We published our new three-year strategy document, called Excellent patient care in a changing world, on 1 January.
The strategy, which will run between 2021-23, includes the four priorities of the President Dr Adrian James, who will be in post until summer 2023.
The presidential themes are:
- equality and diversity
- parity of esteem
- workforce wellbeing
- sustainability.
The equality and diversity priority is described in more detail in our new Equality Action Plan, which is published today.
The College strategy also includes seven core organisational objectives, which are:
- supporting members through COVID-19 and beyond
- delivering education, training and research in psychiatry
- promoting recruitment and retention in psychiatry.
- improving standards and quality across psychiatry and wider mental health services, and support the prevention of mental ill health
- being the voice of psychiatry
- supporting psychiatrists to achieve their professional potential, by providing an excellent member experience
- ensuring effective management of College resources and delivering excellent employee experience.
As a global organisation, we have more than 19,000 members – with almost 3,500 working outside the UK.
We also have 1,600 mental health services, across the UK, and beyond, signed up to our quality networks.
In addition, we have around 210 employees, as well as more than 150 patient and carer representatives, who are employed as workers.
During the pandemic, we have been fleet of foot and continued to deliver our key services by:
- switching to being a virtual organisation – with 95% of staff working from home
- migrating all activities and services online
- rolling out one of the biggest programmes of webinars in the Medical Royal College sector
- digitising our exam so that trainees can take the CASC, and Papers A and B remotely – without the need to go to exam centres, where they would be at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Having continued to deliver services to members during the pandemic, the plan sets out how we intend to further enhance member support over the next three years, in a rapidly changing world.
Our Chief Executive Paul Rees said:
“This is an incredibly difficult time for our members and wider mental health services across the UK, and beyond. They are facing unprecedented challenges and are seeing a huge increase in the number of people being affected by mental illness.
“At this time, it is critical that we continue to adapt and modernise our offering, so that we can provide the best possible support to psychiatrists and multi-disciplinary teams, to help them deliver excellent patient care.
“Our strategy sets out an ambitious plan for the College to continue to deliver the best possible services to our hard-working members, through a process of continuous improvement.
“It also sets out how, as a values-based organisation, we will oppose all forms of discrimination, and deliver equality and equitable outcomes for our members, our staff, and healthcare workers, as well as patients and carers.
“As we change and evolve, we will continue to stand by our members in a way that is sustainable and supports workforce wellbeing, as well as promoting parity of esteem for those affected by mental illness.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: webteam@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych