Podcast: Collaboration is key to solving workforce challenges

As part of our series of podcasts on the theme of Ideas into Action, we interviewed Professor Linda Lam from the Department of Psychiatry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Linda talks about her work on the impact of lifestyle interventions on cognition as well as mood as we age. She also talks about workforce challenges. Hong Kong has been successful in attracting people into Psychiatry in Hong Kong but it still remains challenging to attract people to do academic work as well. Key to addressing this is having clear succession planning and to recognise, particularly with current levels of uncertainty that people may wish to move. Therefore we may need to see our role as developing clinicians and academics who work here but who might also take what they have learned here and apply it elsewhere.

At the same time, we need to recognise that the family is getting smaller and so one of the key challenges for the coming years is to ensure that we’re developing carers support with a much better understanding of the difficulties carers face and what practical and psychological support they need.