that place the individualised care of patients in a population context at the core of training for all future psychiatrists.”

Dr Ian Hall, Chief Examiner, said:

“The new curriculum has enabled us to start working on a new syllabus for the CASC exam, which will include a new emphasis on a personalised approach to patient care, and the interaction between physical and mental health.”

Dr John Russell, Associate Dean for Curricula, who led this work, said:

“The changes we have made will put the new curricula at the heart of psychiatry training. I’m excited to see our vision being realised and would like to thank the many, many people who have contributed to this achievement.”

Back to 11 August 2022 Members' update.