As regular readers of this blog will know,
I’ve been attending the 15th World Congress of Psychiatry in Buenos
Aires this week. The meeting attracted over 14,000 psychiatrists
from across the world. As well as offering a series of excellent
academic sessions, the Congress has been a valuable opportunity to
meet up with members from our own International Divisions. It also
enabled me to meet with Presidents of other psychiatric
organisations with whom we have a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU).
I may be wrong, but I think many RCPsych
members are not aware of the amount of work we do with other
psychiatric associations, and what can be achieved both through our
International Divisions and the MoUs. Our international work is
expertly co-ordinated by Elen Cook, our International Liaison
Manager. We currently hold MoUs with
23 organisations, many of which focus on education and
training, CPD online and examinations. Our Volunteer Scheme is expanding, allowing us to
support other countries by facilitating contact between hospitals,
clinics, projects and communities in need of psychiatric expertise
and training, and psychiatrists who are willing to offer their time
and support. It would be good if more UK trainees could have
experience of how services can be delivered with very limited
resources in developing countries, and we are trying to have this
experience better recognised and supported within training
schsemes.
In Buenos Aires, I talked to psychiatrists
from other countries about the UK’s recruitment difficulties. I
discovered that, while other countries also face challenges in
recruitment, many have developed innovative solutions. Sharing this
sort of experience is very valuable. Joint sessions on recruitment
and retention are already being submitted for next
year’s International Congress, which takes place in
Liverpool.
I also heard that mental health services in
other European countries are facing serious pressures. The
Netherlands, for example, is facing very significant cuts to its
mental health services and European psychiatric society presidents
have sent letters to the Netherlands government. These letters have
been very effective, and I was very impressed by the detailed
response back from their health minister which shared a remedial
action plan.
Turning our attention back to the UK, I am
continuing to liaise with our own Policy Unit and Public Affairs
Manager about the progress of the Health and Social Care Bill. The
Second Reading of the Bill in the House of Lords – the general
debate on all aspects of the Bill – is scheduled to take place on
11 October, and we are briefing Peers in preparation for this.
It’s now time for me to catch my flight back
to London. I’m hoping that my son-in-law, a Manchester City fan,
will forgive me for bringing back Argentinean football kits for my
grandsons!
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