Chronology of The RCGP by Subject

Psychiatry/Mental Health


 
1956
 
The Ministry of Health invited the college to investigate, with the Royal Medico-Psychological Association, current problems concerning "Psychiatry and the General Practitioner".
 
1956 College affiliation to the National Association for Mental Health
1956 Working party on psychological medicine
1960 Mental Health and the Family doctor Seminar [report published 1963)
1963-5 Mental Illness Survey
 
1966
 
Working party on education in psychology and psychiatry, before and after qualification [see Report from General Practice VII Education in Psychology and Psychiatry]
 
1971 Working party on mental health with the Royal College of Psychiatrists (see

Training the general practitioner in psychiatry', was published in JRCGP, 1975, 25, 609-615.)

1980 Symposium on psychiatric training for general practitioners
1981 Report from General Practice  no. 20 "Prevention of Psychiatric Disorders in General Practice" - a report of a working party on Preventive Medicine convened by Peter Tomson and chaired by Philip Graham.
 
1983
 
Joint working party with Royal College of Psychiatrists to look into the medical effects of unemployment, led to joint report "Economic Change and Family Health" (1984).
 
1985 Psychodynamic Understanding and General Practice” joint Course of Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and the College
1987  Publication of Depression - Current Approaches
1989 Clinical information folders published on depression, hormone replacement therapy, how to produce a practice formulary, minor surgery, multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and terminal care.
1990

Publication of "Care of People with a Mental Handicap" (Occasional Paper 47)

1991

Consensual statement with Royal College of Psychiatrists on diagnosis and recognition of depression and management of depression in general practice

1991 Andre Tylee appointed as Senior Educational Fellow in Mental Health in Primary Care (a joint initiative by RCGP, Committee for Regional Advisers in General Practice in England, Department of Health (DoH) and the (MHF) Mental Heath Foundation.)
1992 Launch of Defeat Depression Campaign (Royal College of Psychiatrists)

March

1993

Joint Statements [with Royal colleges] on vocational training in obstetrics and gynaecology, accident and emergency medicine, geriatrics, paediatrics, palliative care and psychiatry.

 

1993

Report of Joint Working Party with Royal College of Psychiatrists on Shared Care of Patients with Mental Health Problems [Occasional paper 60]

 

1993

Report of working party on Stress Management in General Practice

 

April 1994

Psychiatry and General PracticeToday. The College's evidence to the House of Commons Health Committee's inquiry into mental health services.

 

Aug 1994

 

Publication of reprint of Psychiatry in General Practice by Arthur & Betty Watts

 

1994

The Mental Health Task Force was a working group set up by the Secretary of State for Health under  to assist in the process of the closure of the large mental hospitals and to ensure adequate provision was made to replace their services. The group included representatives of the Department of Health, Research and Development in Psychiatry, carer organisations, users, social services, nursing, RCGP and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It became the Mental Health Forum in 1999.

1995 Study day on clinical depression

June 1997

Launch of Mental Health Toolkit - the toolkit aimed to provide practical support to general practitioners and other members of the primary care team who deal with the mental health needs of patients. It offered a systematic approach to the basic primary care procedures for assessment, diagnosis and management of common mental health problems.

 

1998

GP Registrar Prize in Mental Health

 

May

1999

RCGP/RCP Joint Committee on Palliative Subgroup formed to look at medical education in relation to psychiatric aspects of palliative care, drawing in representatives from the Royal College of Psychiatrists

 

Sep 1999

"Making a World of Difference" Commission on Primary Care Seminar attended by HRH Prince of Wales

The Commission, originally launched by the Prince of Wales in 1992, comprised of members from all primary care disciplines. Six of the members – Kate Billingham, Mrs Mary Burd, Dr Chris Drinkwater, Dr Margaret Flynn, Dr Tim Hill and Dr Henry Smithson – were fellows who had researched areas of provision as diverse as children’s health, mental health, care for the elderly, learning disability and epilepsy.
 

17 Nov

1999

Mental Health Skills Master Class: 1 Reattribution Skills for Somatising Patients. Led by Andre Tylee [Director of RCGP Unit for Mental Health Education], Sir David Goldberg [Institute of Psychiatry], Tim Thornton Mental Health Education Fellow]

 

22 Mar 2000

 

Mental Health Skills Masterclass: 3 Heartsink Patients

Apr  2003

Joint guidelines with the Department of Health on  the Appointment of General Practitioners with Special Interests in the Delivery of Clinical Services: Mental Health

 

22 Sep 2003
Medical Skills Masterclass 1 Reattribution Skills for Somatising Patients
 
7-8 Oct 2003 The first conference in a series entitled The Patient's Journey focused on patients’ first encounters with primary care mental health. The event was organised by Wales Mental Health in Primary Care (WaMHinPC) and funded by the Royal College of General Practitioners in Wales (RCGP Wales) and Wyeth.  
25 March 2004
RCGP & Institute of Psychiatry: The Management of Psychiatric Emergencies in Primary Care
 
4 May 2004
RCGP & Institute of Psychiatry -Heartsink Patients meeting
Sep 2004 Re-establishment of Mental Health Task Group
Sep 2004

 Consensus Statement on Mental Health Inequalities (Health Inequalities Standing Group)

 

Dec 2004

RCGP Curriculum Statement 13 Care of People with Mental Health Problems [updated Jan 2006] by Dr Graham Archard, Dr Les Ashton, Dr Richard Byng, Dr Alan Cohen, Dr Chris Drinkwater, Dr Clare Gerada, Dr Gabriel Ivbijaro, Dr Helen Lester, Dr Huw Lloyd, Dr Chris Manning, Dr Graham Martin, Dr Barbara Nagy, Dr David Shiers, Dr David Smart, Dr Andre Tylee & Dr Pat Wood

 

19 Aug 2005

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), as the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care (NCCPC), Mind, and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) join forces to produce a new poster and leaflet aimed at helping people with depression and with anxiety.

The poster and leaflet, distributed to GP surgeries around England and Wales, aimed to inform patients of a wide range of options available for the treatment of depression and anxiety.  As well as medication, the poster highlighted how exercise programmes and support groups, can also be effective in treating mental health problems. The aim was to raise awareness of the various options available and to encourage patients to work actively with their GP in choosing the best treatment to suit their particular needs.

 
14 Dec  2005 "Implementing Best Practice in Mental Health" Conference, Birmingham
2006

RCGP/RCPsych Joint Report on Primary Care Management of Patients with Psychological Problems and Chronic Physical Disease

 

Jan 2006 Curriculum Statement 14 Care of People with Learning Disabilities ( based on the work of the Royal College of General Practitioner’s Mental Health Task Group particularly Dr Graham Martin & Dr Mike Deighan)
 In managing patients with learning (intellectual) disabilities, General Practitioners should:
·        Be aware of likely associated conditions and knowing where to obtain specialist help and advice.
·        Understand how psychiatric and physical illness may present atypically in patients with learning disabilities who have sensory, communication and cognitive difficulties
·        Use additional skills of diagnosis and examination in patients unable to describe or verbalise symptoms.
 
Feb 2006

Blue and White Policy Statement on Mental Health and Primary Care written by Health Inequalities task group

Primary Care Organisations (PCO’s) should make mental health a priority for primary care within the NHS, recommends the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in its latest position statement.

The position statement on mental health and primary care is the result of an RCGP Health Inequalities Standing Group conference held jointly with the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) – ‘Hard Lives: Living with Mental Health Inequalities’.  It outlines current understanding of what constitutes mental health and the role of primary care, examining the impact of inequalities on both mental health problems and the care provided in general practice. 

Clear and practical guidance is provided as to how general practitioners, practices and PCO’s can address inequalities with respect to promoting mental health and providing care.  Specific emphasis is placed on patient participation, understanding mind-body links and supporting professionals and collaborative working. 

Recommendations for PCO’s include:

  • Making mental health a priority for primary care within the NHS which should be supported by a positive, evidence-based holistic understanding of mental health and the causes of mental health problems.
  • Facilitating promotion of mental health through joint working in communities and by encouraging clinicians to work with individuals to identify health-promoting solutions to life’s problems.
  • Consideration should be given to piloting reforms of the whole system of care for mental health based on improving the patient’s journey.

Recommendations are also provided for primary care practitioners.  These focus on promoting a holistic understanding of mental health and involving patients, to the extent they prefer, in understanding the cause of their distress and in decision making about management of their mental health problem.

 

March 2007

The RCGP’s Mental Health Task Group has worked with Staffordshire University and the Royal College of Nursing to produce a fact sheet to  Too little, too old, too late? to help primary care practitioners identify and support older people they suspect may be depressed and even suicidal.

 

The information is based on a report Older People and Suicide by Derek Beeston of Staffordshire University’s Centre for Ageing and Mental Health

July 2007 One day masterclass “Personality in Practice” led by David Pendleton
1 Nov 2007 Joint guidance with Royal College of Psychiatrists on Early Detection of Psychosis in Young People
15 Nov 2007  “Death To Indifference” seminar brought together the Royal Society of Medicine’s Intellectual Disability Forum, the Royal colleges of General Practitioners, Nursing and Psychiatry, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and learning disability charity Mencap to dicuss the poor quality of healthcare experienced by people with a learning disability.
29 Nov 2007 The Wales Mental Health in Primary Care (WaMH in PC) Network Conferencen "New Ways of Thinking to Make a Difference"
 2008  Clinical Champions 2008-2010:Mental Health: Dr Carolyn Chew-Graham
Jan 2008

 

Start of Living Better Project which aimed to improve the mental wellbeing of those with long term conditions. It provided up to date information on the latest policy, research and practice relating to Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes and Mental Health. It was a  joint project of RCGP Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health and the University of Stirling. Other partners in the project include Diabetes UK Scotland, British Heart Foundation (Scotland), Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, and Depression Alliance Scotland. The project was funded by the Scottish Government.

 

March 2008 Delivering Mental Health in Primary Care: An Evidence based approach” Edited by Alan Cohen published.
March 2008 Patients and anti-depressants – a joint statement by the RCGP and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych)
June 2008 Psychological therapies in psychiatry and primary care – Joint Report of  Royal College of Psychiatrist and RCGP.
24 June 2008 Investing in our Future: Ageing and Mental Health consensus statement by RCGP, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Age Concern, and the Royal College of Nursing
Sep 2008 Launch of competence framework for practitoners with a special interest in frameworks for GPwSIs and PhwSIs: including  Mental Health.
Dec 2008 Joint position statement on Smoking and Mental Health – RCGP, Royal College of Psychiatrists [Forum]
Jan 2009 Primary Care Mental Health Forum inaugural meeting
Jan 2009 "The Management of Patients with Physical and Psychological Problems in Primary Care: A Practical Guide" - report of a joint working group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Feb 2009

"Guide to Providing Mental Health Care Support to Asylum Seekers in Primary Care" by Les Ashton and Jan Moore.

Mar 2009 Joint Northern Ireland Council and Royal College of Psychiatrists conference “Mental Health and Primary Care”

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