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Previous free webinars for members

In 2020, we started producing a series of free webinars to support members and trainees during the pandemic.

This page collects together some of these older webinars from previous years. The latest free webinars are available on a separate page.

2024

Blurred: Disability Inclusion in Medicine

We hosted a dynamic and thought-provoking session with Dr Sharad Philip, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Guwahati, India and Dr Shevonne Matheiken, Specialty Registrar (ST6) in the East of England.

This session was not your typical webinar. Combining professional insights as psychiatrists with their lived experiences of disability, Dr Matheiken and Dr Philip explored how these transcultural perspectives can shape disability inclusion, patient care and mental health of health care professionals. Dr Philip, navigating a career in Psychiatry with severe visual impairment, offered a wealth of insights from his personal and professional journey. Dr Matheiken, with lived experience of ADHD, shared her reflections on the rollercoaster ride of being a doctor with a hidden disability.

The session was filled with authenticity, fluidity, and creativity. Highlights included a discussion on the role of technology in disability inclusion, featuring ChatGPT¡¯s interpretation of poetry by our guests, as well as live poetry recitations and moments of humour to inspire and connect.

The session was Co-Chaired by Dr Amrit Sachar, RCPsych Joint Presidential Lead for Equity and Equality and Dr Amrita Joottun, Equity Champion, RCPsych General Adult Faculty.

The theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024 was amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future. This theme recognised the important role that persons with disabilities play in creating a more inclusive and sustainable world for all.

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Overview

The discussion will be chaired by Dr Tim Ojo, a general adult psychiatrist and former Associate Registrar (2017-2022). Dr Ojo will be joined by Dr Buki Adeyemo, Ashiedu Joel and Jennifer Izekor, who will share their experiences and insights on navigating the healthcare system through the eyes of leaders both in and outside of the healthcare system. They will also discuss their efforts to bring about cultural change to better serve patients and create a more enabling and inclusive space for the workforce.

Speakers

  • Dr Tim Ojo
  • Dr Buki Adeyemo
  • Ashiedu Joel
  • Jennifer Izekor

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Overview

During this webinar several members of the International Congress Organising Committee discussed what makes a good Congress submission and provided top tips on how to submit a successful proposal.

Whether you are a first time submitter or a seasoned contributor, this webinar will guide you through the key elements of a top scoring submission, common pitfalls to avoid and what the reviewers are really looking for.

Our panel provided practical tips and answered questions to help maximise your chances of success.

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In South Africa, the prevalence of perinatal depression is as high as 32%, meaning that almost 1 in 3 pregnant women have some form of perinatal mental illness. Despite this alarming statistic, there are still limited perinatal mental health services available and there is poor screening during the antenatal period for common perinatal mental health problems.

Pregnant women with mental illness go on to have poor maternal, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes; however, this experience is not unique to South Africa. Globally, racially and ethnically minoritized women disproportionately experience poor perinatal mental health care as a result of various factors, including stigma and psychosocial determinants of mental illness. Overall, this results in increased morbidity and mortality for the mother and baby, which is poorly documented and researched.

Public health awareness, education, and screening is often skewed towards ensuring physical safety outcomes, without consideration of integrating mental health supports in perinatal services and well-baby spaces. This webinar focuses on how to address the challenges of providing integrated perinatal and infant mental health services in resource-constrained settings by highlighting clinical, educational, and research opportunities in South Africa.

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Overview

During this discussion we look at the journeys and learnings of our doctors from different countries in South East Asia and their thoughts on this year's theme: 'Free to be me'.

We will talk to doctors from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh about their journey and some of the strategies or initiatives that the College or their organisations have used to support professionals/psychiatrists from different cultural backgrounds, including a Q&A discussion.

Speakers

  • Dr Bhavna Chawda
  • Dr Aamer Sajjad
  • Dr Suhana Ahmed
  • Dr Maheshi Wikramanayake
  • Chair - Dr Shahid Latif

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Overview

Whilst pregnancy and the first year of the baby¡¯s life can bring joy, it can also be a period when some mothers experience mental health related problems for the first time.

Neurodivergent women in particular may face challenges which they have not dealt with before getting pregnant and looking after a baby.

With the increased awareness and understanding of neurodiversity in the population, more needs to be done to understand the needs of neurodivergent women in this critical period of their life and the lives of their families.

This webinar will consider what we know about ADHD and Autism in the perinatal period as well as identify areas for further research.

Speakers
  • Chair - Dr Manal El Maraghy 
  • Welcome and closing remarks by - Dr Subodh Dave and Dr Deepa Bagepalli Krishnan
  • Dr Jessica Gibson
  • Dr Sam Porter
  • Dr Shimrit Ziv
  • Dr Dilara Yozgatli
  • Dr Libby Bryant 

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Overview

Mental health services for the elderly are not readily available in many developing countries, and there is a shortage of geriatric psychiatrists. This is a growing concern as the number of ageing people in these countries is increasing, and non-communicable risk factors associated with dementia, such as diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and obesity, are on the rise. Although general psychiatrists, neurologists and family physicians are available, their numbers are small, and they cannot provide comprehensive care for patients with dementia. In this regard, primary care services are better placed to deliver dementia services in low- and middle-income countries. The primary care workforce, including general practitioners and nurses, can be trained to offer holistic care for dementia patients and refer them to psychiatrists. This task-shifting is necessary to triage, treat, and address co-morbid medical and psychiatric disorders among patients with dementia. Moreover, it can provide links to community public health services to reduce risk factors, raise awareness and help communities to take care of patients with dementia.

In collaboration with the World Network of Psychiatric Trainees.

Speakers

  • Dr Djibril Moussa MD Msc, Atlantic fellow in global brain health, memory and ageing center, department of neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, USA Department of psychiatry, Borama Hospital, Borama, Somaliland.
  • Dr Chandrima Naskar, Associate Specialist, Psychiatry, Tata Main Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Manipal Tata Medical College, Jamshedpur, India.
  • Dr Margaret Isioma Ojeahere, Consultant Psychiatrist, Assistant Training Director, Department of Psychiatry, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
  • Co-chair - Dr Sanya Virani, Assistant Professor, Associate Programme Director- Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, Department d Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts, USA.
  • Co-chair - Dr Victor Pereira-Sanchez, MD, PhD, Director of Global Fellowships, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute.

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Overview

Challenging behaviours (also known as behaviours of concern) in people with intellectual disability (ID) have a wide ranging impact on health, quality of life and wellbeing. Interventions to improve outcomes for people with challenging behaviours require a multi-disciplinary approach, and modifying practice requires political and cultural shift.

Over the past decade novel approaches have been implemented internationally with promising improvements in outcomes. ID specialist psychiatrists have long been involved in the management of challenging behaviours, and sharing experience between the RCPsych ID faculty and the Western Pacific Division will provide an important bridge to ensure psychiatrists are up to date with the latest developments.

Challenging behaviours in people with intellectual disability:

  • How can psychiatrists improve outcomes for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour?
  • How should psychiatrists successfully advocate to impact policy and instigate change?

Speakers

  • Professor Subodh Dave, Dean, RCPsych
  • Dr James Smith
  • Professor Angela Hassiotis
  • Dr Inder Sawhney
  • Dr Rebecca Koncz 

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Overview

Staff working in healthcare settings experience significant work-related mental health distress.  An interplay of a number of personal, occupational and socio-environmental factors results in high rates of burnout and mental health problems amongst physicians.  This session of Dean¡¯s Grand Rounds focused on exploring and understanding this problem through physician experience, case studies and local data. The session also focused on some unique challenges in low and middle income countries and barriers to seeking mental health support amongst physicians. We heard about an innovative approach developed in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), India to enhance physician wellbeing.

 

Programme

1. Introduction - Professor Subodh Dave, Dean, RCPsych
2. Chair - Dr Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS
3. Short Mental Health Stories of Doctors: Sad and Happy Lives - Dr Narasimha, Faculty, NIMHANS
4. Mental health concerns among medical professionals ¨C Review and synthesis - Dr Jayant Mahadevan, Faculty, NIMHANS
5. NAMAH: An Innovative Wellbeing Programme for Physician's Mental Health - Dr Prabhat Chand, Faculty, NIMHANS
6. Followed by Q&A

 

2023

Overview

The webinar aimed to offer the opportunity to present a case of severe catatonia in an intensive care unit with a rapid and complete response to ECT, and to incorporate the service user's views. The webinar hoped to provide delegates with an European overview of the awareness and knowledge of catatonia among psychiatrists, a review of the literature of ECT as treatment for psychiatric conditions including catatonia, and to also discuss current attitudes towards ECT.

Programme

  1. Introduction and welcome to the webinar
  2. 'Patient experience/ Case presentation' - Dr Myles Doyle
  3. 'Awareness and knowledge of catatonia and how to recognise it among psychiatrists' - Professor Gabor Gazdag
  4. 'National UK data in usage and outcomes of ECT for catatonia' - Professor Linda Van Diermen
  5. 'Attitudes towards ECT in Norway and current trends and updates on ECT' - Dr Eivind Aakhus
  6. Q&A

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Overview

The NHS Staff Survey tells us that disability affects over 23 per cent of our workforce - which is considerable. We know that 83 per cent of disabilities are acquired during working life - so this can have a big impact on our workforce wellbeing.

In this webinar, we consider disability within the workplace and the impact that discrimination and support ¨C or lack of ¨C can have on individuals personally and professionally, both to thrive in their workplace and to provide the best patient care.   

Our speakers, representative of people with physical and mental health disability and lived experience as well as neurodiversity - share their experiences and what would have helped them have a more positive workplace experience. 

Programme

  • Introduction from Chair - Dr Amrit Sachar, Liaison Psychiatry Consultant, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust & West London NHS Trust and RCPsych Joint Presidential Lead for Equity and Equality
  • 'Focussing on the enablement rather than disablement' - Dr Onikepe Ijete, M.B.B.S Specialty Dr in Forensic Psychiatry, North London Forensic Service.
  • 'How to make psychiatry a place where everyone is welcome' - Dr Mhairi Hepburn, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead, Psychiatry of Old Age, Murray Royal Hospital, Perth 
  • 'My role as custodian, editor and interpreter of stories by people at work' - Emeritus Professor Tom Sensky, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences, Emeritus Professor in Psychological Medicine, Imperial College London
  • Q&A

Speakers

Dr Onikepe Ijete trained as a medical doctor at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan Nigeria and is a Specialty doctor in the award-winning North London Forensic Service in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust.

She was recognised by the RCPsych as the one of the "Faces of the College" in 2022. She has been celebrated further by RCPsych on International Day of People with Disabilities and by the Association of Black Psychiatrists on International Women¡¯s Day for her activism, and by her own Trust for her high quality clinical work.

 As a black, female, internationally trained SAS doctor, who was a wheelchair user, she had lived experience of these many intersectional issues. She used this experience and her unfailing commitment to advocate for race, gender, disability and ¡°gradism¡± equality and inclusion.

Tragically, Dr Onike Ijete died unexpectedly shortly after she was a speaker in the webinar. A tribute to Onike will be included in the President¡¯s December blog post.

 

Dr Mhairi Hepburn, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead, Psychiatry of Old Age, Murray Royal Hospital, Perth.

Dr Hepburn trained at the University of Aberdeen and decided she wanted to be a psychiatrist during the very first psychiatry lecture. She has not considered any other specialty since and is now a consultant in old age psychiatry at Murray Royal Hospital, Perth [1].   

Her own experiences have resulted in all kinds of adventures in doctors¡¯ mental health and neurodiversity peer support. In particular, she loves talking [2] about inclusion, stigma reduction and the neurodiversity paradigm. 

[1] The original and best Perth, before you ask. 

[2] She generally just loves talking 


Tom Sensky is Emeritus Professor of Psychological Medicine at Imperial College and Consultant Psychiatrist in the Health at Work Team (which includes Occupational Health and Staff Counselling) at West London NHS Trust.  He has also worked as a psychiatrist in Occupational Health in other NHS Trusts.  He has been a health assessor for the GMC for over 30 years, assessing doctors whose fitness to practise might be affected by mental illness.  Like numerous others working in occupational psychiatry, he had previously worked as a liaison psychiatrist and before that in the community.  His research work has focused primarily on psychological aspects of enduring illness, both physical and mental.  He was born (without a right hand) to Czech parents in colonial Africa.  Initially aiming to pursue a career in molecular biology, informal discussions with the Professor of Surgery at UCH Medical School, where he was doing his PhD, encouraged him to switch to medicine.  


Slides

This will be updated with slides we have speaker permission to share. Presentations available here remain the intellectual property of the speaker.

 

 

This grand round focused on multiple long-term condition which is one of the major challenges that we are facing today. One in three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions which is a significant increase from a decade ago when it was one in ten. Multi-morbidity that include a mental health condition has been less studied and explored. 

Although the context of the presentation is on people with intellectual disability, the challenges related to multi-morbidity is relevant for all mental health professionals.

The grand rounds started with a presentation by an expert by experience and then explored the evidence base for the management, population level challenges as well as discussion of a currently ongoing research project on multi-morbidity which uses artificial intelligence in improving our knowledge and management of these conditions.

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Overview

This webinar covers a range of types of activism from advocacy through to non violent direct action with specific reference to mental health and the role of psychiatrists.

Programme

  1. Introduction from Chair ¨C Sue Crimlisk, consultant psychiatrist
  2. 'State of the climate and need to act' ¨C Francis Bennett, trainee psychiatrist
  3. 'Activism and its history' ¨C Lynne Jones, consultant psychiatrist
  4. 'Non violent direct action: examples' ¨C Tom Nutting, trainee psychiatrist
  5. 'Actions the RCPsych has taken and what more is there to do?' ¨C Kirsten Shukla, consultant psychiatrist
  6. Q&A

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In this webinar, Dr Chinwe Obinwa led a discussion with members of the Culture Club of the Association of Black Psychiatrists¡¯ UK on how the arts not only music, film and television but also theatre, poetry and visual art has an important role in celebrating and representing Black culture and as a form of therapy, bringing benefits professionally and personally.

Speakers:

  • Dr Tai Ajayi, Consultant Psychiatrist
  • Dr Allison Edwards, Consultant Psychiatrist
  • Dr La Dantai Henriques, Foundation Doctor
  • Dr Chuks Nwuba, Specialty Doctor
  • Wesley Quadros, Medical Student

 

Watch the webinar here

 

Every death involving a mental health patient is a tragedy. Where Coroners in an inquest identify issues associated with such a death where they believe that there are actions that could and should be undertaken to reduce the risk of a similar occurrence, they are required to issue a Preventing Future Deaths Report.

This webinar will focus on the purpose of these Reports, how they impact on psychiatrists and mental health services and what are the opportunities going forward to improve their effectiveness. There will be an opportunity to hear from the Deputy Chief Coroner for England and Wales, from psychiatrists who have a specific interest on this issue and then be part of a discussion about how we might work together in the future.

 

Overview of the session - Trudi Seneviratne

Purpose of a Preventing Future Deaths Report - Derek Winter, Deputy Chief Coroner

Preventing Future Deaths Report - A Psychiatrist perspective - Rachel Gibbons

Collaborating to improve learning from Preventing Future Deaths Reports (Open Discussion)

Closing Remarks and Next Steps - Trudi Seneviratne

 

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As part of our celebrations for South Asian History Month, this free webinar looked at the experiences of doctors who have come to the UK through the years, with members from various countries including India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, sharing their experiences of working in mental healthcare in the UK over the last 50 years.
 
Dr Shahid Latif, consultant psychiatrist and deputy medical director at Broomhill, St Matthews Healthcare and chair of the RCPsych Trent Division, chaired the discussion. 
 

He was joined by college registrar Dr Trudi Seneviratne OBE, who has been a perinatal psychiatrist for more than 25 years and recently been appointed to the expert advisory group to The Princess of Wales on Early Childhood; Professor J S Bamrah CBE, consultant psychiatrist, author, researcher and speaker who came to the UK in the 70s; Dr Anis Ahmed, consultant forensic psychiatrist, chair for VIPSIG and president of the British Bangladeshi Psychiatrists Association who arrived in the country about 20 years ago; and Dr Amna Hussain who arrived in the UK in the last three years. Dr Hussain is currently a trust grade doctor who will be starting training in ID from August 2023.

This webinar is not to be missed - it is a fantastic opportunity to get a better understanding of the experiences of South Asian doctors in relation to immigration, initial and current challenges as well as their contribution to British society, particularly healthcare.

Watch the webinar here

The path to parenthood as a person who identifies as LGBTQ+ is not always simple, and balancing this with a career as a doctor adds an additional layer of complexity. During this webinar we hear from our speakers about some of the beautiful rainbow families that exist in our community.

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Overview

This webinar explains the new digital literacy framework which aims to prepare psychiatrists for working in healthcare in the digital age following from the COVID-19 pandemic. It explored how the new framework focuses on providing psychiatrists with the digital leadership skills to navigate multiple levels in healthcare systems in order to improve patient outcomes, increase clinician efficiency, as well as enabling digital mental health services for patients.

Hear about the next steps and the ongoing work to creating training resources to deliver those capabilities and how psychiatrists are key to influencing the services they work for, and to enhancing the information that is both recorded and used to support care and research.

Programme

  • Introduction - Dr Faith Ndebele (Chair)
  • Why digital literacy is a critical skill for trainees and for the workforce - Dr Subodh Dave
  • RCPsych data and digital literacy standards - Dr Ross Runciman
  • Bringing the data alive to improve patient care - Dr Asif Bachlani
  • Q&A

To watch this webinar on demand, please use the link below:

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Overview

Sexual harassment is recognised as a form of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), which acknowledges it as an issue of serious harm, discrimination and a violation of human rights. This remains a major issue for our workforce, with serious implications on health and wellbeing, recruitment and retention and the Gender Pay Gap.

In this webinar we share experiences, survey findings and consider institution-wide solutions, including a live Q&A.

To watch this webinar on demand, please use the link below:

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The webinar focused on the changes in psychiatry due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what that means for the future of the specialty.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Adrian James, RCPsych President, with speakers including:

  • Dr Livia De Picker, Psychiatrist and Postdoc at the University of Antwerp and the President-elect of the Belgian College of Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
  • Dr Marisa Casanova Dias, President of the UEMS Psychiatry Section, Research Fellow and Consultant Psychiatrist at Cardiff University
  • Hilkka K?rkk?inen, past-President of the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks-Europe
  • Professor Brenda Penninx, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Department of Psychiatry of Amsterdam, UMC
  • Professor Norman Sartorius, former director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Division of Mental Health, and a former President of the World Psychiatric Association and of the European Psychiatric Association.

Overview

This webinar focussed on the important role of film in mental health to help reach a wider, more diverse population, in the hope this helps normalise mental health in communities and earlier prevention of ill health.

Dr Parvinder Shergill, an award winning filmmaker and NHS Psychiatrist, talked with creatives in the film industry on how we can join forces with Hollywood to help spread awareness in mental health via our cinema screens.

Programme

  • Introduction to Bafta Breakthrough Recommended Filmmaker Dr Parvinder Shergill, career of Film and Mental Health
  • Daddy Blues: Author Mark Williams on the importance of turning his book Daddy Blues into a film
  • Twelve: filmmaker Molly Vandermeer on working with NHS doctors to make mental health films
  • Diversity in mental health and film: BBC Presenter and Filmmaker Juggy Sohal, on the importance of reaching diverse ethnic communities in a creative manner
  • Q&A panel with speakers, chaired by Dr Parvinder Shergill.

To watch this webinar on demand, please use the link below:

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