It is a delight to be writing this missive for the first time as the Chair of the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK. Thank you to those who voted in our recent elections for the Interim Committee: we now have 13 members with specific tasks and areas of leadership or representation. Not surprisingly, this has been and continues to be a busy time as we set up the new committee, define our roles, responsibilities, decision-making procedures and meetings. Work has been done on a new website which we hope to launch shortly, as well as preparations for registering the ACP-UK as a Community Interest Company so that we have a legal status. Committee members are feeling encouraged by what has been achieved thus far, but also mindful of how much more there is to do. We are also concerned, if not a little frustrated, at the weekly catalogue of news items and healthcare developments in which a psychological voice is so often lacking. But we recognise that we need to get our house in order before we can launch into regular public comment in the way we aspire. Nevertheless, we have commented on two important consultations: The Mental Health Act Revision and Professional Regulation. We are grateful to all of you who took part in our Qualtrics surveys to assist us in formulating our responses to these consultations. The Qualtrics platform provides ACP-UK with a very useful and expedient tool for obtaining member opinion about issues of professional and national importance, and we intend to make regular and frequent use of this into the future.

Our membership numbers continue to increase with presently around 600 subscribers. Your fees are making it possible for us to use the Qualtrics platform, to fund the construction of a website, to pay for strategic face-to-face meetings and telephone conferences, and for registering ACP-UK as a CIC. We will be appointing an administrator shortly who will provide the office interface with you, the membership, and their salary will be funded from subscription income.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank Dr Alex Stirzaker for her sterling work setting up and chairing the Alumni Group, providing the foundation for the ACP-UK, and thanks also to Dr Angela Busuttil for her contributions over the past year. Both Alex and Angela have now stepped down from the Interim Committee.

Mike Wang, Feb 2018