Publications and Presentations

Publications

I have experience of working both independently and with others to publish books, book chapters and individual articles in scholarly journals.

Books

• The A-Z for the MRCPsych
• MRCPsych Part 1 Practice Papers: ISQs and EMIs
• MRCPsych Part 2: Practice ISQs and EMIs
• The Complete Guide to MRCPsych

Book Chapters

• Ethical and legal aspects of the Mental Health Act 2007 and related legislation in Forensic Mental Health Nursing: Ethics, Debates, Dilemmas

Journal articles

• Advanced videogame consoles – a new and unrecognised threat to secure service provision? – The British Journal of Forensic Practice 2008.
• This article is rather dated now, in terms of the technologies outlined and in terms of the approach taken to individualised care, least restrictive approaches and the structure and operation of services.

• The role of the mental health professional in cases of online sexual activity – The British Journal of Forensic Practice

• Service user involvement in psychiatric training: a practical perspective – The Psychiatric Bulletin

Presentations

I have given oral presentations, including invited presentations, on a range of subjects, sometimes presenting original research and on occasion representing the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

These have included presentations at the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services’ Conference in Miami in the US and the World Psychiatric Association’s International Congress in Cape Town.

Working together with trainees in forensic psychiatry and with medical students, I often submit and present posters to regional and national conferences:

• Uptake of the Covid-19 vaccination in a secure psychiatric hospital population

• Has the Coronavirus lockdown had an impact on the weight and body mass index of medium secure forensic patients? – Poster presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry Annual Conference in March 2021 – online.

• How safe is forensic psychiatry? Poster presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry Annual Conference in 2017 – Madrid.

Research, teaching and educational leadership

My LLM dissertation examined the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on mental health legislation and practice.

For over a decade, I have maintained and developed an interest in supervising and teaching trainee psychiatrists preparing for the MRCPsych examinations and a range of other professionals.

I worked as the Training Programme Director for Forensic Psychiatry in the East Midlands, coordinating placements fore forensic psychiatry trainees in Northampton, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Rampton Hospital and Lincoln.

I am a former member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Forensic Executive Committee and more recently the Forensic Faculty Education and Curriculum Committee, now renamed as the Forensic Psychiatry Specialty Advisory Committee (FPSAC). I spent much of 2019-2020 working with a small group to re-write the national Forensic Psychiatry Curriculum for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the General Medical Council. This work is now complete and our work sets the standard for higher training in Forensic Psychiatry across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Together with another Higher Specialist Trainee, I was closely involved in the running of the MRCPsych Course in Birmingham. This involved delivering lectures and small group teaching as well as working with actors (“simulated patients”). During this time I was involved in pioneering work involving patients/service users in the management and delivery of postgraduate psychiatric training. This innovative approach has now become commonplace. Years later I was delighted to lead on the Forensic component of the East Midlands MRCPsych Course.