News, reports and resources

See the latest news, reports and resources from the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry .

Latest issue of The Old Age Psychiatrist

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If you would like an earlier edition, please contact our archivist at francis.maunze@rcpsych.ac.uk.

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College reports

College joint reports

Faculty reports

National adoption of FDG-PET scanning in Wales

Background information on the RCPsych Wales website

Interview with Dr Chineze Ivenso, Chair of Old Age Faculty, RCPsych Wales, ITV Wales


Survey of services results

Dementia

Other topics

Videos

We have curated a selection of videos created by other organisations for sharing and teaching purposes.

Watch our video resources

Engaging Minds: Webinars for Old Age Psychiatry Higher Trainees is a new series designed specifically for trainees, to give you access to clinical updates, networking opportunities and engagement with experts. Sessions are designed and hosted by the Trainee Representatives from the Old Age Faculty, and are only open to Higher Trainees to attend, thanks to the generous funding support of the Faculty.

Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry Annual Conference, 27-28 March 2025, Liverpool

Community Mental Health Transformation webinar, 26 April 2021

 

This webinar discusses what is proposed in the Community Mental Health Transformation plan and suggests practical tips in implementing the plan. This video features the following speakers:

  • Dr Mani Krishnan chairs the webinar
  • Dr Amanda Thompsell, National Speciality Advisor for Older Adults’ Mental Health at NHSE & I, discusses the details of the plan and she explains whom to contact to find out about your local plan. She runs through some of the steps needed to be taken and share an example of how co-production works in practice. She also discusses with you some of the possible enablers.
  • Dr Josie Jenkinson facilitates the Q&A session

The slides from this webinar are available to download.

You can find additional resources below:

Your local Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)

Examples of how colleagues are engaging with CMH Transformation

NHSE&I guidance to funding: Bottom of page 22 mentions aligning with Ageing Well and Frailty NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan, 2019/20 - 2023/24: The NHS Implementation Plan mentions aligning with Ageing Well on page 16, page 26 and page 36 and page 37

Personality disorders in later life: epidemiology, presentation and management – Ayesha Bangash, BJPsych Advances (2020), vol. 26, 219–220 doi: 10.1192/bja.2020.19

Late-onset personality disorder: a condition still steeped in ignorance – Peter Tyrer and Robert Howard, BJPsych Advances (2020), vol. 26, 219–220 doi: 10.1192/bja.2020.19

The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the National Collaborating Central for Mental Health, September 2019

Action required to tackle health inequalities in latest phase of COVID-19 response and recovery, NHSE, 2021

PHE Fingertips

Future NHS Collaboration Platform

Training materials

The epidemiology and presentation of mental illness in older people is different to younger adults, and older people with mental illness often have a unique and complex set of physical, psychological and social factors complicating their care. For these reasons older people need dedicated inpatient and community mental health teams to look after them.

There is a global history of ageism in the funding and delivery of mental health services for older people. The UK has led the way in developing age-specific services which research has shown improve care in this group. These services are now under threat in the UK by the move to "ageless services". Commissioners and trusts have various reasons to consider this including a misguided belief it may save money or misinterpretation of the Equalities Acts around the UK.

The College is clear that older people need dedicated age-specific mental health services. We have assembled a compendium of evidence to support this below.

If your services are under threat, please look at and use this evidence. Many people have already found it helpful to rebut the move to ageless services.

Please give us any feedback as to whether these resources help or not in your fight to preserve your services.

Learning together – a collaborative case discussion, 8 September 2021

This webinar was chaired by Professor Linda Gask, Consultant Psychiatrist and is a collaborative case discussion between GPs and Old Age Psychiatrists, focusing on:

  • Anxiety and depression – Professor Carolyn-Chew Graham (Academic GP) and Dr Suhana Ahmed (Consultant Psychiatrist)
  • Risk assessment – Dr Ruth Thompson (GP) and Dr Suhana Ahmed (Consultant Psychiatrist)
  • Alcohol – Dr Tony Rao (Consultant Psychiatrist) and Dr Ruth Thompson (GP)
  • Sleep disturbance – Professor Hazel Everitt (Academic GP) and Dr Mani Krishnan (Consultant Psychiatrist)

 

You can find additional resources below:

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry