The recommendation of a report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying to introduce both assisted suicide and euthanasia for people with terminal illnesses and between six and 12 months to live will have significant ramifications for palliative and end of life care in Ireland, and for the most vulnerable in our society. Read the Oireachtas press statement here and read the report in full here. Speaking today, Professor Siobhan MacHale, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and member of the Human Rights and Ethics Committee of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, said: “The Oireachta ..read more

JOB TITLE: Manager, postgraduate training recruitment and examinations RESPONSIBLE TO: Operations Manager, Postgraduate Training PURPOSE Play a key role in fulfilling the objectives of the Postgraduate Training Department and to support the Dean of Education and Clinical Leads in the department in managing the operations and administration of the College Postgraduate Training Department. OBJECTIVE Managing the efficient and effective administration of postgraduate training recruitment and the BST clinical examination. To assist the Chief Examiner, the Dean of Education, and the operations mana ..read more

JOB DESCRIPTION JOB TITLE: Chief Examiner RESPONSIBLE TO: Dean and President of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland   Job Specification: The Chief Examiner will be the key leader in development and delivery of the College Examination(s).  The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and delivery of the BST Examination process, ensuring that it complements the continuous assessment process, and that it meets the requirements of the Medical Council. This is a senior appointment for the College.  The Chief Examiner will work closely with the Dean of Educatio ..read more

Dr Jay Venketramen is a locum Consultant Paediatrician and works in CAREDS Cork Kerry. Jay trained and worked in South Africa before moving to Ireland. With a strong interest in community services, Jay spent some time working as a psychiatry registrar in CAMHS before returning to paediatrics, and she took up a post in CAREDS in February 2023. She works part time in CAREDS and also has sessions in the regional inpatient adolescent unit and in the CAMHS MHID team in Cork CAREDS (Child and Adolescent Regional Eating Disorder Service) Cork Kerry was the NCPED’s first integrated community eating di ..read more

The College President, Dr Lorcan Martin gave the opening address to a group of Non Consultant Doctors (NCHDs) at the 15th annual NCHD conference on Friday, 23rd February. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘#Trending’ with a particular focus on exploring topical themes in psychiatry relevant to trainees. The event was in full attendance, with lively interaction from the audience and a great variety of speakers. Topics covered included including Personality Disorders, Functional Disorders, and Drug Trends as well as breakout sessions on career advice, examination preparation and getting i ..read more

Bodywhys is the national voluntary organisation in Ireland supporting people affected by eating disorders and their carers. For #EDAW2024 they have selected the theme: Eating Disorder Recovery and Beyond: Respecting Individuality and Identity. Bodywhys have advised that this theme came about from their understanding that an eating disorder develops and functions differently for each individual person. Over time it can become a part of a person’s identity, and can become intertwined with the person’s sense of self.  Bodywhys recognise that what it means to ‘recover’ is unique to each perso ..read more

Funding for doctors in training under 70% of what is needed to meet demand The College of Psychiatrists’ annual NCHD Conference takes place in Dublin today (Friday) The President of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has said that the Government’s perennial inability to sufficiently fund psychiatric doctors in training has been and will continue to be “detrimental” for patients and has had a major knock-on effect on all mental health services in Ireland. Dr Lorcan Martin, a consultant in general adult psychiatry, said that current funding of €1.3 million for doctors to train to be speci ..read more

The College is appalled and distressed at the accelerating violence in the Middle East, the increasing loss of human lives and the intensification of horrific effect on innocent civilians. We remain deeply concerned for the devastation inflicted on all, particularly the irreparable injury to children and vulnerable citizens and the long-term consequences for them.  Our medical and healthcare colleagues, who continue to attempt to provide medical intervention and care in beyond impossible situations and depleted medical facilities, are also uppermost in our thoughts. A peaceful, non-violen ..read more

Locum Consultant – Psychiatry of Learning Disability (Adult) Job Posted: Friday, 16 February 2024 Deadline: Friday, 1 March 2024   View full job description via PDF here.   Informal inquiries: Dr Ronan Hearne, Clinical Director Tel: 01 217 2100 Email: ronan.hearne@sjog.ie   Interested parties: Please apply via the following link: https://api.occupop.com/shared/job/locum-consultant-psychiatrist-in-the-psy-bf6bb ..read more

President, Dr Lorcan Martin and Manager of Communications, External Affairs & Policy, Andrea Ryder, met with Minister of State for Mental Health,  Mary Butler,  in Leinster House. During an engaging and productive meeting, the Minister provided valuable updates on several Department of Health Mental Health Unit initiatives, developments, and funding allocations across the mental health landscape. Some of the areas covered were funding secured for service developments; emerging work with NGOs; plans to provide improved signposting for services and supports for mental illness and m ..read more