Your health, safety & security
The health, safety and security of our delegates has been paramount in our minds as we organise our 20th congress as an in-person event.
Security
All delegates will be required to wear their Congress lanyard and name badge while at the main Congress venue or on the grounds of Selwyn or Darwin College during our social programme. These can be collected from our Reception Desk at the Congress venue on arrival.
Please note that while West Road Concert Hall will not be open to the public, neither the venue nor the Congress organisers shall be liable for any loss, damage or theft of personal belongings while onsite, or at any venue as part of the official Congress programme. Delegates are responsible for the safety of their own belongings at all times.
For lost property at West Road Concert Hall, please contact our Reception Desk. For lost property at either Selwyn or Darwin Colleges, please ask at their Porter’s Lodges.
COVID-19
We have developed a COVID-19 policy to minimise risk to delegates attending our congress, which complies current national government guidance on large gatherings. Briefly, we will:
- Request that all delegates are fully vaccinated*
- Provide hand-sanitising stations throughout the congress venue & social spaces
- Wipe down all presentation devices (laptops, keyboards, microphones, etc) at the end of each day
- Require that any delegate who becomes unwell or tests positive for COVID-19 stay away from the Congress venue or other delegates. Should you experience symptoms of COVID-19 during the Congress, please also follow prevailing national guidance.
- Encourage delegates to wear face masks during congress sessions (unless presenting)
- Have facilities to allow outdoor coffee breaks, lunch and drinks receptions (weather-permitting)
- Follow the enhanced safety measures put in place by the congress venue
* Unless exempt.
Below we provide answers to some Covid-19 related questions you may have. You may also find our general FAQ page useful for other information.
Other health issues
Should you become unwell for other reasons during the Congress you can seek non-urgent medical advice by dialling 111. For urgent medical emergencies dial 999. You can also ask for assistance from our Reception Desk. If you are worried about your mental health during the Congress, we have a trained mental health first aider who can provide support. Please contact the Reception Desk if you wish to speak with them.
Like much of Europe, the summer of 2022 has been exceptionally hot in Cambridge and the UK. We have provided additional water stations so delegates can stay hydrated, and the West Road Concert Hall is naturally ventilated, provided fresh, cool air at low energy consumption, throughout the day.
COVID-19 FAQ
The congress will be a face-to-face meeting. We do not offer an online or hybrid conference format.
For full details about what you will need to enter the UK, please visit the UK Government website on Entering the UK for the most up-to-date information, including current requirements for COVID-19.
Our main priority is the health and safety of all our delegates. We will therefore put in place several measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 during the Congress. These include:
- Requiring all delegates to confirm they are fully vaccinated (or exempt) against COVID-19 at the point of registration
- Requesting that all delegates wear face masks when inside the congress venue (except if exempt or when presenting)
- Encouraging all delegates to take daily lateral flow tests before attending each day
- Enhanced cleaning of all congress venues, including the provision of hand sanitiser stations
- Following all national (UK) guidance on COVID-19 at the time of the congress
You can read about our refund policy here. We offer a partial refund before and including 30 June 2022, but no refunds after that point to ensure the viability of the congress. We allow name changes to paid places as detailed in our refund policy.
We are hopeful and confident that the Congress will be able to go ahead as a face-to-face meeting in Cambridge in September. The global and national situation with respect to COVID-19 is very different to how it was in 2020 when we previously had to postpone the congress. We now have access to effective vaccinations, and most restrictions on social mixing, large gatherings and international travel have been lifted. The latest strain of the virus also appears to be milder for many people. The Congress will also take place at the end of summer when rates of infection will be low and some outdoor social distancing can be maintained.
We do not envisage any need to cancel or postpone the congress, but we will carefully monitor the situation in the run-up to the congress. We would only be required to cancel or postpone the congress in the event of national government restrictions on large gatherings or the free movement of people (i.e. lockdown measures). In the unlikely event of this happening, we will contact all delegates about their options if the congress needs to be postponed.
For any other queries please contact us on epa2022@psychepi.org.