Hello from your new President

In his first blog post as President, Subodh reflects on his first week in charge and discusses his ideas for the priority areas of the new College strategy, as set out in his speech to International Congress last week.

Last week was a whirlwind – I became President and gave my first presidential speech at Congress, an experience that was both humbling and energising. It’s been a moment of transition, excitement, and a real sense of responsibility settling in! As I know not all of our members can make it to Congress, I thought it would be useful to tell you a bit about what I spoke about in my presidential address.

My predecessor, Dr Lade Smith CBE, did extraordinary work campaigning for our patients and supporting psychiatrists, and this momentum will continue. As President, I intend to build a College that is trusted, inclusive, and influential.

In my address, I spoke about my time as Dean, during which I drew a clear line between the College’s education and training work and the real clinical needs of our patients. Now, stepping into the role of President, I want to do the same with our policy and standards work. I want to make sure they are firmly rooted in scientific evidence and genuinely reflected in patient outcomes.

As I told our Congress attendees, this is easier said than done! We operate in a system under significant strain, and psychiatry can feel like it has been pushed to the side at times. But, by putting our clinical selves forward first and foremost, I believe that we can do some incredible work together.

My priorities

In my address, I talked about the priority areas I am thinking about as I work with members to develop the next three-year strategy. These were informed by the many members I heard from during my campaign, and I look forward to hearing from many more as the new strategy is developed.

My first priority area is clinical effectiveness. The inequity that our patients face is preventable. I spoke about evidence-based treatments such as clozapine, lithium and ECTs that, if made available to the right patients at the right time, can reduce stay times, save money, and ensure staff well-being.

Of course, clinical effectiveness will not work if it is not delivered safely, which is why safer mental health services is an area that will be a particular priority of mine during my tenure.

I also spoke about the importance of clinical academic psychiatry and the application of research into practice, and the need to prioritise this. Research advances the development of new treatments and ensures evidence-based practice. I pledged to champion investment into this field that so often goes ignored but is crucial for effective and safe services.

Half of mental health problems arise before the age of 14, and three-quarters before people turn 24, which is why early life health is a non-negotiable for me. I emphasised the importance of caring for children and young people, and supporting parents.

Considering the wider determinant of mental health will be a key priority. For many of our patients, recovery is inseparable from factors like work, housing, and financial stability. This is an area that I think the College has some great influencing opportunities in.

My last priority area is about physical activity and lifestyle determinants. Environments that support mental health and recovery, from good inpatient settings to local communities, are integral to a healthy society.

The most important job of my life?

I assured our Congress delegates that the absence of some workstreams does not mean that they will be neglected. Things like workforce capacity, well-being and global mental health remain incredibly important to me and fall into the category of business as usual.

Indeed, the well-being of our workforce is something incredibly important to me, which is why I made sure to remind everybody that it is more important than ever to have respect for one another and move forward together.

Most importantly, I want to thank you all for putting you trust in me. Being President of RCPsych almost tops the list as the most important job of my life. Being a psychiatrist probably takes the cake, but I don’t have to tell you that.