Royal College of Psychiatrists Volunteering & International
Psychiatry Special Interest Group Committee Meeting
Date: Friday 26th April 2013
Venue: Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
Present:
Deji Oyebode (Chair), Mandip Jheeta (Secretary), Peter Hughes, Ruth Fowler-Dixon, Victor
Doku, Eduardo Eziniealol, Abbass Mohammadinasab, Khurram Sadiq, Ashok N Singh, Shoba
Singh, Sophia Thomson.
Apologies:
Safi Afghan, Fiona Donnelly, Daniel Wolde-Giorgis
Minutes of last meeting
Accepted
Matters arising
None
mhGAP training, 9-10 March 2013
Summary:
 Went very well, feedback very positive (verbal and written)
 100 atendees after only 10 days advertising for training. Certainly, demand exceded
supply for places
 Free monetary costs for participants greatly appreacited
 Weekend timing also appreciated by attendees i.e. not having to arrange study leave/
cover etc.
 Agreed to repeat training, aiming for both inside and outside London
 WHO recommended training is greatly appreciated by participants
Recommendations from training:
 People register with VIPSIG
 Promotion of volunteering at College
 Teaching promotion
 Use of golden questions, as being done in South Sudan
 We should continue being clear that it is an mhGAP orientation, not certification
Future directions :
 We need free venue
 Free costs to participants is preferable
 We can’t charge for conference as we are recieve funding from general adult faculty
 We may not need money each year for training
 We will aim to do training outside London
 mhGAP training could be held biannually
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 KS kindly offered to arrange Manchester/ Liverpool venue and free food. Needs 2
months’ notice
 We will try to avoid Ramadan in timing of training
 We will aim for mhGAP training 14 & 15th September 2013
 We could do a 5 day training programme at some point
 Agreed delivering mhGAP training to be given greater prioirty over conference for VIPSIG
 Agreed mhGAP training is fundamental aspect of who we are and what we aim to do, and
is one of VIPSIG’s flagship activities
 We could give attendees option of donations, with pre-sheet for standing orders/ cash/
cheque etc.
Essay prize
 Has been approved by College educational, but not finance, committee
 MJ to chase
UK volunteering
 We need to prioritise/ develop further
 Fiona Donnelly, unable to attend
 Could be spring conference idea
 Safi Afghan very involved, we will ask him how to volunteer/ arrange
Feedback from core & higher trainees
 mhGAP training much appreciated by trainees
 PH will be doing international activity at College’s international congress
 Photogrpahy exhibiton momentum lost
 AS will kindly liase with Shree Thamburajah for feedback/ photo exhibition etc
 For role of higher trainee representative, needs to be in touch with issues, but not
necessariyl higher trainee
 Anna Moriele going for Ghana SpR post as per website
 AS :
o We could ask middle/ non-trinaing grades for feedback, and aim for thier greater
role in SIG
o Same for retirees
 Kashmir : good concrete plan and opportunities
o Volunteer programme in August. In progress, a lot of good work being done
Medical student feedback
 We will aim for database for medical student electives
 Placements in Gambia and Ethiopia will take electives readily
 ST : South Pacific volunteer work better suited to Australia /New Zealand psychiatrists,
rather than UK, due to geographical proximity
 South Sudan, Mbane county, conflict area
o Doing a lot of mhGAP work
o IMC waiting for volunteer
o SS: complex needs and difficult volunteering, unsure what can be realiostically
achieved in 9 months
 IMC (international Medical Corps)
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o Request from IMC for volunteer in Turkey refugee camp
o Strong training agenda noted
o 1/12 placement minimum
 PH : Medfest film festival has good input about international work
General Adult Faculty feedback
College general adult faculty kindly giving VIPSIG funds for mhGAP training programme
 £2000, last year
 £3000, for this year
Annual Business Plan
 £1000 raised from conference
 £5000 from College General Adult faculty
 Could do lectures for Intercalated BSc courses in International Health e.g. at Universities
of Leeds & Birmingham
 Discussion of how to spend the money sustianably, both in terms of financial and interest
in VIPSIG
VD
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Suggestion for spending to link to priorities
Meetings annually
Could discuss in newsletter
Invest in conference
Posters at conference
There is a donations section on website, but electronic donations cannot be made
RFD pointed out would be helpful to know what money is for in donating
Fundraising
 All ideas welcome
 SS: curry night and raffle can make signifiacnt sums e.g. £1000 for VSO
Trek
Detailed discussion of trek, interest, logistical arrangements
Discussion of options for arranging :
1. Open challenge : anyone can sign up ; even if only 2 people sign-up, trek still runs ; ‘no
lose’ option
2. Bespoke challenge : minimum 12-15 people for it to be viable ; ST dould need greater
help in arranging ; more work involved
 Agreed preference for open challenge
 Vote about whether money from trek should be made available to SIG or College
volunteer funding pot. Agreed money would go towards College volunteer pot, for
volunteers with 3 month minimum placement probably
 ST: still lots of work involved in orgnanising. Teaching in Burma not possible, politically.
Could do another country. Advertising could be done on website/ bulletin/ newsletter 
for interest/ choice of countries
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Agreed plan :
1. Check if enough interest
2. ST will kindly advertise
3. Open trek planned
4. Burma 1st choise, for either 5, 7 or 8 day trek
5. Funds raised will go to College volunteer programme
College volunteering programme
 1 person registers/ week
 We need to build up volunteer programme, publicity etc.
Diaspora feedback
Diaspora group at College are aware of VIPSIG. Links may need strengthening
RCPsych International Congress, July 2013
 PH will be delivering TBC activity at conference
 Feedback from RSM conference, trying to involve DH
 DO unable to attend DH meeting 30.4.13, ST to attend
VIPSIG conference, 2014
 Spring 2014, working date of Fri, 25th April, London
 We will aim for greater numbers than last time
 Conference committee of DO & AS agreed, with help from ST
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Last conference took 6-9 months of organising
We will consider film and photo exhibition
Successful speakers are as much about being a good speaker as relevant experience etc
Spirituality SIG only pay expenses to speakers
Communication
 We have an ongoing issue that we cannot send emails readily to people even if they have
given us permission and want us to, as per College advice
 DO will kindly discuss with Vanessa Cameron re: data protection issues and College
interpretation of Caldicott issues etc, and if a disclaimer would be appropriate
 Various social media options discussed
Twitter
 Agreed. KS will kindly set up
 Will be running by next week
 Good for sending information, but not dialogue
Facebook
 Feedback from college is that the main College Facebook is not used that much
 A closed group could be helpful e.g. from data protection perspective
Website
 We have VIPSIG website, but people often do not check regularly for updates
LinkedIn and RSS are other options
GIS mail
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 Used by liaison psychiatry
 You have to sign up to
 We will ask Veena Verdi for further information
Forums
 Often don't get used
Newsletter
Going well, good momentum, no difficulties reported
'International psychiatry' quarterly journal needs more letters
Global Mental Health Summer School, Institute of Psychiatry, 27-28 September 2013
 Advertise for website
 They do a lot of research
 Melanie Abbas, Vikram Patel are contacts
Future directions
OOPE
KS
 Only 1, Ghana approved by RCPsych
 College from honorary professor
 Placement in Abbottabad, Pakistan could be something to work towards
DO
 Ghana placement arranged Ghana via deanery
 Advised to contact deanery to arrange
PH
 DH discussion of can volunteering be made easier?
 What can we do to support? DO will write supporting letter stating RCPsych would like
to support
 Need timetable for job
AM
 Could work towards programme in Iran
 Worth pursuing, viable, but hard work
 Will chase up through ICDP (International Child Development Programme), St Georges
etc
 Blue print from Ghana? Would be helpful, will try to locate
AOB
RFD
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Spent 3 weeks in Sierra Leone 6 weeks ago
2nd international mental health conference in Freetown
May write it up
Sierra Leone’s president’s ex-wife is an ex-psychiatric nurse
Distance supervision
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 Sierra Leone is a good country to volunteer in, but need security, which volunteer
programme helps with
All Parliamentary Group on Global Health
 College will pass on statement to parliament about volunteering experience and benefits
VD: Ayesha Ahmed, academic ethicist’s, paper will be sent to College’s Human Rights
committee in college, and put on website
AM
 CPD online is free now
 Podcasts may be popular trianing resourse, but how to do?
 We can conctact CPD online to see what is possible
Upcoming meetings
 mhGAP training 8th and 9th September 2013
 Committee meeting, Friday 18th October 2013, 2-4pm, College, London
 Committee meeting, Friday 10th January 2-4pm,2014 Venue to be confirmed,
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