Elections 2025: Richard Pemberton

I have held a number of clinical director, head of psychology and senior management and trustee positions.

In one of these I was the lead for clinical governance across a large NHS Trust and oversaw the development of governance arrangements across all professional groups.

I have a track record of developing services for historically poorly served groups and implementing new models of care in child development, primary care, community mental health, and disability services.

I have extensive experience of how to and how not to undertake service reconfiguration and organisational change.

When armed with a clear and progressive strategy, I have experienced at first hand the positive impact at all levels within an organisation and on the quality of the services they deliver, of values led, principled leadership.

I have had a career long interest in multidisciplinary working and 'joined up psychology'.

I am used to working closely and productively with Community, Occupational, Counselling, Coaching, and Educational psychologists.

During the pandemic I was a member of the SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) sub group SPI-B (the Independent scientific insights Group on Behaviours).

For a time the usual demarcation lines between divisions and sections were set aside in an impressive common effort to mitigate the worst impacts of Covid-19.

I am currently co-leading work on applying this learning to other key public health challenges in collaboration with the BPS Psychology Matters programme.

Across all four nations we are working to promote best practice and forge stronger links with the wider public health community, other social scientists and policy makers.

I have a particular interest and background in working to raise psychology's representation and impact on policy.

We very often have the people, the research evidence but lack the political profile to impact on policy at the level that is needed.

Whilst I was DCP chair I helped establish the APPG (All Parliamentary Group) for Psychology in Westminster.

We also need to continue to step up our policy impact and profile across all four nations.

I am particularly passionate about the BPS raising policy and practice impact for children and young people.

I have a strong interest in co-production and its ability to transform practice and improve outcomes.

When I was DCP chair I championed experts by experience. The BPS has adopted an experts by experience framework and I look forward to its implementation and further development.

Inequality, discrimination and exclusion dramatically influence people's life chances, attainment, life expectancy, employment opportunities and health.

We in psychology are not immune from their long and intersectional reach.

Who gets to study, train and practice psychology and who gets access to our services is often distinctly problematic.

The BPS has a key role in helping us both open the doors of the profession and ensuring that poorly served groups and disadvantaged communities are well served.

In order to achieve this the society needs to strengthen its work to: develop a much more representative workforce; provide leadership opportunities for members from minority groups; and develop its mentoring programmes.

I was clinical director of a large intellectual disability service and taught social role valorisation theory so I have a strong grasp of the powerful and all too often destructive consequences of negatively valued difference.

I have long been puzzled as to why psychologists with disabilities don't have a higher profile in the society.

We have an Inclusivity and Diversity board but this work needs to be happening throughout the society and its subsystems.

The elected trustee has a particular responsibility to advocate for the needs of members and help develop a strategic direction that will both increase the value of membership and raise our profile and contribution in key areas of policy and practice.

In order to achieve this we need to find new and innovative ways to bring members together.

We need much more cross divisional working and to invest more heavily in our national and regional branch structures.

At all levels we need to find new ways to manage risk in order to increase the autonomy of our sub systems and trim the current levels of central control.

Using psychologists working in child development and children's services as an example, we could add member value and create a more vibrant member community by bringing our differing stakeholders in academia and practice together to develop a joined up strategy to increase both our support to members working with children and policy and practice impact.

The elected trustee needs to balance supporting current strategic plans whilst being able to constructively challenge the status quo.

How long have you known the candidate?

Over five years.

When have you worked with the candidate or come into contact with them?

I have worked with Richard on multiple occasions on projects on public health and psychology, and continue to work with him on this.

We have jointly presented to Senate. We have also worked on developing influencing plans together to influence government on psychology.

I have seen Richard working in groups of people multiple times over a sustained period of time.

Why do you think the candidate would make a great trustee?

1. He has a keen sense of the society's charitable objectives and purpose
2. He understands Trustee governance
3. He understands some of the areas where the society processes between committees could be streamlined
4. He is politically aware both of intra organisation politics and the wider landscape
5. He is committed to promotion of psychology and its social usefulness
6. His interpersonal style is suited to BPS
7. He is a natural collaborator

Having been in multiple meetings with him, I'd happily recruit him for a charity I was chairing but his interests are clearly in psychology.

How long have you known the candidate?

10 years.

When have you worked with the candidate or come into contact with them?

Richard and I met when we were each Chair of our respective Divisions.

When I relocated back to the South of England, we were able to meet more often to discuss local and national issues and explore how our different disciplines could collaborate and make a positive difference.

Why do you think the candidate would make a great trustee?

Richard is a long standing member of the BPS.

When I first met him I was Chair of the Division of Health Psychology and he was Chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology.

I was struck by his openness and his desire for cross-divisional collaboration. This was (and, I think, remains) a refreshing stance.

As I mentioned, Richard has a long relationship with the BPS. As such he brings knowledge and understanding of how our current BPS grew over time.

This 'institutional memory' will be helpful in understanding context to decisions being made.

He also brings with him his experiences drawn from his career in the NHS, applying psychology to real world issues that will be useful when considering potential impact of proposed actions Trustees will be considering.

I note that in the Trustee role description it states that: 'Trustees provide independent insight and challenge to the society's management and staff, with the intention of ensuring that the society is well-led, well-run, and delivers maximum value for members and impact in line with the society's Royal Charter.'

Richard is someone whom I know is not afraid to be a 'critical friend'.

He will share his experiences and insights. He will question proposals to explore them fully and ensure they are right for the BPS.

He will bring his experience of working in the NHS and his long service to the BPS. He will bring his pragmatic approach to seeking positive ways forward through complex problems.

He will do all this with kindness and the underlying desire to ensure that our BPS is the best it can be.

In short, I think he will make a valuable contribution to our BPS in the role of Trustee and I recommend him to you.