London Specialty School of Psychiatry

Our mission is to maintain the high standards of patient care that are rightly expected of London, both in clinical and academic work. We aim to continue to produce the very best doctors to serve one of the largest multicultural cities in the world.

The welfare, care and safety of patients continues to be at the centre of what we do. For this to be achievable we must maintain, and develop, high quality in all aspects of our trainees’ experience, and also in that of our educators and trainers.

Why choose this school?

With over 1,000 trainees, the London Specialty School of Psychiatry offers the largest psychiatric training programme in the country. London has always prided itself on the quality of its academic institutions and its hospitals. This reputation is built on, and survives, by attracting the very best doctors and supporting their development in a rich and challenging environment.

The London Deanery provides a training experience in some of the most renowned hospitals in the world, together with access to diverse and rich academic opportunities. We offer training not only in the curriculum but also in helping prepare trainees for the changes the health service will inevitably encounter in the future.

Who is the head?

Disclaimer The views expressed in these clips are individual perspectives and were correct at the time of filming. They should be understood as personal opinions. All information regarding the recruitment process and trainee pathway were correct at the time of filming. The Deanery either owns all images included or has been kindly granted permission for use.

Dr Michael Maier is the head of the London Specialty School of Psychiatry. This post is a joint appointment between London Deanery and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Michael is a general adult psychiatrist working in a specialist unit for the treatment of schizophrenia and is the current elected chair of the London division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is also a consultant psychiatrist and honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College, London, and an honorary consultant at West London Mental Health Trust.

Before training in medicine, Michael studied chemistry at UCL, completing a PhD in molecular physics at Sussex University with Professor Sir Harry Kroto. He then continued in research at the University of Goettingen, University of California at Berkeley, and IBM in San Jose before entering medicine. He trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery / Institute of Neurology where he held a Wellcome Trust Training fellowship.

Michael runs a specialist service for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and has been programme director for specialist registrar training in north west London for the past 10 years. Before taking up the post as head of school, he was the associate medical director for medical education in his trust.

Our programmes

Training in psychiatry is divided into an initial period of three years learning the core skills and knowledge base for psychiatry. During this period trainees are expected to pass all aspects of the MRCPsych examination. This is followed by a further three years of training in a specialty area. There are six specialties to choose from:

• General adult psychiatry
• Old age psychiatry
• Forensic psychiatry
• Child and adolescent psychiatry
• Psychiatry of learning disabilities
• Psychotherapy
  

Find out more

To find out more about careers in psychiatry for medical students and foundation doctors, visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists.