MINUTES OF THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT SECTION EXECUTIVE
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS, SCOTTISH DIVISION
HELD IN CALEDONIA HOUSE, RHSC, GLASGOW
ON 3 NOVEMBER 2010
Present Kathy Leighton (Chair) Johnny Graham
Anne McFadyen (Secretary) Gordon Wilkinson Cleo Hart Christabel Boyle Manopar Pai
Apologies Caroline Boyd Anne Greer
Alison Morton Anne Marie McGhee
Muriel Foreman Alice McGrath
Fiona Forbes Elaine Lockhart
Heather Gardiner Kate Towlson
1. Minutes of the meeting held on 24 August 2010
Accepted with the following qualifications:
Change Lothian vacancy figure to 0.8.
NOTE: Minutes will be put on College website. Anne will discuss the development of the webpage with Christine Caithness, who is in the process of redesigning the Scottish College website. It was suggested that link to website be included in the minutes.
2. Matters Arising
2.1 Inpatient Provision and Community Intensive Services
It was noted that the next meeting of the national In-patient Group chaired by Geoff Huggins (Scottish Government) is to be held on 2 December 2010.
The situation in different parts of the country was updated
West of Scotland: 24 beds are now open. The HIT (Home Intensive Treatment) team, staffed by 2 nurse specialists, is carrying out a pilot project in 2 localities of GGC. Some of the other boards in the West of Scotland are in the process of developing their own Intensive Intervention Services.
North of Scotland: Sally Bonnar is the clinical lead for a project to commission a new unit and supporting Community Intensive Treatment Teams. Neil Strachan is the project officer.
South-East Scotland: Work in the South-East has led to more focussed admissions with shorter lengths of stay. A new Community Intensive Intervention Team has been set up in Lothian. Dan Isaac is the project officer.
There were no further issues in relation to the admission of under-18s to adult beds, the subject of a D4MH target.
2.2 Psychiatry Manpower
There was an update on current vacancies:
Lothian: The vacant consultant post has not yet been advertised.
Grampian: 2 Consultant Child Psychiatry posts remain vacant. Grampian also has a staff-grade vacancy.
Orkney: is covered from Grampian by Kandarp Joshi.
Shetland: is covered by Rob Wrate who is doing a long-term locum.
Tayside: No vacancies.
Fife: no update.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde: I WTE consultant post for community and in-patient adolescent unit may be split. 0.5 WTE substantive post in West team has been advertised. Professor Gillberg has taken up post initially as 2 sessions per week worked as part of monthly visits to Glasgow. From September 2011 this will increase to 3 sessions per week.
Action: Kathy will invite Professor Gillberg to attend the Executive Committee to discuss plans for academic psychiatry in Scotland.
Highland: 1WTE post. Noted that Roderick Beasley, Highland Health Board, is covering the Western Isles.
Lanarkshire: no vacancies.
Ayrshire: 1 WTE post – Julie Gibbons is currently in the locum post.
Dumfries and Galloway: no vacant posts.
Borders: no vacant posts
Action: Anne to try to set up a system to make sure Executive has regular updates on vacancies around the country.
2.3 HEAT Waiting Times Target
The final meeting of Waiting Times Board which was set up to support the introduction of the RTT Heat target was held on 22 September. The Mental Health Implementation Group, chaired by Geoff Huggins, will monitor waiting times along with other indicators.
A workshop was also held. The accuracy of data presented was questionable and ISD are addressing this. The target is currently 52 weeks and should be reduced to 26 by April 2013. Some Boards are keen to reduce it more quickly.
3. Academic Secretary’s Report
The academic meeting will be held on 26 November 2010 in St Mungo’s Museum, Glasgow. The topic is The Impact of Addictions on CAMHS. The speakers already confirmed (Bruce Davidson, Nisha Balan, Carolyn Boyd and Bob Lindsay) will be joined by Dr Dickon Bevington from Cambridge who will talk about Addiction and Comorbidity. Some medical students who are presenting posters are to be given free places. Helen Minnis to be approached re display boards.
The joint meeting the Learning Disability Section will be held on Friday 25th November at their request. Suggestions for topics should be given to Alice and Christabel. The LD section will also put forward ideas. Enthusiasm was expressed for presentations on genetics and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Alice and Christabel were thanked for their hard work.
4. AGM
The AGM will be held at the Academic Meeting on 26 November 2010. Claire Walker from the College office in Edinburgh is circulating the membership. Graham Monteith has confirmed his attendance. He will give a presentation about current CAMHS issues from a Government perspective. The agenda was agreed and will include reports from the Chair Kathy Leighton), the Academic Secretary (Alice McGrath), and QIS (Fiona Forbes). There will be two vacancies for elected members of the Executive Committee.
5. Chair’s Report
Kathy updated the Committee on the current work of the CAMHS Core Group. The current challenge is how to pursue the CAMHS agenda in the context of the economic downturn. She fed back on the progress of various workstreams. This will be presented more fully at the CAMHS Stakeholders meeting on 5 November 2010.
The Mental Health Implementation Group will oversee the ongoing work on the HEAT target and the Balanced Scorecard. The Generic Care Standards for CAMHS (ICP) will be discussed at the meeting and will then go out for a three month consultation. The NES CAMHS training framework (led by Judy Thomson) is due to be published in spring 2011.
6. Reports from Co-opted members
NHS QIS: In Fiona’s absence Kathy reported that QIS including SIGN were to be brought together with other quality streams under a new name, Health Improvement Scotland.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: We received a very full report from Cleo Hart at the last meeting. It was noted that the Framework is being considered in local contexts. In GGC the role of community paediatricians is being reviewed.
Child in Mind, which is longer under the auspices of the College is being taken forward by a group of clinicians which include Elaine Lockhart and Avril Washington.
7. Feedback from Committees
Faculty: There have been recent elections for the Faculty. It was noted that NICE have published guidelines on Conduct Disorder.
Scottish Division: It was noted that the Division’s residential meeting was held recently in Nairn. There has been further debate about names of divisions and sections and agreed that the Scottish Division will now be known as Royal College of Psychiatrists, Scotland.
Action: Kathy will clarify the status of the Section and name we should now use.
As noted previously the review of the Mental Health Act has now been published as the McManus Report. Anne Greer (not in attendance) has been linking with the MHO group and discussed training needs. Clarification has not been forthcoming about the update training for psychiatrists on the Act.
The SDUSTARG group is chaired by Tom Brown and considers medical student and trainee issues. The Public Affairs Committee chaired by Michael Smith had CAMHS representation previously (Iain McClure).
Action: Kathy will find out if Iain is still linked to this group and consider whether or not we should be.
Mental Health Specialty Board: Higher training numbers are likely to be protected again this year. Sally Bonnar and Michael van Bienum sit on the workforce group at the Scottish Government and will continue to push for this.
Maternal and Child Health Information Strategy Group: Johnny Graham reported back on the second meeting of this group which has been set up to try to draw together work in different electronic systems, and to set up an electronic child health portal. Information sharing, child protection system needs and the management of third party information has been discussed. There should be a link to GIRFEC. The meaningfulness of information which is to be widely accessible is limited and the issues of informed consent have still to be resolved.
There was discussion about the use of letters to patients and carers, and Kathy plans to ask Scottish Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists about their practice.
Higher Trainees: There has been discussion at national level about study leave. This will be written up and should provide guidance and ensure that there is equity for trainees across Scotland. There has also been discussion about mandatory training and how this fits in. some trainees seem to be under the impression that Generic Skills training offered at NES is mandatory but the time required in addition to weekly academic day and other courses and conferences attended leads to a deficit in clinical time which is essential. Trainees are required to demonstrate competencies in management and multidisciplinary working and some of the NES courses address this. This will be discussed further in regional training programme meetings.
It was noted that one trainee (Tayside) is currently doing dual training in Forensic and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry having acquired a forensic CCT.
Specialty Doctors: there were none in attendance
8. AOCB
Physical Health Training: There is a lot of support to have a Scottish training Event, including from Karen Addie at the College. Elaine Lockhart has offered to help to organise this, and Cleo offered to be a link to the Royal College of Child Health. Action: Gordon Wilkinson offered to follow this up.
Infant Mental Health Training: has been requested by the trainees and it was agreed that this might be considered for the spring.
Hands On Scotland: It was noted that this website has been relaunched and is very helpful and user-friendly.
Consultations: Recent requests and responses have included Bereavement Care and Self-Harm guidance.
Action: Anne will endeavour to produce a running list of these. Most will be available via the College website.
9. Date and Time of next meeting
To be decided at AGM.
(later agreed 23 February 2011 at CAMHS Tipperlinn, Edinburgh)
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