1
Northern and Yorkshire Division
Newsletter
Issue no 15
Summer 2009
EDITOR’S CHOICE:
“Extinction Anxiety” - thought provoking and well worth a read
“From the Psychiatric Lexicon” - an interesting quick read
“Conference Reviews” - two good conferences—two good reviews
Articles
Page:
Editorial
2
Chairs Letter
4
Hello and Goodbye
6
Who’s Who
6
News from the Division Office
7
Life as a Regional Advisor
8
Conference Reviews
10
Friends of the College Archives
14
What’s new from the Public Education Committee
15
Tick Cycle Ride Number Two
18
From the Psychiatric Lexicon
19
Extinction Anxiety
20
ISPS Activity in the North of England
21
Attending Division Conferences
27
Adopt a book
28
Vacancies
29
How to Contact us
31
2
A word from the Editor:
Dear Members
Welcome to the Summer issue of our
Divisional Newsletter. It has more
news, information and colour than
previous editions—I hope you find it
useful.
Conference about how we can
improve the physical health of those
with mental illness—put the date in
your diary and I hope to see you
there!
A big thanks to Eva Davison for all
the time and effort she puts into the
Division as well as the Newsletter—I
know this is very much appreciated
by members.
The psychiatric lexicon in an
interesting quick read and the article
by James Johnston on Extinction
Anxiety is thought provoking—well
worth reading.
In this issue you can find out what
has been happening in our Division,
it includes useful pieces of
information and some interesting
thoughts that I hope will generate
discussion and debate.
Don’t forget—the newsletter is also
an opportunity for you to express
your views.
If you have any
examples of innovative services that
may be of interest to other
psychiatrists please send a brief
summary for inclusion in the next
issue. Enjoy the summer!
Have you ever wondered what it was
like being a Regional Advisor? Read
Chris Simpson’s open letter to find
out.
There is also an exiting
summary of our Conference
which looked at Patient Safety
Issues and details of our next
With best wishes
Professor Stephen Curran
Editor
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE DIVISION
GET INVOLVED
If you would like to be involved with the Executive
Committee and influence what is happening locally and
centrally
CHECK OUT THE VACANCIES AT THE END OF THE
NEWSLETTER
If you would like to be involved but can’t commit to a
specific post—you could do other things—get in touch
3
YOUR ECO-FRIENDLY NEWSLETTER
We hope that most of you will be looking at this newsletter
after you clicked on to the link we provided in our recent
All members e-mail.
Not only are we aiming to use less paper, less photocopying
toner and less postage—we want our newsletter to look as
colourful as possible. We are going to gradually introduce
more colour and pictures—so it will be more interesting to
look at.
To achieve this it helps if you can look at it on line and then
you can decide whether to print it off or not.
We haven’t forgotten about our members who do not have
access to the internet. They will still receive their copies as
usually by post to their chosen postal address.
If you do have internet access but you would still like to
receive your copy by post—please contact Leanne
[email protected] 0113 394 4107 and she will
add you to the mailing list
What is important to remember is that we want to keep in
touch with you and we can only do this if you keep in touch
with us—so if you change your e-mail address, work address
or home address then let us know. We have almost 1,300
members in Northern and Yorkshire and we would like all of
you to be able to access and read our newsletter.
4
Chair’s Letter
Since my appointment in autumn
2008 I have been gradually
learning about the Division and
how it functions as a northern
branch of the Royal College. The
complexities of the College are
many and it functions in many
different areas. One of the roles
of the Division is to act as a
northern voice of the College. The
communication is both ways.
Over the past year I have done
quite a bit of thinking about how
we can engage our wider
membership more in Division
Business.
We have quite a strong Executive
Committee, with a full compliment
of Elected Officers and Members.
The Committee is further
enhanced by our ex-officio and
appointed members who are
invaluable for the expertise they
bring to the Committee in their
individual roles. The work of the
Executive Committee is all pinned
together by the support we receive
from Eva and Leanne in the
Division Office.
However, the Division goes far
beyond the Executive Committee
members and the reason for our
existence on the Committee is to
represent and support our wider
membership in all local matters
relating to College.
One of the objectives I would like
to achieve during my term of
office is to make sure that the
Executive
Committee
is
approachable and open to the
views of all of our members in
Northern and Yorkshire Division.
I would like to tell you a little bit
about the strategy for the Division
and how I would like to go about
engaging more of you in what we
do. I want you to feel that you do
have a voice and although you
may personally not want to stand
for an elected office or take up an
appointed post on the Executive
your opinions do still count.
One of the issues that members,
myself included, have raised over
the years is that we seemed to
have little influence locally in what
decisions were made centrally,
particularly on important decisions
about national policy that effects
us all in our roles as Psychiatrists.
The College was often too late in
responding to important policy
documents and when it did
respond, comments were not
always robust enough to make a
difference. We now have a Policy
Department in London which is
dedicated solely to responding to
the numerous Policy Documents
received by the College. These
are circulated to all Division Chairs
for comment and I want to make
sure that members are given the
opportunity to comment if they
wish to do so.
We obviously have to have some
gate keeping process on this, so
that we don’t flood you out with
paperwork, so I will filter these
documents through to members of
the Executive and decide how best
to disseminate them. So could I
ask that if you are sent a
document to comment on (you will
be sent an e-mail with an
appropriate link to the relevant
web site) do please take time to
5
look at it because it will usually have
been specifically targeted at you for
a good reason.
I also want to encourage more of you
to attend our Academic Conferences.
We are very lucky in that we are at
present the only Division to have
dedicated academic secretaries
whose job it is to decide on the
theme and design of our Academic
Conferences. At present we attract
about 8%-10% of our total
membership. Those who do attend
generally rate them as very good.
Our Spring Conference this year was
well received by attendees and you
can find out more about it from the
review section. We know that
everyone has increasing demands on
their time—but we only hold two
each year—so please try and put the
dates in your diary when they are set
in September of each year.
It is important that we encourage our
trainees to get involved in Division
Activities. They are the Consultants
of tomorrow and we want to see
them as regularly as we can. We do
hold a trainee competition at one of
our Conferences each year—but we
would like to see trainees at all our
Conferences.
So if you are a
Consultant responsible for trainees,
then please make sure they receive
notice of our Conferences and
encourage them to attend.
I would like you all to not only read
the n e w sl e t te r b u t t o sta rt
contributing to it. We have always
had an Editor but we are just about
to make this a more formal
appointment so that we can be
much more proactive in seeking
out those of you who may wish to
contribute to an article, a letter or to
open a debate. But you don’t have
to wait for us to contact you. Be
proactive and send in any item you
think would be of interest.
We are sending this edition of the
newsletter out electronically.
Not
only does it save us money to do it
this way, more importantly we want
to start making it more colourful
(although we may not have quite
managed that in this edition) and
better formatted. We can do this if
we provide a link for you to pick it
up from the web page. Please let us
have your feedback. Your views are
important to us.
Finally, we have seen several of our
elected, appointed and ex-officio
members demit office this year to be
replaced by new recruits. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank
all of those—whose names appear in
our “Hello/Goodbye” column.
The
strength of the Division lies in its
membership and those who
represent the members in their
various roles on the Executive
Committee do a sterling job, usually
juggling the role with a substantial
daily workload. So I would like to
say a fond farewell to those who
have recently left the Executive and
to thank them for all their hard work,
as well as extending a very warm
welcome to our new comers who I
look forward to working with in the
future.
With Best Wishes
Division Chair
6
HELLO AND GOODBYE
Since our last edition we have said goodbye and thank you to:
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Judith Brothwell:
Claire Flannigan:
Chris Simpson:
Adrian Lloyd:
Elected Member
Elected Member
Regional Advisor for Yorkshire
Academic Secretary
AND
We give a warm welcome to:
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Yan kon
Andy Talbot
Bruce Owen
Simon Gilbody
Stuart Watson
Julian Whaley
Elected Member
Regional Advisor for Yorkshire
CPD Co-ordinator for North East
Academic Secretary
Academic Secretary
Co-Opted Member
Current Executive Committee Membership
Elected Officers:
Division Chair:
Secretary:
Finance Officer:
Dr Bob Adams
Dr Steve Barlow
Dr Ged Garry
Elected Members:
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Dr
Suresh Babu
Yan kon
Andrew Lawrie
Simon Sinclair
David Ward
Ex-Officio and Co-opted members:
Education & Training Standards Representative:
Co-opted Member:
Affiliate Representative:
Public Education Officer:
CPD Representative for North East Region
CPD Representative for Yorkshire
Academic Secretary for North East Region
Academic Secretary for Yorkshire Region
Psychiatry Trainee Representatives
Professor Stephen Curran
Dr Julian Whaley
Dr Ravi Khushu
Dr Paul Blenkiron
Dr Bruce Owen
Dr Guy Brookes
Dr Stuart Watson
Professor Simon Gilbody
Mark Lovell; Hitesh Joshi; Ian McKinnon
Regional Advisors:
Dr Andy Talbot for Yorkshire
Dr David Philbrick for North East
Deputy Regional Advisors:
Dr Fiona McKenzie for Yorkshire
Dr Paul Bernard for North East
Each of the Specialties are also represented on the Division Executive and a list of regional
representatives can be obtained from the Division Office or by consulting the web page.
7
News From the Division Office
Dear Members
As is always the way in the Division
Office, time flies by and before we
know it we have another meeting to
attend or another event to organise
and the months have just slipped
away. What did creep up on us this
year and almost caught us by
surprise was the College Annual
Meeting. It seemed to arrive a lot
quicker than we expected and before
we knew it we were on our way to
Liverpool.
It was nice to have the Annual
Meeting on our patch. The sun came
out to greet us and shone over the
Mersey for the full four days.
The venue was the BT Convention
Centre just by Albert Dock.
Newly
built in 2008 to prepare for Liverpool
being the City of Culture, it was a
perfect location—airy and spacious.
It was close enough to Liverpool’s
cultural centre to enable us, between
shifts behind the registration desk
and the odd conference incident or
two, to take the opportunity to pop
into some of the museums, visit
some nice local restaurants and do a
bit of shopping as well as socialising
with our colleagues from Belgrave
Square.
What was particularly good for us
was to see the large number of
delegates who attended from the
North of England. Some of whom
do not directly engage with the
Division. It was interesting to try and
identify what sessions had attracted
them on any one day. We weren’t
doing this simply to alleviate the
boredom of a day behind the
registration desk, we were trying to
establish if we did more of the same
locally would our local members give
our Division Conferences a visit in the
future.
If you are reading this and you were
in Liverpool, but you don’t attend our
Division Conferences—we would be
interested to know why. Or if you
have an idea for a theme for a future
Division Conference we would like to
hear from you—so please get in
touch.
We would like to thank those of you
who do know us for taking time to
come and have a chat with us. It
was lovely to see you all.
Liverpool came and went in a sea of
cream, blue, pink and orange
delegate badges and the storm clouds
were gathering over the Pennines on
our journey back to Leeds—but we
had enjoyed it and we look forward to
a future meeting being held in the
North.
Perhaps Leeds, York or
Newcastle next time.
With Best Wishes
Eva and Leanne
HELP US TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU
PLEASE KEEP YOUR CONTACT DETAILS UP TO DATE
8
LIFE AS A REGIONAL ADVISOR:
An open letter from Dr Chris Simpson to Dr Andy Talbot, the incoming Regional Advisor for
Yorkshire
Dear Andy
As you know the tenure for a Regional
Advisor is five years.
I have just
completed six years as I had a year’s
extension. Out of all the roles I have
done as a Psychiatrist, the Regional
Advisor was the best job ever—but don’t
tell anyone what fun it is.
initially in Yorkshire but it has now
spread throughout the North of
England and other parts of the
country are planning on using this
system.
•
Having the College involved in the
School of Psychiatry is vital. I was
able to ensure that the School
developed, the Head of School was
appointed and that we then
developed another School including
South Yorkshire.
When I began
there was a major problem with
Consultant
vacancies
within
Yorkshire and I spent a lot of time
concentrating on this, whilst also
looking at new ways of working and
developing links with the National
Institute of Mental Health for
England.
This all results in
Consultant posts being filled. We
now have a problem with recruiting
psychiatrists from medical schools
and again we have been able to
work on this within Yorkshire and
the two medical schools.
•
I have been really keen on working
closely within a team with the
Regional Advisors and Regional
Representatives working together.
Therefore I developed six monthly
meetings between us all to ensure
we are all co-ordinating our work.
Similarly I developed the Regional
Advisors meeting in the North of
England so that we can all learn
from each other as Regional
Advisors.
•
As well as doing things throughout
the Region there is the opportunity
to do things nationally.
I was
involved in writing joint guidance
on the employment of Consultant
psychiatrists in 2005 and also
wrote the new job description for
Regional Advisors.
The job description is long and boring
but essentially there are three roles.
Firstly, to scrutinise all new non-training
job descriptions within the region.
Secondly, to advise the Dean on all
aspects of psychiatric postgraduate
education. Thirdly to be a resource
within the region as frequently people
ring or email asking various questions
about College. It is probably this part
that is the most entertaining especially
for anyone who is nosey and wants to
know what is going on everywhere else.
I know lots of secrets about psychiatrists
and localities within Yorkshire.
In some ways the job is a blank sheet.
As long as you ensure that the Dean is
happy and the job descriptions are done
you can pursue issues that you think are
important.
Let me tell you the things that I found
interesting and worked on during the
past six years. Maybe some of them you
will find interesting or indeed think are
pretty useless but they have all been
enjoyable to me and I do think we were
able to make some changes especially on
how the College works within the Region.
•
When I took up the post it was
when the Division Office was about
to open.
This gave me the
opportunity of ensuring that they
were able to support me in my role
and take on a lot of the
administrative burden. As part of
this we changed to an electronic
system
of
scrutinising
job
descriptions. I developed this
9
•
I have always been keen on
everybody within Yorkshire seeing
the Divisional Office in Leeds as
“The College locally” however,
people still see the College as “that
building in Belgrave Square” but
certainly there have been changes
within the past six years. The hard
work done in the Divisional Office
is, I believe, valued by our
members and fellows. I developed
induction
days
for
Regional
Advisors nationally and based it in
Leeds.
In addition to College
Assessor Training or AACs which
used to always occur in London, is
now being held yearly in Leeds.
This is more beneficial for our local
members and is also reinforcing
the role of the Division Office.
Don’t feel you have to follow my lead
with these projects. Find your own
interests and ensure that whatever you
do helps develop the role of the College
in Yorkshire.
Good luck with the job and I hope it is as
rewarding for you as it has been for me.
With best wishes
Dr Chris Simpson
Regional Advisor for Yorkshire
(2003-2009)
Assessors for the College on Advisory Appointment
Committees
Have you have been a consultant for more than three years?
Would you be interested in representing the College as an Assessor
on Advisory Appointment Committees (AACs)?
Assessors are crucial to ensure good practice is maintained at all
AACs and to provide a constructive assessment of applicants’
expertise for the post. We urgently need representatives in all
psychiatric specialties and in all regions.
For full details on the role and how to become an Assessor, please
contact Miss Charlotte Cox at the Department of Postgraduate
Educational Services, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17
Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG. Alternatively, please see the
College website by following the link
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/collegeassessor.aspx.
NEXT TRAINING DATE: 30 OCTOBER 2009 IN LEEDS
Please contact Leanne if you would like to attend
10
CONFERENCE REVIEWS
A Risky Business
Patient Safety
In
Psychiatric Practice.
Autumn 2008
by:
Paul Blenkiron and Bob Adams
On a bright October day, the Division
held its Autumn Meeting in York. The
newly appointed chair, Dr Bob
Adams, welcomed over 80 delegates
to the National Railway Museum. He
set the scene with a number of
topical puns, forming a ‘platform’ for
the day’s ‘journey’ that was ‘just the
ticket’. Our first speaker was none
other than Professor Dinesh Bhugra,
President of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists. He posed some
challenging questions for the
profession of psychiatry in the 21st
Century. What makes a good
psychiatrist? Who defines it – doctors
or governments? Do we want a
consultant led or a consultantdelivered service?
On the 50th anniversary of
Hitchcock’s film “Psycho”, he made
an impassioned plea for us to
overcome the preconceptions of the
public and non-psychiatric doctors
alike. At a time when only 6% of
trainees sitting the MRCPsych exam
are UK graduates, we need to attract
more doctors into psychiatry. His
suggestions included inspiring
medical students (‘Would you rather
spend your day examining people’s
bowels or people’s minds?’),
emphasising the full range of
disorders we treat (not just
psychosis), remembering the ‘bio’
within our bio psychosocial approach
and generating more good news
media stories. He ended with a call
for all psychiatrists to retain their
optimism and to become active in
College initiatives. It is we, not
Belgrave Square in London, that are
the College.
Next, Dr David Newby, Medical
Director of Leeds Partnership NHS
Trust, spoke eloquently of his
ambition to make Leeds Trust the
‘safest in the country’ by 2012. ‘First
do no harm’ (although not actually
part of the Hippocratic Oath) was his
guiding principle. Data from the
National Patient Safety Agency
suggest that unintentional harm
affects 10% of patients but half of
these adverse events could be
prevented if previous lessons had
been learned. However, he
emphasised that safety is not an
absolute objective. Therapeutic risk
taking to achieve a positive outcome
is part of our job (eg when signing a
section 17 leave form). In practice,
error has as much to do with
organisations as individuals. David
recommended the ‘Swiss Cheese’
Model - building multiple checks into
procedures, not just one, to avoid
falling through the ‘holes’ in the
system. This prompted a stimulating
discussion about the practical value
of structured risk assessment tools
such as FACE.
‘Risk Management – Will I get the
Blame?’ was the title of a thoughtprovoking presentation by Dr Jim
Isherwood, Forensic Psychiatrist and
Medical Director of North Yorkshire
and York PCT. The traditional risk
11
assessment (harm to self, to others,
from others) put the focus on
negative outcomes. It is also based
largely on past behaviour and
‘common sense’. Yet even the local
greengrocer can recognise when
someone is dangerous! Jim asserted
that psychiatrists’ special skill should
lie in managing risk rather than
assessing it. His ‘top tips’ included
framing difficult decisions as a
‘dilemma’ (benefits versus risks),
adopting a team approach and clear
documentation. We should aim for
making successive small decisions
rather than one large one (e.g. when
discharging a patient from hospital).
He also urged us to tackle dynamic
risk factors (e.g. low mood in
depression) and gather data to
support outcomes. Several members
of the audience asked how we should
manage risk given limited resources and
sometimes
unrealistic
expectations. Jim recommended that
of us develop our own operational
policy, stating what your service can
(and can’t) do. This should be shared
and agreed with local managers. He
ended his talk with some words of
reassurance. In a clinical dilemma,
there are no harm-free options so
the standard of care is lower. He
advocated a risk approach rather
than a specific risk tool. And if we
follow the Bolam Principle,
psychiatrists need not always stick to
guidelines. Lawyers look at the
particulars of each case, and only 2%
of all negligence claims are
successful.
If you phone the Psychiatrists’
Support Service at the College (see
page 13 for contact details) you are
likely to hear the voice of its
manager, Kathryn Bartlett. As our
last speaker of the morning, she
described how this valuable resource
continues to grow. The most
common calls are from trainees,
followed by
psychiatrists facing
difficulties in relationships at work.
Kathryn reminded us that the
Psychiatrist’s Support Service is not a
counselling or advocacy service, nor
does it offer medico-legal advice.
What it can do is provide confidential
‘one-off’ advice, onward signposting
(eg to the BMA’s Doctors for Doctors
Service) or short term mentoring
from a network member within the
caller’s speciality. The service also
produces several information guides,
the most popular of which advises on
the transition from trainee to
consultant.
We enjoyed a ‘buffet’ lunch whilst
looking down upon Stephenson’s
Rocket and The Mallard. Then it was
‘full steam ahead’ into the afternoon
training session. ‘Professional
Indemnity’ might not at first sight
seem like a physiologically arousing
topic. However, Jo Galvin, Medicolegal advisor with the Medical
Protection Society, presented three
cases that soon fuelled our
professional paranoia - and the urge
to self-medicate with olanzapine. For
example, we heard the scenario of an
off duty psychiatrist accused of
assaulting his wife during a party. Jo
informed us about the consequences
of accepting a police caution in lieu of
formal charges for offences outside
of work. Doctors must still inform the
GMC who will in turn write to your
employer asking if there are any
concerns. Even if a psychiatrist is
clinically excellent, this can lead to a
performance assessment, warning
and even GMC suspension. No other
professional group – lawyers and
teachers included - is subject to this
degree of scrutiny. For negligence
12
claims arising from within our NHS
work, Crown Indemnity has been in
place since 1990. However, the Trust
Solicitor is there to protect the
interests of the Trust, not the doctor,
so it is worthwhile also maintaining
cover with a defence society. We also
learned that the preferred term for
‘suspension’ from work whilst under
investigation is ‘exclusion’ – although
the emotional and practical effects
are similarly profound. Risk factors
for a doctor being referred to the
National Clinical Assessment Service
(NCAS) for investigation of alleged
poor performance include being older
and male. In addition, psychiatry and
obstetrics have the joint highest
referral rates - four times higher than
that of physicians.
The final session of the day was led
by Dr John Sandars, GP and senior
lecturer at Leeds University. He gave
a semi-interactive presentation on
threats to patient safety. Late on a
Friday afternoon is always the most
difficult slot with the audience
drifting away if not entertained. John
tried hard to grab our attention with
his interactive quiz format - which
got easier when we worked out which
answers he wanted. We learnt that
most accidents occur due to human
error despite blame being placed on
the system. However, in relation to
running bad systems, the
indomitable Swiss Cheese Model
came up again. If many risk factors
combine sequentially, this can lead to
an adverse result. He described how
incident reporting systems imposed
from higher levels do not generally
work (don't we just know it). He also
pointed out that we cannot always
learn from the aviation industry
because lives are unlikely to always
depend on what we do. He
introduced the concept of a 'high
reliability organisation' where
everyone has a role in safety - from
cleaner to consultant surgeon. If the
system is wrong then we do have a
responsibility to try to change it.
Listening to this, some of us began
to plan our next Mental Health Act
section to avoid putting ourselves at
risk.
And so, under the lengthening
shadow of the Yorkshire Wheel, this
enjoyable and informative day
ended.
(October 2008)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
LOOKING AT THE PUBLIC FACE
OF
MENTAL HEALTH
IN THE 21st CENTURY
Spring 2009
By: Simon Gilbody.
Sixty four delegates attended the
Spring Conference on the theme of
“Psychiatry and the Media”. They
were entrained and edified by a
range of national and local speakers
and in the process were left more
“media savvy”.
Four speakers explored the workings
of the media in its portrayal of
mental illness and psychiatry in the
press. Dr Paul Blenkiron led the day
and provided an illuminating
reflection of media representations of
mental illness and psychiatry. He
used a collection of recent examples
to show how stigma is often reenforced and how our profession is
often misinterpreted
13
His own experiences of working with
the media were used in a humorous
fashion to illustrate potential pitfalls
of handling the press.
The College has entered a new phase
of engagement with the public via
the media under the stewardship of
the President. Delegates learned
about the College’s new era of media
communications from Liz Fox. Liz is
a former journalist and provided a
“poacher turned gamekeeper” overview of her experiences as the
College Press Officer.
She gave
some vital tips on dealing with journalists and highlighted the importance of ensuring that the College
viewpoint is represented at all times
when issues of mental illness and
mental health policy are debated.
The afternoon session comprised two
complementary presentations from
the guest speaker, Dr Mark Salter
and from our Division Chair, Dr Bob
Adams.
Mark gave a stimulating
presentation. He reproduced a
recent mauling of Professor Louis
Appleby by the radio 4 “rottwieiler”
John Humphries. One of the
delegates stepped up to the microphone to face the same hostile questions. The audience were impressed
when the delegate out-performed
Professor Appleby in dealing with Mr
Humphries questioning. Mark’s presentation had a serious message. He
urged delegates to become involved
in the College’s media training and
“to step up the mark” when mental
illness is discussed and debated. If
we fail to engage with the media,
then others will do so and
misrepresentations of mental illness
and our profession will persist.
The day ended with a thoughtful
presentation by Dr Bob Adams on
“The Dark Side of the Moon: Using
the Arts in Psychiatric Training”. Bob
drew on his experiences of using art,
literature and music to teach
Psychiatry. Bob’s tastes are old and
new and range from Van Gough to
Sid Barrett. He has used these
examples to stimulate medical
students and trainees and recently
wrote on the subject in the
Psychiatric Bulletin.
The day was interspersed with
Presentations from trainees who continually remind us of the high quality
research and audit that is conducted
in the Division. Topics included audits
on catatonia, prescribing, TD and
NICE guidance. It was difficult to
choose a winning presentation, but
the prize was awarded jointly to Liz
Mills and Tom Selmes.
A poster
presentation also took place and out
of nine applicants the prize was
awarded to Andy Byrne.
Particular thanks were extended to
Dr Paul Blenkiron for organising the
day. In his usual self-deprecating
style, he informed the delegates that
his career as a York-based
psychiatrist was assured since being
told he had a “good face for radio”.
The autumn conference will take
place on 9 October. The meeting will
feature a critical discussion of the
role of drug treatments in psychiatry.
Please put the date in your diaries.
(June 2009)
14
FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE ARCHIVES (FOCA)
The Friends of the College Archives was
established to support the College in the
preservation, promotion and sue of its
archival heritage as well as to promote
interest in the history of the College and
of British and Irish Psychiatry.
•
A history session at the Annual
Meeting history session
•
Annual visiting/outing to a site of
historical interest such as an old
asylum
Membership:
•
Engagement of history projects
relating to psychiatry
•
Three times a year newsletters by
post—contributions welcome.
•
•
Open to members and others with
the support of a member on
payment of a subscription of £25
per annum.
Donors to the Adopt a Book
scheme will be offered free
inaugural (first year) membership.
(If you would like a copy of the
recent newsletter by e-mail please
contact the Division Office)
(more about Adopt –a-book on page 24)
How to Join:
Proposed Activities:
To join please contact the Archivist.
Royal College of Psychiatrists,
17 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG
Telephone : 0207 235 2351 EXT 169
•
At least one meeting per year at
the College, usually in connection
with a display or presentation
The Psychiatrists’ Support Service
The Psychiatrists’ Support Service (PSS) is a confidential
telephone advice line for members of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists who find themselves in difficult and often times
distressing situations.
For further information about the new information guides and the
service in general, please contact the Psychiatrists’ Support
Service Manager on: 020 7245 0412 or by email at:
[email protected]
15
WHAT’S NEW FROM THE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE
By:
Paul Blenkiron
PublicEducation Officer
[email protected]
The College Public Education
Committee meets regularly at
Belgrave Square in London. I
attended their meeting for the first
time in December 2009, as the
Northern and Yorkshire Division’s
new Public Education Officer. As well
as feeding back on local matters, I
learned about some of the latest
initiatives at national level.
Newsletter readers might like to view
a summary of these developments so
here are the ‘headlines’:
•
Fair Deal:
The College Fair Deal Campaign was
launched in July 2008 and will last 3
years. Of the eight priorities, the
Public Education Committee will deal
particularly with stigma and
discrimination. Deborah Hart is the
Coordinator and Martin Deahl is
chairing the Fair Deal Group. More
emphasis is needed upon positive
news stories, not simply reacting to
events.
•
Media Contacts:
The College in London keep a list of
psychiatrists who are willing to act as
media contacts nationally for when
the press ask for a spokesperson on
a particular subject. Local divisions
and faculties may keep their own list
but these would need updating.
Anyone who is interested in forming
part of a local media network please
contact me.
•
Copycat Suicides:
The Samaritans have worked with
Peter Byrne (chair of the committee)
and developed guidelines on how the
media should report suicides.
General information should be given,
not details of method. This is
because 10% of all suicides are said
to be copycat suicides and there is
evidence that the more detail a
reported gives about the method, the
more copycat suicides will occur. A
recent case was the graphic
reporting of a chainsaw suicide in the
national press: “If it bleeds, it leads”.
•
How Mad Are You?
Peter Byrne advised the BBC on their
making of the Horizon Programme
“How Mad are You?” broadcast in
Autumn 2008 (asking whether it is
possible to spot those who have
experienced mental illness just by
observing them). This received much
positive feedback and some critical
comment in the British Medical
Journal.
•
Website:
The College website is now the most
popular website of all the Royal
Colleges, and at 134,000th most
visited on Google is above the
American Psychiatric Association. If
you have not reviewed it recently,
please do so. I have contributed a
piece entitled ‘Psychiatry In the
Media’ which can be accessed via the
training part of the website.
16
•
Patient Leaflets:
Dr Philip Timms, Chair of the Public
Education Board, announced that
new patient information RCPsych
leaflets on delirium and bipolar
disorder are now available online.
Abridged versions of core leaflets,
called ‘key facts’ have been produced
for 10 of the leaflets, with more
planned for 2009.
•
Media Training:
In the afternoon after the main
meeting, Public Education Committee
members were given media training
in how to respond to media
questioning about the risk of violence
from psychiatric patients. The
session was led by Dr Mark Salter, a
consultant psychiatrist who does
many of the College website
podcasts and media training at the
Annual Meeting. It is said that the
chances of being killed by a psychotic
stranger are 1 in 13 million (less
than winning the lottery), but there
is a 1 in 11,000 chance of dying in a
fire in your own home. Mark did not
have the original reference for this
statement, but he did believe that
reporters should be presented with a
more balanced picture. He presented
figures from the 2006 National
Confidential Inquiry.
Of 700 convictions for homicide in
the UK in 2006, just 30 (4%) were
some.
These reveal that, of 700
convictions for homicide in the UK in
2006, just 30 (4%) were committed
by individuals with a diagnosis of
schizophrenia. Only 7 (1% of the
total) were judged as ‘avoidable’.
•
Violence and Mental illness:
Following on from item 7, the College
has determined to be increasingly
proactive and prepared to respond
quickly when headline news stories
eg about alleged killings by mentally
ill patients are breaking. The
Committee reviewed a paper by Dr
Byrne on the approach to adopt
(ABCDE= Acknowledgment, Blame,
Context, Disadvantage of risk
assessment, Evidence, Future
Action). It is important to avoid
sounding insensitive to the public/
relatives about tragedies, giving
inappropriate ‘legs’ to a story and
getting ‘facts’ wrong. Further expert
training is planned for those
interested. The College wants to
agree some key basic statistics about
killings, aided by respected forensic
psychiatrists, so that we present
consistent, evidence based message
to the media.
ARE YOU INTERSTED IN
•
BECOMING A MEDIA CONTACT FOR THE DIVISION
•
SETTING UP A REGULAR COLUMN IN THE NEWSLETTER
•
COMMENTING ON SPECIFIC NATIONAL AND LOCAL POLICY
DOCUMENTS
KEEP IN TOUCH: GET INVOLVED
17
AUTUMN CONFERENCE 2009
9 October : Darlington
Improving the Physical Health of Patients with Severe
Mental Illness
What can and should we do?
Modern mental health services place great emphasis on risk
management and avoiding preventable death through suicide.
But, statistics show that the real causes of preventable death are
poor physical health and an unhealthy lifestyle.
We will explore what we can and should do as psychiatrists
Sessions will include:
•
What are the long term physical health consequences of severe mental
illness?
•
What are the pitfalls and the positives of smoke free policies in mental
health units?
•
Looking after the long term physical health of people with schizophrenia:
What can and should psychiatrists do?
•
Can we hep people with SMI to quit smoking?
•
Developing healthy living programmes: Rethink’s Physical Health Check
Project
Key Speakers:
Dr David Osborn: Reader, Royal Free & UCL Medical School
Dr David Yeomans: Consultant Psychiatrist, Leeds Partnership NHS Trust
Dr Aine Duggan, Research Manager, RETHINK
Dr Elena Ratschen, Lead Researcher, University of Nottingham
Professor Simon Gilbody, University of York
Dr Timothy Bradshaw, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester
Consultant and non Consultant Grades = £100
Retired and Trainees = £50.00
Contact Leanne Grice [email protected] for a registration
form
CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATIONS FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2009
18
Trick Cycle Ride: Number Two
By Bob Adams.
There has been a debate going on this
year at the Central Executive Committee
of the College and the Northern and
Yorkshire Executive Committee about
New Ways of Working (NWW). For those
new to this topic I will take you on a
quick journey round its origins and then
look at what is happening now.
Old ways of working gradually became
NWW from 2001 following a paper by
Peter Kennedy and Hugh Griffiths*. This
was enthusiastically taken up by Avon
and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust in
2003 who produced some guidance
which was followed by other Trusts. The
reason for its introduction was initially
described to be to reduce stress on overloaded general adult psychiatrists. However, there are many benefits for patients in increasing reduced waiting time
for assessments and supporting the
multi-disciplinary approach. In practice
many services including some CAMHS
services have already developed NWW
with the development of triage systems
for referrals and assessments. In our
service we were already doing multidisciplinary assessments and reviewing referrals and assessments at team meetings.
So in practice all it did was to support
what we were already doing albeit with
more shared responsibility.
So why is there such concern about
NWW now? There is a concern that it is
being used as a way to undermine the
role of the psychiatrist, to replace the
psychiatrist with cheaper, less thoroughly trained alternatives, known in the
blogs of doctors net as “noctors”. There
is a concern that there is a creeping devaluation of medical aspects of psychiatric care as expressed by Nick Craddock
and his colleagues in their 2008 article
“A wake up call for British Psychiatrists”**. You only have to look at the
new Mental Health Act to see how doctors no longer have a primary role.
So initially NWW was a new way of
smirking. Psychiatrists could withdraw
from some of the pressures of constantly
dealing with referrals but with consequent risk of new ways of shirking. But
has it now become new ways of lurking?
Will there be a future of redundant psychiatrists hanging around clinic corners
pleading for a chance to take part in
acute work? They will be part of a dying
breed eventually to be replaced by
nurse therapists, nurse prescribers, computerised CBT and even, dare I say it,
psychologists. The DH will be looking at
new ways of saving money and will start
to look at cutting the highest paid clinicians: you and I. Even the title NWW
has been changed.
It is now called
“Creating a Capable Workforce” - whatever that means.
Moving away from the paranoid position,
let us look at what is happening in reality. The situation is of course extremely
variable. Some services see no problems with NWW whereas others express
more concerns.
Like any new drug,
NWW has passed its honeymoon period
and is setting in across the land. New
teams are mushrooming and some centres have special teams for diagnostic
groups like affective disorder and schizophrenia.
In these cases the medical
model has perhaps been taken to an extreme. General adult psychiatrists are
now early intervention, AOT, home treatment, acute assessment, liaison, inpatient and outpatient specialists. Like obstetricians we are called in when things
get difficult to do a quick and risky operation. It is hard to follow a patient
through their journey through the system. Care can appear fragmented and
lacking in continuity. The change is not,
of course, confined to psychiatry. You
only have to look at hospital medicine
and general practice to see similar
changes.
19
But let us try to end on a positive
note and look at some of the good
things about NWW and how the
patients’ lot can be improved, which
is why, of course we are employed in
this job. Yes the workload is more
manageable. There are less routine
follow ups to see and we can act as
true consultants rather than suffer
the stress of continuous routine and
front line care. We can take a more
active part in teaching and
management of the service.
Psychiatrists may now have to
redefine their role and demonstrate
what we do to others and how we
can contribute to patient care.
I remember the days when we sat
back while others had to define their
role in the CMHT. Now it is our turn.
The College is currently discussing a
paper on this topic. In the end the
most important thing is what our
patients want and some of them,
those with more severe mental
illness, will still need us, there is no
doubt about that. We are still in a
privileged position as a result of
having a rigorous medical and
psychiatric training and can spend
time to get to know our patients and
follow them through the care
pathway if we make the time and are
open to doing to and design services
that enable us to do that. When the
going gets tough they turn to us. I
have just read some guidelines from
the National Patient Safety Agency
which makes in clear that a
consultant psychiatrist should be
directly involved in all clinical
decision making for service users
who may pose a risk to children.
When we are not involved in decision
making things are more likely to go
wrong. I do not see a future of
lurking at clinical corners and waiting
for the redundancy cheque.
We
need to get out there and be at the
forefront of the capable workforce.
If we are not involved in service
planning then we need to be.
Onward to the breaches…..! Whoops
time to stop.
*Kennedy and Griffiths (2000) An
Analysis of the Concerns of Consultant
General Psychiatrists Practices that may
point towards Solutions. Durham:
Northern Centre for Mental Health.
*Kennedy and Griffiths (2001) 179:283285 Editorial BJPsych. General
Psychiatrists discovering new roles for a
new era…. And removing work stress.
** Craddock et al (2008) BJPsych 193:69 Wake up call for British psychiatry
What’s on in 2010
Spring Conference: April 2010
Treating Borderline Personality Disorder
Key note speakers:
Dr Tim Kendall,
Medical Director & Consultant Psychiatrist, Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust
Caris Vardy,
Regional Personality Disorder Development Lead NE Region
Contact Leanne for more information [email protected]
20
From the Psychiatric Lexicon
By; Paul Blenkiron
And now, a lighter look at some of the more esoteric words that
may not be found in Sim’s Symptoms in the Mind or the ICD-10 .…
Hypobulia:
difficulty in making decisions
Parorexia:
craving for strange foods
Ebriection:
mental breakdown from drinking too much
alcohol
Financial
Dysmorphia:
CBD:
delusions of poverty – a feared lack of money
out of proportion with one’s income (eg
millionaires who look for bargains on Ebay)
psychotherapy for those distressed about
undertaking workplace-based assessments (OK,
I made this one up)
And introducing my top three obscure phobias of the season….
Gamophobia:
a morbid fear of marriage
Psychophobia:
a morbid fear of the mind
Scopophobia:
a morbid fear of being seen (particularly
problematic if the sufferer also has scotophobia
– a fear of darkness
ARE YOU A TRAINEE?
YOU CAN ENJOY A CONFERENCE WITHOUT THE STRESS
OF ENTERING A COMPETITION
SO BOOK YOUR STUDY LEAVE AND JOIN US ON
9 OCTOBER 2009
AT OUR AUTUMN CONFERENCE
BRING YOUR CONSULTANT ALONG WITH YOU—THEY MIGHT
ENJOY IT TOO!!
21
Extinction Anxiety
By Dr James Johnston
Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy
Regional Representative (Psychotherapy) for Yorkshire
Some psychiatrists are anxious (1).
The Feel devalued, marginalised and
sense that their profession is, if not
exactly in its death throes, at least a
bit poorly.
Some of the anxious psychiatrists
have turned their sense of threat to
criticism of their colleagues for failing
to seize some corner of a scientific
field which could remain forever
Psychiatry (2,3).
The President of
the Royal College,
Professor
Dinesh
Bhugra has defined
the distinct role of
the Psychiatrist by
using familiar lists
of
competencies
under the umbrella
of the Psychiatrist
as a Healer (4).
Some
of
this
anxiety seems to
be directed towards
an effort to turn
back the tide of
New
Ways
of
Working (5), which
is now considered
b y
s o m e
psychiatrists to be
the New Ways Not
Working (6).
Although New Ways of Working was
purportedly introduced to help
demoralised and overworked
psychiatrists, it seems for some to
herald an erosion of the role of the
psychiatrist rather than the
recognition and protection of that role
(1,6).
New Ways of Working seems to have
evoked extinction anxiety in some
parts of the psychiatric profession.
Some psychiatrists wonder why their
colleagues have not risen up challenge
this insidious onslaught of their
profession (1). They speculate that it
may be a fear of envious attack for
their privileged status or borne out of
an impotent sense of futility, a
learned helplessness
that leads to the
belief that protest is
useless. A t the very
l e a s t
s o m e
psychiatrists
are
considered naïve in
their collusion with a
dilution of their own
profession
by
a
management system
that is an unstoppable
juggernaut
of
Orwellian
Double
Think (7).
As a psychiatrist who
opted to train and
spec ialis e
as
a
psychotherapist , the
above account of a
professional
group
anxious
about
its
future,
feeling
devalued
and
marginalised, apt to
turn on itself for its lack of potent
protest against a tide of perceived
indifference or contempt is familiar.
I have rarely been to a meeting of
medical psychotherapists at the Royal
College of Psychiatrists when the
22
Death knell for the future or
specialty has not been sounded.
our
Medical
psychotherapy
posts
are
disappearing and where there are posts
it is incumbent on us to say why we
believe we are crucial to mental health
services (8). Medical psychotherapists
may be at the thin edge of a wedge
which the rest of psychiatry will follow.
We medical psychotherapists may have
something to offer our psychiatric
colleagues as some of them confront
their extinction anxiety and defend their
position and role in mental health
services. Our position is sometimes seen
as one of occupying an elitist Ivory
Tower from which we have little
understanding of the real work of
psychiatry.
I have often thought that psychiatrists
are on the periphery of medicine while
psychotherapists are on the periphery of
psychiatry.
If you conceptualise
medicine as a family, psychiatrists are
cousins and psychotherapists are second
cousins once removed, and considered to
be living in a nicer country.
One of the ways in which psychiatrists
are defending their distinct professional
territory
is
in
part
to
reclaim
psychotherapy as an integral part of
their identity (4).
Medical psychotherapists are defending
their distinct professional territory by
reclaiming biology (rather than biological
psychiatry) as an integral part of their
identity. This is turning towards their
medical identity, the experience of
training and working as doctors whose
primary objective is the body.
I have recently done just this in a
Yorkshire Regional paper written as a
response to an invitation to Professor
Bhugra of the Psychotherapy Faculty to
define (and defend) the role of the
medical psychotherapist (8) .
My argument is clinical, based on the
premise that the primary task on the
NHS mental health service is to assess
and treat people with mental illness.
The medical model has become a
denigrated object in mental health with
the word medical implying something
toxic (9,11).The current conceptualisation
( or prejudicial caricature) of the
psychiatric version of the medical model
is equated with something narrowly
biological which has been clinically
useless
or
precludes
a
holistic
understanding of what it is to be human
(9,10)
Perhaps
there
is
a
more
fundamental challenge to the role of the
doctor that underlies what is happening
for psychiatrists. Is medicine becoming
a denigrated and devalued profession?
(12).
One way of thinking about the extinction
anxiety amongst some psychiatrists is
that the supposedly helpful intervention
of reducing their activity to improve their
morale my be unconsciously equated
with a demoralising desire to extinguish
their identity.
The danger of reducing activity is that it
may evoke anxiety that we are only
useful in what we do rather than how we
think. My cartoon of the beleaguered “Do
Do” Bird conveys the message that the
pressure to do may be a defence against
thinking about and engaging with threats
to survival. The process of self reflection
going on amongst some psychiatrists
about their identity in anxiety provoking.
It’s my experience that serious self
reflection signifying psychic change
always evokes anxiety.
Anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. It may
lead to adaption and survival.
For a full copy of “The role of the medical
psychotherapist in mental health services” please
visit
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/The%20role%20of%
20the%20medical%20psychotherapist%20in%
20mental%20health%20services%208th%
20April%202009.pdf
References:
(1) St John-Smith P., et al. The Trouble with NHS
Psychiatry in England.
Psychiatric Bulletin 2009:219-225
(2) Craddock N., et al Wake up call for British
psychiatry. Br J Psychiatry 2008;193:6-9
23
References cont.
(3) Bullmore E., et al. Why psychiatry can’t afford
to be neurophobic.
B J Psychiatry 2009;194:293-295
(4) Bhugra D. The role of the psychiatrist in health
services (draft) 2009
(5) Department of Health. New Ways of Working
for Psychiatrists: Enhancing Effective, Person
Centred Services through New Ways of Working in
Multidisciplinary and multiagency contexts. 2005
(6) Dale J., et al. New Ways not Working?
Psychiatrists attitudes
Psychiatric Bulletin 2009; 204-207
(7) Orwell G. Nineteen Eighty-Four
Penguin Books 1970 (first published 1949)
(8) Johnston J. The role of the medical
psychotherapist in mental health services (draft)
2009
(9)Sorboro J. The trouble with psychiatry.
Skeptic: 2007 13:37-43
(10) Kingdom D., et al. Research into putative
biological mechanisms of mental disorders has
been of no value to clinical psychiatry
Br J Psychiatry 2007: 191: 285-90
(11) Shah P., et al. The medical model is dead—
long live the medical model.
Br J Psychiatry 2007 191:375-7
(12) Edwards E., et al. Unhappy doctors: what are
the causes and what can be done?
BMJ 2002: 324:835-8
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 30 OCTOBER IN LEEDS
Have you got experience of sitting on an advisory
appointments committee?
Would you like to share that experience with
colleagues?
Do you enjoy role play?
We hold training courses for newly appointed and refresher College
Assessors for AACs in Leeds once a year.
As part of the training we stage a mock AAC which is made up of
volunteers who have either had experience of sitting on an AAC in
any capacity or enjoy a bit of role playing.
Those being trained found the experience provided them with the
opportunity to experience some of the situations they may come
across in a real AAC and air some of their concerns with the
experts.
Full briefing will be provided ahead of the event. If you are free on
30 October and you are interested in taking part then please
contact Eva in the Division office for more information.
24
ISPS ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND
By: Dr Alison Summers:
ISPS has an awkward title (International
Society for the Psychological Treatment
of Schizophrenias and other Psychoses)
but we host stimulating events and
activities, some easily accessible for
members in the north of England.
•
A North West conference:
The
next
ISPS
conference
“Understanding the experience of
people with psychosis” is
in
Warrington on 29 September, it is a local
event
and
reasonably
priced.
Presentations and workshops will cover
practical approaches to applying the
NICE guidelines on using psychodynamic
principles to understand the experience
and
relationships
of
people
with
psychosis. The conference is organised
jointly with the North West Institute of
Dynamic Psychotherapy. Psychosis can
interfere profoundly with our ability to
understand and relate to each other and
to find meaning in what is happening.
The conference is intended as an
opportunity to reflect on practical ways
of addressing these issues. For further
information.
Contact :[email protected].
•
Supportive psychodynamic
therapy (SPT) for psychosis:
A
psychodynamics
and
psychosis
research group now meets regularly at
the Division Office in Leeds. Work so far
has concentrated on a particular
approach—supportive
psychodynamic
therapy—which as shown promise in
semi-randomized trials in Denmark
(Rosenbaum et al 2005 & 2006). The
group is aiming at a three phase project:
Phase 1 is about developing capacity to
deliver this model in the UK, phase 2 will
be a pilot study to gather the
information needed to develop a robust
design for a randomised controlled trail,
which the group hopes will be achieved
as phase 3.
As part of phase 1, local SPT therapy
supervision
g r o u ps
are
being
established. Groups have begun meeting
in Newcastle and Leeds, with another
group planned in Preston.
Individuals who already have some
experience of psychodynamic therapy
and are interested in developing skills in
SPT are welcome to contact the group
The group would also welcome additional
academic members.
Contact:
[email protected]
•
Local ISPS networks:
Local ISPS networks provide opportunity
to keep up to date with regional activity.
ISPS members include psychiatrists
from a range of different backgrounds,
along with service users, carers and
professionals from all disciplines,
spanning the range of psychological
therapies, including CBT, family work
and psychodynamic approaches.
In the North East a psychodynamics and
psychosis interest group has been
running for four years.
Contact:
[email protected]
The North West ISPS network is just
over one year old. Through it a small
professionals case discussion group has
been established where therapists from
different
backgrounds
(CBT,
psychodynamics and arts therapy) come
together every two months to share
perspectives in a detailed discussion of
an individual case.
Contact:
[email protected]
•
ISPS UK:
The UK ISPS group started in 1997 and
organises national conferences, a lively
e-mail discussion group and supports
development of special interest groups.
25
Joining ISPS UK (£40 per year) given not
only free copies of ISPS international
journal, but also reduced rates on the
ISPS
book
series
and
all
ISPS
Conferences.
•
Forthcoming Conferences:
“Implementing NICE Standards for
Family Interventions and Arts
Therapies”: 18 November, Birmingham
“2010 Residential ISPS UK Conference”:
9—10 March 2010, Nottingham. The
Conference will be co-hosted with the
Institute of Mental Health and speakers
will include Kam Bhui, Andrew Gumley
and Richard Warner.
Contact:
[email protected]
•
ISPS - International Activity:
ISPS has been around for over fifty
years. One of its core purposes is to
promote dialogue and understanding
between different perspectives on the
nature of psychosis and the benefits of
psychological approaches.
ISPS this year has launched a new
international journal: Psychosis:
Psychological, Social and Integrative
Approaches which is available free of
charge to ISPS members.
Visit: www.ispsuk.org/uk
Contact: [email protected]
ISPS is probably best know for its
triennial international conferences and its
growing book series, which includes the
best selling “Models of Madness” as well
as titles by leading exponents of
psychotherapeutic approaches to
psychoses.
References:
Rosenbaum B, Valbak k, Harder S, Knudsen P,
Koster A, Lajer M, Lindhardt A, Winther G, Peterson
L, Jorgensen P, Nordentoft M, Andreason A H.
The National Schizophrenia Project:prospective
comparative longitudinal treatment study of firstepisode psychosis.
Br J Psychiatry 2005; 186:394-9
Rosenbaum B, Valbak k, Harder S, Knudsen P,
Koster A, Lajer M, Lindhardt A, Winther G, Peterson
L, Jorgensen P, Nordentoft M, Andreason A H.
“Treatment of patients with first-episode
psychosis:two year outcome data from the Danish
National Schizophrenia Project.
World Psychiatry 2006; 5(2):100-3
FELLOWSHIP NOMINATIONS: 2009
Nominations for this year’s round of Fellowships are now being
accepted by Division.
Criteria, CV Form, Citation Form and Guidance can be found on
the web page:
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/college/divisions/northernyorkshire/
fellowships2009.aspx
Send in nominations (CV Form and Citation) by e-mail to
[email protected] Criteria and the application
process for Fellowships is currently under review and changes
may be brought is as early as 2010 - if you fit the criteria this
may by the last chance you have to apply under the current
process.
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Joint one day ISPS UK and NWIDP Conference
Understanding
the experience of people with psychosis
Applying NICE guidelines on using psychodynamic principles
Tuesday 29th September 2009
9.00 am to 4.45pm
Arbury Court, Warrington
A conference for professionals of all disciplines who work in psychosis or psychotherapy
services, and for service users and carers.
To consider how to implement the new NICE guidance in this area
To look at how some services in Scandinavia and the UK use psychodynamic approaches
To bring together generalists and specialists
Programme
Chair: Frank Margison
Keynote Speaker: Lars Thorgaard
Approaches in everyday use in some Danish and Norwegian services. Live supervision of case
work by UK practitioners
Lars Thorgaard is a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist with extensive experience of
working psychodynamically with people with psychosis
Programme includes workshops on different ways of using psychodynamic approaches,
and presentations of different perspectives on using psychodynamic approaches
Speakers
Janey Antoniou, Service User and member of NICE Guideline Development Group
Nigel Bunker, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Kent
Harriet Fletcher, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Sheffield
John Gale, Chief Executive, Beatriz Sanchez, Clinical Director, Community Housing and
Therapy.
James van Lint, Art Therapist, Manchester
Frank Margison, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Manchester (Chair)
If you are interested in making a poster presentation please contact [email protected]
NWIDP and ISPS UK MEMBERS £85.00 NON-MEMBERS £100.00.
SERVICE USERS AND CARERS: £35.00 (Limited availability. Please also enquire about free
subsidised places)
Fee includes lunch and refreshments
To book, please contact:
Ali Haddock, [email protected] Tel: 0845 166 4168
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CONFERENCES ORGANISED BY NORTHERN AND YORKSHIRE DIVISION
The number of delegates attending our Conferences has increased gradually over
the past few years. This is good news for the Division, but the increase in numbers
can cause us problems if you do not pre-register.
We normally have to let the venue know two weeks in advance the numbers we
are expecting. This enables the staff at the venue to set out the correct number
of seats in the floor plan and to prepare the refreshments and lunch. This does
not mean we will not allow last minute delegates, but we would prefer that you let
us know before-hand and not simply turn up on the day.
Please make a note of the end date for registrations, send in your registration
form with your remittance in good time to secure your place.
Cancellations
We will only offer full refunds if cancellations are receive one full month before the
date of the event. If you are unable to attend personally, please ask one of your
colleagues to attend in your place. If you need to discuss a possible refund please
speak to Eva or Leanne.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Clinical Excellence Awards Applications = FRIDAY 24 JULY 2009
Contact and Further Information: Sue Duncan
T: 020 7235 2351: [email protected]
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/yourmembership/awards2009.aspx
http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/ACCEA/index.htm
Fellowship Nominations = FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2009
Contact and Further Information: Eva Davison
T: 0113 394 4107: [email protected]
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/college/divisions/northernyorkshire/
fellowships2009.aspx
Autumn Conference = FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER 2009 in Darlington
Assessor Training for AACs = FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2009 = Leeds
Contact and Further information: Leanne Grice
T: 0113 394 4107: [email protected]
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Adopt-a-Book
An opportunity to contribute
towards the history of psychiatry
and the College
The Adopt-a-Book scheme of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists was
launched at the 2007 Annual
Conference in Edinburgh.
The scheme is aimed at raising
funds for the conservation and
repair of the College’s antiquarian
book collection. The collection
consists of rare books with some
dating as far back as the 15th
century. Most of the books were
donated
to
the
MedicoPsychological Association, a
predecessor body of the College
in 1895 as gifts or bequests
towards the development of the
library. Donations mainly came
from the libraries of Doctors
Daniel Hack Tuke, J Lord, C
Lockhart Robertson and J
Whitwell. The collection also
contains books written by notable
authors such as John Charles
Bucknill, Henry Maudsley, John
Connolly, Sigmund Freud, and
includes the first editions in both
English and German of the
complete works of Emil Kraepelin,
as well as a collection of 18th
century psychiatric dissertations
on mental illnesses. It is an
important source of information
on the history of psychiatry,
mental illness and learning
disability.
The appeal for donations is
directed at members and fellows
of the College, and anyone who is
interested in restoring and
conserving the collection to a
condition suitable for its use by
researchers and historians, and in
its preservation as part of our
national heritage.
Since its launch in July, the
scheme has received considerable
support, mainly from members of
the College. As a result several
adopted books have now been
repaired.
We would like to thank all those
who have generously donated to
the scheme so far, and look
forward to your continued
support.
To obtain a full list of books to be
adopted and a donation form,
please go to
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/
college/archives/adoptabook.aspx
or contact:
Francis Maunze
The Archivist
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Tel: 020 7235 2351
E-mail: [email protected]
29
APPLYING FOR VACANCIES
CONFIRMATION OF GOOD STANDING
Members and Fellows who are elected or appointed to honorary
College positions make a valuable contribution to the work of the
College
Prior to standing for an election or when applying for an appointed
post, members must be able to prove that they are of Good
Standing.
All candidates must confirm that they:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Are registered with the GMC
Receive annual appraisals in their main place of work
Are up to date with their membership fees
Meet College CPD Requirements
Have discussed the role with their employer (usually their
MD) and that they are content to allow the time needed to
carry out the role effectively and efficiently
Are able to fulfil the requirements of the post
Appointed Posts:
Appointments are made by either the Division Executive Committee
or, in the case of Regional Representatives, in consultation with the
relevant Faculty Executive Committee. Some are subject to local
interview, some need final ratification by the Education Training and
Standards Committee. If you are interested in an appointed post, in
the first instance contact a member of staff in the Division Office who
will be able to provide a job description, more information about how
to apply and the criteria for applying.
Closing dates for applications vary depending upon the post
advertised. End dates for applications and dates for interviews, if
applicable will be provided by the Division Office.
•
Elected Posts:
Elections are usually held every two years depending on the number
of elected posts available. Notice of elections are posted out at the
beginning of the year. and If you are interested in any of the posts
please contact the Division Office for a job description.
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Current Vacancies
Appointed Posts:
•
Newsletter Editor:
Due to the current Editor demitting office next year this post will become available from
2010. Appointment will be subject to interview.
•
Regional Representatives:
These posts have arisen due to the current regional representatives reaching the end of
their tenure. Regional Representative posts are not subject to interview, but they
require the recommendation of both Division and Faculty Executive Committees and
ratification by the Education, Training and Standards Committee.
The following posts are currently or will soon become vacated:
General and Community Region Representative: North East Region
Learning Disabilities Regional Representative: North East Region
You can obtain a full job description and further information by contacting Eva in the
Division office [email protected]. The current post holders are actively
involved in helping to fill these posts and they will be happy to talk to anyone
interested— if you would like their contact details please contact Eva.
Elected Posts:
The following posts will become vacant in 2010:
•
Education, Training and Standards Representative:
This post is elected locally by the Division Executive Committee, if you are interested in
applying then please contact the Eva in the Division Office for a job description
[email protected]
•
Honorary Secretary
•
Elected Member (one vacancy)
Election notices will be issued for the above two posts in early 2010—if you are
interested in applying, please contact Eva in the Division Office for more information
and a job description [email protected]
31
HOW TO CONTACT US:
If you would like to contribute an article, advertise an event or write a letter you
like to share with the membership please contact Eva or Leanne in the Division
Office
Newsletter Articles; Division Vacancies and Job Descriptions:
Executive Committee Business: local Policies and Procedures
Eva Davison
Division Manager
[email protected]
General Admin; NHS Job Descriptions; Events and Trainee Competitions
Leanne Grice
Division Administrator
[email protected]
0113 394 4107
Newsletter Editor:
Professor Stephen Curran
Executive Committee Member
ETSC Representative
[email protected]
The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Northern and Yorkshire & North West Divisions
Aspect Court
47 Park Square East
Leeds LS1 2NL
T: 0113 394 4107
F: 0113 394 4108
www.rcpsych.ac.uk
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of individual
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists
32