College Affairs

A new statement to embed member wellbeing across the College The health and wellbeing of all RANZCP members – including Fellows, trainees and Affiliate members – is critical for competent and safe psychiatry practice. The RANZCP Member Wellbeing Subcommittee has developed this new vision statement that will guide embedding wellbeing in all aspects of the College and articulate promoting the health and wellbeing of members at every stage of their careers. Promoting the health and wellbeing of all members is a key RANZCP strategic priority led primarily by the Membership Engagement Committee (MEC). The MEC provides strategic advice, direction and leadership broadly across the College on a range of effective member wellbeing services and support mechanisms. Enhancing this function is the MEC Member Wellbeing Subcommittee, led by Dr Prue McEvoy, a South

Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist, and supported by MEC Chair and Board member, Dr Sue Mackersey, and MEC member and Fellow, Dr Tessa Cookson. This year, the Subcommittee identified the need for an overarching wellbeing statement to unify and articulate our collective College approach to promoting members’ health and wellbeing. “Together with the support of the College Board, we now have a clear statement that puts doctors’ wellbeing upfront in our College work and will help drive cultural and organisational change beyond the College and in workplaces,” said Dr Prue McEvoy. The new RANZCP member wellbeing vision statement and supporting pillars – leadership, knowledge, advocacy and partnerships – highlight the thematic touchpoints for

wellbeing across all College activity and set out broad issues relevant for both psychiatrists and trainees. “The statement provides a solid foundation for us to drive our work further towards meeting the wellbeing needs and expectations of all College members, particularly in a difficult year with the bushfire disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic escalating the need to provide new services, resources and supports that address members’ wellbeing at this time,” said Dr McEvoy. “We look forward to continuing to listen and take forward feedback from members across the College on ways we can all contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of all members.” Access all RANZCP member wellbeing services at www.ranzcp.org/prac tice-education/support-for-members

RANZCP member wellbeing: our vision The health and wellbeing of all RANZCP members – including Fellows, trainees and Affiliate members – is critical for competent and safe psychiatry practice. Four pillars will guide our work to promote the health and wellbeing of members across the stages of their training and careers: Leadership We will lead with courage and compassion to ensure the health and wellbeing of psychiatrists and trainees is our priority. Our commitment is to be explicit about the need for creating and reinforcing workplace and training cultures that support psychiatrists and trainees. We respect that the needs of psychiatrists change across their careers. Knowledge We will embed health and wellbeing into our professional standards, curricula, continuing education activities and learning resources and encourage research that will inform the development of our wellbeing program. Our commitment is to address processes and practices that impact on members’ health and wellbeing. We respect that psychiatrists embrace evidence-based principles in making recommendations. Advocacy We will champion the importance of doctors’ wellbeing. Our commitment is to advance improvements to the standard of doctors’ wellbeing in all workplaces and settings. We respect that psychiatrists are experts in mental health. Partnerships We will work together in partnership with people and groups to promote a culture of health and wellbeing. Our commitment is to drive organisational change that will achieve health and wellbeing. We respect that psychiatrists practice collaboratively.

611