RCPsych in Scotland events - a closer look

Dr Adam Daly shares his experiences as RCPsych in Scotland Meetings Secretary, offering valuable insights into the role.

Meetings organisation is a skill and an art, and after a good few years in this position I still consider myself a novice. I have been surrounded by good people who have made the task easier, however, I am acutely aware that knowledge and experience are easily lost, both to organisations and ourselves, as we move on to new opportunities and experiences.

The experience of a Meetings Secretary is potentially even more useful, as many of us are involved in organising conferences and meetings at various points in our careers. I want to use this opportunity to set down a record of how the RCPsych in Scotland meetings programme has recovered and begun to flourish in the post-covid world, how we have got there and what might come next.

Many areas of our professional lives changed overnight with Covid, and, of course, holding large in-person meetings several times a year simply stopped. The Meetings Secretary is a position I was appointed to by the then new Chair of RCPsych in Scotland, Dr Linda Findlay. I had some experience, having organised a few small local meetings, and on one occasion working with colleagues to organise the Old Age Psychiatry Scottish Faculty meeting, but this was something altogether bigger. Did I really want to be organising all that? In the end, as with many opportunities in life, I decided to just say yes and see what happened – I generally feel it’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t!

Stepping into the role of Meetings Secretary

My predecessor, Dr Pauline McConville, met with me (over Teams) to handover, which was a great start. As with many roles in the College, there was a sense of history and continuity when taking over this role, and that my job was to build on the work that had been done to date.

Pauline had made the move to the alien world of online events, but no one knew how this would all pan out and whether online was here to stay, or if anyone would ever be able to (or want to) return to being in a room with people. Over the next few years, I would spend a considerable amount of time thinking with colleagues over why we meet, what members find valuable, and how to engage meaningfully with the wider group of psychiatrists.

Member engagement events held by Linda Findlay, and her successor Dr Jane Morris, regularly featured queries about membership and meetings. Through such discussions it was clear to me that for many members of the College, meetings were the College.

I shadowed my first meeting with Pauline (online) and then the responsibility came to me. I can say that we learned a few things quickly, borrowing learning from our colleagues in England. We noted some obvious things: online meetings are good for accessibility, not so good for networking; different people prefer different modes of delivery.

Shaping events for a new era

We had our first face-to-face meeting back in January 2023, and as with every meeting I have organised, the College staff, particularly Angela Currie, did most of the work. Without them these events would never happen.

It was clear at that point that although online conferences would likely now always have a role, there were unique aspects of meeting face to face that meant that regular face-to-face meetings would once again also form part of our calendar. We started building back our knowledge. Some of which applied before covid, but some was different – because we were different.

We learnt to mix up delivery methods, using debates, workshops, and short talks - attention spans had shrunk! We found no one likes turning up to a face-to-face meeting and seeing a recorded talk. We did themes and then we mixed up topics – a theme is good but having a good mix with a thread running through is better.

Listening to feedback was vital and having the freedom to adapt the model you use. Diversity of speakers brings numerous benefits – not least trainees, whose talks and posters now form a central part of our events. Finally, think about the venue, transport (and the impact on the planet), food, timings, and most importantly inclusivity, ensuring everyone can enjoy our events.

Highlights, milestones, and opportunities ahead

Each meeting has improved upon the last, but an undoubted high point for me was the meeting to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of RCPsych in Scotland. A great programme, every place sold out, and really positive feedback afterward.

This meeting was, to me, a watershed moment. We were both celebrating what the College had achieved to date and looking toward the future and what could be achieved. There will be many more RCPsych in Scotland meetings to come, and I would encourage anyone reading this to get involved.

The College is nothing without members who step forward to be involved, to share their interesting work and experience, to engage in challenging discussion and to train our Resident Doctors as the next generation of psychiatrists to support those who need our help.

Dr Adam Daly

If you would be interested in hearing more about the RCPsych in Scotland Meetings Secretary Role then please contact a member of the RCPsych in Scotland team at scotland@rcpsych.ac.uk.