Royal College of Psychiatrists Volunteering & International Psychiatry Special
Interest Group (VIPSIG) Committee Meeting
Date: Friday 29th May 2015
Venue: Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
AGENDA
Present:
Peter Hughes (PH, chair), Mandip Jheeta (MJ, secretary), Shaazneen Ali (SA), Sally Browning (SB), Ana
Miorelli (AM), Lena Jawad (LJ), Ruairi Page (RP), Stephanie Young (SY)
Apologies:
Victor Doku, Ashok Singh, Alice Spencer, Sophie Thomson, Maureen Wilkinson
Minutes of last meeting (Jan 2015)
- Discussed hosting meeting outside London. Birmingham previously worked well, Manchester didn’t. One
meeting/ year in Birmingham agreed. Agreed we could also contact other divisions for options. To improve
meeting attendance and participation we can consider a mailing shot and circulate emails via trusts and
divisions.
- Finances strong
- Next conference to be added as an agenda item
- Essay prize went very well, exciting, many excellent essays submitted
- Strategy group decided upon
- Training and education: link to Iranian medical assoc
- Aiming for database of organisations we can contact would
- Hub model for international training
- Discussed advocacy and promoting international as aim work e.g. about being released from work, having
work accredited or contributing to training etc.
- Database and contacts for medical electives. Will aim for student reps James Gowe & Alice Spencer to
take this forward. Some Universities offer bursaries for psychiatry electives, VIPSIG could publicise these
- Trying to get global health on med school curriculum inc psychiatry
Matters arising
- Discussed possibilities for better attendance at January meeting. People present found out through
different routes inc. email, facebook, checking website. Facebook and website agreed to be best for people.
Timings need to be added to website. Non-members may not be getting communicated with- we will aim
to help with this.
Feedback from Peter Hughes (PH), VIPSIG Chair
Links
- VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) contacted about possibilities of working together. No imminent plans,
may be in future.
- Royal College of Nursing also contacted, they do some international work. Hopefully possibility of joint
projects in future. Strong nursing education and activities in KTSP (Kings’ THET Somaliland Partnership)
noted.
- Royal College of General Practitioners, awaiting response to build further links. Some GPs in Somaliland
working are working with Poverty Health Action. AM may try to contact someone from GP liaison
conference.
- Academy of Royal Colleges, aiming for links. LJ is RSM psychiatry trainee representative, will follow-up.
- SLAM Global Mental Health Centre, no official link.
- Human Rights Committee contacted. PH invited for upcoming meeting 7.7.15 on human rights re:
Palestine & UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Palestine Mental Health Group. Mainly an advocacy based organisation, no imminent projects we can get
involved in. One idea could be to do a project open to all e.g. Palestinians and Israelis.
NHS England contacted, no reply yet.
- Lesotho mhGAP training done by PH.
- International Journal of Psychiatry changed format, they have new jounrnal, BJPSych International. New
journal will publish on general interest for readers, esp LAMIC, but no longer publishing research.
Workshop at College International Congress
- We have VIPSIG workshop at College International Congress. Likely theme of how to prepare for projects/
international work, inc mentions of Burma and Syria work.
Conference & future events
- Possibility of VIPSIG conference day or evening on preparing for volunteering. All conference ideas
welcome.
- For future VIPSIG training events, agreed Psychological First Aid (PFA) should be a priority, not offered by
many other people/ organizations, follows IASC guidelines. PH doing small project in Springfield hospital on
1 day PFA training for HCAs. Seemingly ~100 people interested in PFA event. We could do 2 events in few
months. Action: PH to book room for PFA event(s).
Feedback from VIPSIG leads
- Conference: as above
- Fundraising: finances in strong position. Burma trek gave good sum of money to volunteer scheme
- PTC representative currently Yousuf Zacharia. To be contacted if wishes to remain involved
- Trainee representative- RP keen, agreed. We will also ask for other interest on facebook
- Medical student representatives: we now have James Gowe & Alice Spencer
- Newsletter: going well, published twice a year
- UK lead: no representative at present. UK activities occurring e.g. MedMinds project at Birmingham
University Medical School, and various mental health promotion in Mosques and Churches
- CAMHS representative: Heather Hannah
- Retirees: SJ placed advert in VIPSIG newsletter for retirees’ subgroup, no reply. Nick Rose doing upcoming
retirement event. SB aiming to get in touch with Nick Rose. Huge potential acknowledged. Advantnages of
time and skills. SB keen to help set up some form of orientation.
- Diaspora: VD not present
- Research, audit and academic: no representative yet. AM agreed to do. Discussed could be helpful to have
a publication list on website, inc by country. Question raised about if schizophrenia is a useful term globally,
concept could be good for newsletter article. Some thoughts in Somaliland about starting a Somaliland
journal.
Myanmar training
- Latest Myanmar trip successful.
Website & social media
- Discussed ideas for website. RP thinks current website is easy to follow but could doing with making more
attractive, e.g. more photos. Also some info out of date. PH and RP will liaise.
- Website needs updating. PH tried to meet web designer. Consideration given for to fund an external
website. RP keen to help build up social media. Discussed options: website needs to be active; Webpress
noted as a good website; VIPSIG Linkedin profile. Facebook going well
- LJ: had some prev involvement with transcultural group and experience with website design. LJ will liaise
with RP re website. Prev website designed shown, looked very good. Ideas discussed of VIPSIG website
links for other orgnaisations and videos.
Essay prize
- Last year successful. Need to consider if any fine-tuning to rules required. Needs readvertising for 2015.
Finance
- As above. Finances in healthy position
International volunteer activities
PH:
- Turkey-Syria border doing mhGAP training.
- Iraq- they are working on strategic response for refugees and internally displaced people, and piloting
mhGAP humanitarian model/ manual.
- Going to 3 country post-ebola strategic development for MH.
- E-supervision for Somaliland ongoing.
- King's Sierra Leone project looking for volunteer to visit, Stania Lumara is tthere at the moment. Ebola
now mostly beaten in Sierra Leone.
- Did a Somaliland revision trip. Been to WHO mhGAP meetings inc development of a primary care strategy.
- AM discussed Ghana project, which she currently runs. Project coming to an end and winding down.
Currently trying to provide CPD activities, looking for voluneers. Winchester University is taking over project
running form trust. Aiming for 2 week trainee placements.
- AM: The other Ghana project is a 3 month project where trainees go. College partners with Challengers
Worldwide. One of the flagship college projects, and counts towards training. Open to London and Sussex
trainees, Wessex deanery also helpful. AM one day orientation for volunteering would be fyl for project, PH
will liaise.
- AM: Guatemala- Karin Laudin, based NE England, education for the children charity. Wants to establish a
network of uk and Guatemalan psycahitrists. AM is talking to her on skype this week. South America and
Caribbean are often strong on mhGAP.
- LJ works with Transcultural Psychological Organisation (TPO) in Cambodia. Good potential opportunities
for trainees. PH & LJ will liaise re: letter and certificates.
- SA is currently setting up an NGO in Maldives, Mental Health Awareness Foundation. Aims inc mhGAP
training and raising awareness through e.g. Conference and leaflets. Looking for volunteers for Maldives.
Looking for 2 volunteers inc 1 consultant for 2 weeks Aim is to teach general drs, nurses, allied healthcare
professionals, care workers of asylum, teachers. Also looking to do teachers. PH highlighted key to mhGAP
is supervision afterwards.
- MJ: Malawi SMMHEP & Somaliland KTSP projects excellent, highly recommended. Recently returned from
Malawi, excellent and well organised project and training, very good for trainees.
Newsletter
- Articles for newsletter always wanted
AOB
- Room booking for VIPSIG conferences and events at College. Changes with College CALC room booking
arrangements. Latest update is cost of £2000 for events above 50 people. Therefore, agreed may be best to
stick to 50 attendance limit for upcoming events.
- PH has been doing analysis on senior volunteer scheme. Outcomes showing lack of leadership in scheme;
n= 130-140 people. Great opportunity shown for e-supervision. College stamp very helpful, and scheme
also has some funding. Myanmar and Kashmir are funded schemes. Not enough pre- and post- support.
People are saying there isn’t enough awareness of opportunities. PH will bring his findings to International
Advisory Committee.
- SY is one of editors of London Deanery newsletter, will interview PH for an article.
- Agreed for LJ to put VIPSIG name on Cambodia poster.
Dates of next committee meetings:
- Friday 14th August 2015: Royal College of Psychiatrists, room G3/4, 130-230 executive meeting, general
meeting 230- 430
- Friday 30th October 2015: Royal College of Psychiatrists, room G7, 130-230 executive meeting, general
meeting 230- 430
- Friday 27th November 2015: Royal College of Psychiatrists, room G3/4, 130-230 executive meeting,
general meeting 230- 430