DCP In Focus: March 2023

Welcome to the March edition of DCP in Focus

We hope you find the information in here to be informative and useful and always value your feedback.

We do hope that you will use your vote in the elections for the next BPS President - this is an important role representing the membership at the centre of the BPS structures.

We are also really pleased to announce the new DCP Faculty for Psychologists in Primary Care. This is not just a new DCP faculty, but also a new model of cross-divisional cooperation  as we welcome our colleagues into full membership with us.

- Julia Faulconbridge

News

Voting open for new BPS President-Elect

Voting has now opened for the new BPS President-Elect and you have until 31 March to cast your vote.

Voting in BPS elections is via an online system, and you should have received an email from our elections partner, Mi-Voice with instructions on how to vote. If you don't have an email address registered with the BPS, or if you have opted out of online voting, you will have received a postal ballot instead.

Following a nomination period, there are four candidates, including DCP chair Roman Raczka:

• Alison Clarke
• Natalie Lancer
• Jimmy Petruzzi
• Roman Raczka

You can meet the nominees and watch their candidate videos on the BPS website.

Voting is open to student, graduate, associate, full, chartered and honorary members.

Clinical Psychology in Primary Care

We've launched a new discussion paper on the role of clinical psychology in primary care, which you can access via the DCP website.

This follows on from a DCP-funded project, led by Lucy Marks, researching the work that clinical psychologists have been doing in primary care in recent years, and coincides with the launch of the new primary care faculty.

If this is an area of work which interests you, applications are now open for the new faculty, which will build on the work we've already done highlighting good practice for psychologists working with GP practices and the primary care team nationally, widening the scope to cover psychologists from other divisions.

Joining the new faculty is easy - just download an application form and send it to the BPS's membership team by email.

Clinical Psychology Forum

The latest issue of Clinical Psychology Forum has recently been published, and can be access free by DCP members through the new BPS Explore platform.

The next edition of CPF is due to be a bumper issue on leadership, covering March and April. Keep an eye out for an email at the end of April, alerting you to when it's available.

We are always looking for new voices to contribute to Clinical Psychology Forum, and guidelines for contributors as well as other key pieces of information on how to construct and submit a paper are available on our website.

We need you

Two key roles on the DCP executive are currently open for co-option, and we're looking for members who might be interested in getting involved. If you have an interest in taking on one of the roles, then this gives you a chance to try it out before standing for election next year. If this is you, please drop us an email for further details. These are remunerated roles.

The roles are fantastic opportunities to join us in making a difference to the profession and to the public. Becoming an active member of the DCP is also hugely beneficial to those who do it in terms of personal and professional development. The DCP Executive is a welcoming group and we will support and mentor any new person getting involved.

Treasurer

Following seven years as DCP treasurer, Simon Gelsthorpe has informed the executive that he won't be seeking a further term of office, so we are seeking a new treasurer.

The treasurer has three key tasks within the DCP - reporting to the executive on our financial position, chairing the finance sub-committee, and chairing the reimbursement panel.

Simon has kindly offered to speak to anyone who might be interested in the role, if this could be you, please drop him an email.

DCP England chair

The chairs of the regional DCP branches are all on the DCP England committee, chaired and led by the DCP England chair.

The current DCPE chair, Kalpita Kunde, has recently become DCP chair elect, so we are seeking someone new to step into this role.

A summary of the committee's work in 2022 was:

The DCP England committee has had an active participation and involvement on trauma, race and intersectionality, supporting and influencing inclusion and diversity work. Work has also focused on strengthening links with other key sub group chairs including our prequal and minorities groups.

The committee has had very good DCP representation to new trainees across some regions which has included active engagement with membership through newsletters, surveys, via social media and with widening access work that have supported developments in the wider careers focused work within the BPS.

  Some key successful events were around the intergenerational trauma and race webinars including a symposium presented at the DCP conference, and other branch specific events from tackling social class and class-based inequalities to moving forwards with Long Covid from a lived experiences perspective.

For more information on either of these roles and how to apply, please get in touch.

BPS and HCPC update

The BPS has published an update from the Practice Board's HCPC Subgroup, which seeks to improve liaison between the society and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The update covers a number of areas, but the most important is that the renewal window for practitioner psychologists is now open until 31 May. Anyone who is registered with the HCPC and is intending to maintain their status must renew during this window to continue to practise for the next two-year cycle.

Events

A virtual CPD event on 17 April will look at developing a paper for Clinical Psychology Forum.

Our Faculty of Psychosis and Complex Mental Health has confirmed a series of 'In conversation with..' events for this year. The first, with Margo Ononaiye, looking at tackling systemic racism in the psychological professions, takes place on 17 May. Future events will feature Tom Richardson and Adrian Whittington.

Our Faculty for People with Intellectual Disabilities is holding its annual conference in London on 22 and 23 May.

Registration is available for the European Congress of Psychology 2023, which the BPS is hosting in Brighton in July.

The Faculty for the Psychology of Older People annual conference will be hosted by the Welsh geographic groups on 19 and 20 September.

Social commentator, poet and musician Darren McGarvey has been confirmed as the keynote speakers for our Faculty of Psychosis and Complex Mental Health's annual conference in November. Keep an eye out for booking details in future editions.

Consultations

There are a number of consultations which the BPS will be responding to and are currently open for contributions from members, including several particularly relevant to clinical psychology:

• Special inquiry committee on the integration of primary and community care
• Senedd inquiry into the public health approach to preventing gender-based violence
• Test standards for health and social care contexts

All currently open consultations and details on how to contribute are available on the BPS website.

NHS staff wellbeing hubs

The BPS has continued its joint campaign with ACP-UK, calling for the government to make a decision on funding for NHS mental health and wellbeing hubs, which offer vital support for health and social care staff across England.

Funding is due to run out on 31 March, and at least four of the hubs have already been forced to close, despite an interim report identifying a strong link between patient safety and NHS staff wellbeing.

You can read the full story on wellbeing hubs on the BPS website.

Blogs

Coping with the selection process

Ahead of the DClinPsy selection process, DCP membership and CPD lead Christine Curle has written a message to DClinPsy applicants, published as a blog on the BPS website.

This is ahead of a webinar on 10 April on preparing for DClinPsy interviews, hosted by our Pre-qualification Group.

The group has produced other resources to help, including five tips for preparing for interviews and five tips for managing interview rejection.