The Royal College of Psychiatrists was named 'Campaigning Team of the Year' at the 2023 Charity Times Awards for its work on equality, diversity and inclusion. The awards, organised by Charity Times, recognise best practice in the UK charity and not-for-profit sector.
The College was recognised for its work to promote equality, diversity and inclusion for members, staff, clinicians, and patients and carers of all characteristics and backgrounds.
The College’s work in this area includes:
- publishing and implementing an Equality Action Plan with 29 key actions to promote equality and equitable outcomes for College members, staff, mental health staff, and patients and carers
- launching the first curriculum in any medical specialty requiring all junior doctors in a particular field to learn about structural discrimination to better serve patients
- initiating a UK-wide campaign to tackle racism against staff working in mental health services, with five NHS trusts, and three independent sector organisations, already signed up to implement the College’s 15 recommended actions to ensure race equity
- running and publicising the first ever survey by a medical royal college examining the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ doctors, with two NHS trusts already signed up to implement the College’s 12 recommended actions to stamp out prejudice
- highlighting the continuing gender pay gap for women working in NHS mental health trusts and reducing the gender pay gap among College staff from 17% in 2019 to 2.85%
- being named in the top 100 UK employers for creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace
- supporting 20 mental health trusts to tackle health inequalities locally through the College’s Quality Improvement collaborative on Advancing Mental Health Equality (AMHE), and
- being highlighted as a model employer on equality, diversity and inclusion by the Equality and Human Rights Commission via an online case study.
RCPsych President Dr Lade Smith CBE said:
“Congratulations to the members, affiliates, Experts by Experience and College staff who have been involved in our pioneering work on equality, diversity and inclusion which are intrinsically linked to mental health and wellbeing. I am very proud of our achievements to date and continuing work in this very important area.”
RCPsych Chief Executive Paul Rees MBE said:
“I am so proud that yet again we have been recognised as being one of the leading organisations in the UK. We have made a real impact both within our organisation and across mental health services. I would like to thank everyone who has played any part in our ground-breaking work on equality, diversity and inclusion.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896