I have been receiving weekly invites to this International Congress [to my NHS e-mail address]. The latest invitation makes the statement that “it’s all you need!”
The previous invitation was titled “Delve into Brilliant Minds”.
Last year I made a peaceful protest outside the International Congress. My concern, undiminished today, is that marketing is being masqueraded as “education”. I have advocated for Sunshine legislation to make it mandatory that competing financial interests are fully declared and accessible to all.
The latest invites me to “Network with over 2,500 psychiatrists, attend 14 keynote lectures, choose from 57 cutting-edge sessions and gain up to 22 CPD points – all under one roof!” It then highlights several sessions, beginning with a review of the following Revised BAP Guidelines on prescribing for schizophrenia:
I have evidenced, over many years, the on-going close working relationship between the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Association for Psychopharmacology . In doing so I have shared my concern that it remains impossible, despite “improvements” made by both organisations, to establish the potential scale (in numerical terms) of competing financial interests of those providing “education”. Yet, it is a mandatory requirement of the General Medical Council for doctors (prescribers) to gain annual CPD points that fulfill “good medical standing” criteria.
In 2016, Scottish citizens confirmed “all that they need” is full transparency, and that this should be mandatory