Happy New Year!

2019 was an important year for ACP-UK, marked initially by a very successful inaugural conference, election of a new Board and numerous interventions in all four nations which I will not reiterate here.

The ACP-UK Board is both excited and a little overwhelmed by the amount and breadth of work with which we are engaged, but also looking forward to another successful year of national representation and political action on behalf of the profession and service users.

I guess I am not the only one who is somewhat dismayed at the turn of events at Westminster at the end of 2019 and finally having to come to terms with Brexit and the decision that I still consider will be deleterious for the UK. I am at this point particularly concerned for EU colleagues working here who are perhaps feeling uncertain about their future. ACP-UK wishes to join with the DCP in reaching out to EU clinical psychologists in the UK to support and if we can, offer assistance. Please let me know if this applies to you or anyone you know, and ask them to get in touch.

Please book your place at our second national conference taking place in Cardiff on 21^st April which is shaping up to be just as exciting as the first with a world class venue and speakers to match. Please see: https://acpuk.org.uk/annual_conference_2020/

Once again we are offering subsidised price attendance for ACP-UK members (£50 for full members) and trainees, and don’t forget our offer of a free place if you prompt a colleague to join ACP-UK for the first time.

Registration is shortly to be extended to non-members so make sure you don’t miss out.

At the beginning of this new year, I want to ask you if think there are any pressing professional issues that ACP-UK is not presently addressing which you think it should be. Please write to me at [email protected]

Meanwhile look out for press and media coverage of the Mental Health Workforce Survey undertaken by ACP-UK in collaboration with the BMA and the RCN: a summary of the findings and statement will appear on our website early tomorrow morning, simultaneously with the BMA report press release.

Best wishes for 2020 and the new decade.

Prof Mike Wang
Chair ACP-UK

January 2020