RCPsych media coverage summary – January 2014

Summary of the main media coverage received in January 2014 mentioning the College, our publications, or quoting psychiatrists put forward by the Press Office. This month’s highlights included:

  • Our President was profiled in the FT Weekend magazine, after being made a Dame in the New Year Honour list (11 January).
  • Extensive coverage in the UK and worldwide for a British Journal of Psychiatry paper on comedians showing ‘high levels of psychotic traits’ (16 January).
  • Dr James Warner, Chair of the College’s Old Age Faculty, gathered over 30 signatories to a letter warning of the risks of moving to ‘ageless’ mental health services. The letter was placed in The Timesand was accompanied by an article written by health editor Chris Smyth (24 January).

Date / Publication/Programme / Summary
January / FMJ (Facilities Management Journal) Magazine / Case study
Four page feature on the College’s relocation to 21 Prescot Street, featuring interview with Head of Facilities Lesley Cawthra.
1 Jan / The Guardian / Letter to editor
College President Professor Sue Bailey co-signs letter calling for a “more measured view of how the NHS is performing”.

2 Jan / BBC News Online / Schizophrenia: talking therapy offers ‘little benefit’
Report on British Journal of Psychiatry paper

11 Jan / FT Weekend magazine / The Inventory: Sue Bailey
College President Sue Bailey is interviewed following her acceptance of a Damehood in the New Year Honours.

11 Jan / Chemist & Druggist / Open up to mental illness
College President Sue Bailey talks about the need for greater awareness of mental health problems among pharmacists.
13 Jan / BBC Radio 5 Live
Sue’s comments then used in local media including Kent on Sunday / The Victoria Derbyshire Show
College President Sue Bailey joined the programme to talk about sexual boundaries in psychiatric settings, following reports of a woman who had been raped more than 50 times in a psychiatric hospital in 2003.
15 Jan / Independent / Broken by war: the Army reservist still battling with combat stress - and worried about declining mental health support for the growing ranks of part-time soldiers
Quotes Professor Neil Greenberg, the College’s Lead for Military and Veteran’s Health.

16 Jan / Story picked up by:BBC Today programme, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 2, BBC World Service, over 20 regional BBC radio stations, The Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and hundreds of media outlets in the UK and overseas. / BJPsych press release: Study shows comedians ‘have high levels of psychotic personality traits’
e.g.
19 Jan / Sunday Times
Sue’s comments also used in a leader published in The Mirror on 21 January / Suicides blamed on mental health beds shortage
With quote from College President Sue Bailey, saying: ““It is worrying to hear that some parts of the country are reporting no availability of beds for psychiatric emergencies, but we know this is not uncommon.”

20 Jan / BBC Radio 4 / World at One
College President Sue Bailey gave a live interview following a report on the publication of the government’s new mental health action plan.
20 Jan / BBC Radio 5 Live / Drivetime
College President Sue Bailey gave a live interview following a report on the publication of the government’s new mental health action plan.
22 Jan / BBC Radio London / Drivetime with Eddie Nestor
Dr Owen Bowden-Jones, Chair of the Addictions Faculty, gave a live interview about club drugs.
24 Jan / The Times / Letter to Editor
Dr James Warner co-ordinated a letter signed by over 30 professional bodies from the UK and overseas warning that patient care may be affected by the move to ‘ageless’ mental health services. UK signatories included the Royal College of Nursing and British Geriatric Society.
(£)
The letter was also accompanied by an article written by health editor Chris Smyth: (£)
24 Jan / Wakefield Express / £20m budget cuts for mental health trust
College President Sue Bailey gives general comment on cuts to mental health budgets across the UK.
26 Jan / BBC News Online and BBC Radio 4’s The World this Weekend / Hundreds of children ‘detained in police cells’
Quotes College President Professor Sue Bailey.

29 Jan / The Times / Mental health detentions at record high
College President Professor Sue Bailey is quoted as saying the rise in detentions “reflects the increasing pressure on the whole system”.
(£)
30 Jan / Story picked up by: BBC News Online, Nature World News, De Telegraaf, and many other news outlets across the world. / BJPsych press release:Micronutrients ‘effective in treating ADHD symptoms in adults’
e.g. BBC News Online
30 Jan / Story picked up by: Nursing Times, Medical Xpress and others / BJPsych press release: Study prompts call for better suicide prevention activity in general hospitals
e.g. Nursing Times