DCP In Focus: July 2024

Following the general election, we bring you news of the Psychology Matters manifesto,  which the BPS has developed together with its sub-systems. 

The DCP has contributed significantly to this, and we believe it is an important piece of work by the BPS.

There are also important updates from our chair, Kalpita Kunde, and from Tony Lavender on  workforce and training matters. This month we also carry news from the Leadership and Management Faculty.

As always, we welcome any feedback or comments.

- Julia Faulconbridge, DCP communications and publications lead

Chair's update

We had a very productive rep assembly this month to discuss the short, medium and longer term objectives for the DCP amidst the many changes that have been introduced by the society this year.

The co-produced project around reviewing the current recompense processes of agreeing, claiming and payments is our most immediate goal. A redesign of the current method and payment will be recommended by the SLT so that all processes for payments made under contract of services comply with HMRC requirements. This would be applied to all networks and involve all stakeholders. 

In terms of governance and structures, there has been a task and finish group set up to ensure that the project follows a comprehensive consultation process, has an agreed time frame where decisions get shared with rep assembly at regular intervals as part of the wider consultation process. Regular updates will also be shared with our membership to keep all informed on next steps and progress made.

Alongside this, the DCP exec group is in the process of establishing a second task and finish group to work on  what we need in order for us to fulfil the professional body functions for clinical psychologists. This will need to include analysis of needs, what is working well and what needs to change. This work is predicated on the proposals for recompense reaching satisfactory conclusions and which should be on a similar timescale.

If things go as planned then our hope is for the work to feed into our DCP strategy informed by IE report and a wider piece of work involving the other divisions who also have professional body functions and with BPS staff to co-produce a model of what is needed for the future.

Best wishes,

- Kalpita

News

Psychology Matters

Ahead of the general election, we called all political parties to ensure that policies are developed and delivered using a psychological approach, which places people first.

The manifesto shows how, by harnessing the power of psychology, our government can deliver successful and effective policy that transforms lives and society for the better.

The manifesto outlines five priority areas, alongside evidence-based recommendations, that should form part of the new government's agenda:

1. Prevention and early intervention in health, social care, and education

2. Prioritising the needs of our children and young people

3. A psychology workforce for the future

4. Caring for our carers – supporting our health and social care workforce

5. Promoting equality

You can read our full manifesto on the BPS website now, and find out more about our Psychology Matters campaign.

Could you be our Membership & CPD Lead?

have a vacancy on the executive for someone to be co-opted to be our membership and CPD lead. This is a key role, looking at how we can best meet the needs of existing members and encourage more people to join.

Part of this is working to develop what DCP offers in CPD and training opportunities and includes working closely with our networks. You will be supported by the whole of the executive in this endeavour.

If you would like to have a chat about this role then please contact our chair Kalpita Kunde.

Help us deliver the Alternative Handbook 2025

Our Pre-Qualification Group is calling all current DClinPsy trainees to help us deliver the 2025 Alternative Handbook.

The survey is now live, and has been sent to your course directors for you to complete. The deadline for completion is Friday 12 July. Please get in touch with your course director if you have not received the survey. It is really helpful to get feedback about your experiences with your course.

If there are any issues/problems with the survey please email the BPS research team.

Support research on contested or unclear terms

Our DCP lead for research, Ryan Kemp, invites clinical psychologists to support research sponsored by the Welcome Trust and led by Professor Richard Velleman.

Richard is principal investigator on a Wellcome-commissioned Common Definitions Project, which Sangath (an Indian research organisation), in partnership with the Global Mental Health Peer Network, is leading.

The aim is to examine contested or unclear terms used in mental health science and recommend ways that Wellcome could work to improve things. One of the ways we are undertaking this work is via a survey, which can be completed online.

A psychological perspective on Hoarding

New BPS guidance is calling for greater psychological support to be offered to those diagnosed with hoarding disorder.

The call is one of several recommendations listed in BPS's updated guidance, A Psychological Perspective on Hoarding. Co-author Dr Stuart Whomsley, a DCP member, said:

"People who are diagnosed with hoarding disorder can experience serious psychological challenges which can often have a knock-on effect and lead to feelings of loneliness.

For example, they can feel uneasy about hosting visitors and often choose not to do so as a result. They then don't wish to visit other people's homes as they know they'll have to reciprocate. It can be a vicious circle.

Hoarding disorder must be recognised as a psychological condition in its own terms. The BPS is therefore calling for those who suffer from hoarding difficulties to have a psychological assessment from the outset and included as part of the care they are offered."

You can read more and access the guidance on the BPS website.

Could you be the next Editor-In-Chief of the British Journal of Clinical Psychology?

The BPS is seeking to appoint a new editor-in-chief for the British Journal of Clinical Psychology from 2025. This JCR-ranked, international journal publishes original research, both empirical and theoretical, on all aspects of clinical psychology.

Candidate(s) will be recognised internationally for their achievements in clinical psychology with a strong research background and publications record, supported by some journal editorial experience. They will also have an international network of contacts so that the profile of the journal can continue to be developed.

Read the full job profile and details on how to apply online. The closing date is 1 August 2024.

BPS and DCP at London Pride 2024

The BPS took part in London Pride 2024 for the third year running. As well as the parade this year, the BPS held a careers stall for the first time at the heart of Leicester Square, where the public could access information about a range of careers within psychology.

Sidrah Muntaha, EDI lead representing clinical psychology, commented:

"It was an uplifting experience to be part of the energy, listen to live performers and have the privilege of speaking about our profession to people from all over the world.

It was encouraging to see how many members of the public were interested in clinical psychology and perhaps we need to focus on public engagement to increase the appeal of clinical psychology for all."

The DCPs EDI sub-committee continues to meet monthly and have exciting plans for 2024/5, including an EDI podcast, a music and film-making project, a bitesize training session on African Psychology and more. If you would like to get involved please contact contact Sidrah.

Members encouraged to respond to Cass Review project

There's still time for members to contribute to the BPS's project identifying the implications of the Cass Review for psychology. Find out more about how to get involved via the BPS website.

DCP North East and North Cumbria launch event

This survey is open to DCP members based in the North East and North Cumbria.

The current chair, Esther Cohen-Tovee, is working hard to reinvigorate the branch for its members.

As part of this we would like to hold a launch event later in the year or early in 2025.

Please complete this survey to let us know what kind of event would appeal to you and give us your ideas.

Workforce and training updates

Survey of psychologists in physical healthcare settings

The survey of psychologists working in physical healthcare settings has been completed and was published in May 2024. There has been a 50 per cent increase in numbers since 2016 and more are being directly employed by acute care NHS trusts in England rather than under sub-contract arrangements with mental health trusts.

Guidance on the employment of psychologists in physical healthcare settings

This guidance document has been completed and will be published in May 2024. It provides advice about the major governance issues to consider when employing psychologists in these settings.

Guidance on the use of outcome measures in physical healthcare settings

The survey (see above) revealed patchy use of routine outcome measures in physical healthcare settings. As a response it has been agreed to establish a group to develop guidance about the appropriate outcome measures to use in these settings. The group will be multi-divisional and will be led by Becci Dow. We will try to develop this in a way that engages people in each of the government bodies across all four nations.

Review of BPS's accreditation criteria for clinical psychology programmes

The major review of the accreditation criteria has been undertaken and the second phase of public consultation has been completed. Comments are being integrated and a new draft has been produced and being scrutinised through the BPS governance procedures. The plan is to get these published by November/December 2024, with a three-year implementation time frame.

Job planning guidelines

The guidelines on job planning for practitioner psychologists in health and social care were published in December 2023 and can be found online.

Career development framework

A task and finish group chaired by Beth Parry-Jones has been established to develop professional guidance to help promote equality of access to career progression. The framework is intended to help service leads understand the benefits of recruiting and employing practitioner psychologists at the different A4C bands, and how they can support the expansion and governance of psychological professions and increased access to psychological therapies and interventions in health and social care.

Additionally, the guidance will help inform practitioner psychologists working in health and social care about what is expected in terms of competences and qualifications for different agenda for change bandings (or equivalent).

Responsible (approved) clinician podcast

A podcast of an interview with Professor John Taylor and Dr Esther Cohen-Tovee by Tony Lavender about the responsible clinician role is now available. The coverage includes what is involved in the role, the training required, what a clinical psychologists can bring to the role and the issues to consider when attempting to help NHS Trusts to adopt the role. The podcast is available online.

HCPC and BPS working group

Tony Lavender (working group chair) and Nigel Atter (BPS staff) have continued to meet with the HCPC and the Professional Standards Authority (PSA, the regulator of the regulators) throughout the year.

We have agreement to repeat, in 2024, the induction sessions to HCPC staff to familiarise with the training and working contexts of each type of practitioner psychologist. We have also provided a fitness to practise webinar for practitioner psychologists in conjunction with HCPC and the PSA to provide an account of the processes and with presentations with people who had been through the process.

On most occasions the process finds 'no case to answer', although is invariably harrowing and takes longer than expected. This was attended by over 80 practitioners.

We continue to lobby HCPC to improve this and other processes and there if are particular issues you wish to raise any issues to discuss with HCPC please get in touch.

Finally, HCPC has launched a free service to support registrants going through fitness to practise, available on its website.

Leadership and Management Faculty updates

DCP Leadership and Management Faculty leadership training programme 

Following a successful role out of the first iteration, the next programme is due to be rolled out soon. The programme dates are 27 and 28 February, and 28 April 2025 at the BPS London office. Further information on the programme and how to apply will come out soon via the DCP comms.

A call to potential mentors

Could you be a mentor? We are in the process of restoring this scheme due to the attrition during the process of being transferred to the new system - pushfar platform. For the scheme to continue to flourish our priority is to identify a pool of mentors. We have several mentees waiting to start.

We are keen to recruit mentors from a diverse range of backgrounds, experience and clinical practice. Providing mentoring typically requires a minimum commitment of around an hour over four-to-six weeks spanning across six-to-eight months.

We are looking for mentors in two areas:

• Leadership training - mentoring offer: This entails offering three mentoring sessions over an agreed period to individuals who have completed the DCP leadership training and are currently in a leadership role. Please contact Amra Rao if you are interested.
• Mentoring scheme: You are invited to join our pool of mentors on our mentoring scheme.This requires six mentoring sessions over an agreed timescale to discuss their professional development including leadership and service development issues, as well as career, personal development and learning. This is open to all clinical psychologists (DCP members) post-qualification. Feedback over the years has shown us that mentorship supports the development of leadership skills and organisational development skills, helping with career progression and having an impact on teams and services.

If you require any further information regarding this scheme or for any questions or comments, please do contact scheme lead Tim Cate.

Psychological professionals wellbeing summit - legacy event

The wellbeing legacy event on 25 June is being cancelled due to the implications of the elections. The new date is 7 October, at the BPS London office. As part of the planning, we have been consulting with professional bodies and other stakeholders to consider what the current issues are and what is needed going forward. This is an invite-only event. We will be sharing the key findings with the DCP membership.

Leadership competencies framework

A working group has been established to review the framework co-chaired by Amra Rao and Ben Rogers. After the initial scoping, a process of consultation will start engaging with members across the career span.

Upcoming events

Our Faculty for Addictions is hosting a webinar that will delve into the heart of a key debate surrounding addiction on 17 July.

Our Faculty for the Psychology of Older People is hosting an online event which will review the development of the CAP and MHWP roles within services for older people on 25 July.

The BPS Expert Witness Conference 2024 is taking place on 4 September.

A DCP East Midlands Branch event on 10 September will support clinical psychologists to understand contemporary thinking around gender identity, its relationship to therapeutic work, and clinical approaches to best meet the needs of service users regardless of gender identity.

A BPS webinar on World Suicide Day, 10 September, will provide insights into the origins of the social construct of suicide and suicide prevention in order to allow a relationship to develop with suicide – reducing fear.

Our Faculty of Psychosis and Complex Mental Health is hosting a webinar on acute services on 10 September.

Our Faculty for the Psychology of Older People is holding its annual conference online on 17 and 18 September.

Our Faculty of Forensic Clinical Psychology is holding its autumn meeting at Broadmoor Hospital on 19 September.