From the President

Déjà vu

Bob Handley

“I refer you to my statement of December 2020”, is the type of phrase you associate with the beginning of a political speech in Parliament. However, when it came to writing this ‘From the President’ I began with enthusiasm and then became concerned with what seemed to be some rather familiar phrases.

I looked back to the December 2020 JTO and saw that indeed little had changed. With an optimistic slant I could suggest that the first article was ahead of its time, however, it is more realistic to accept that the year-end surge in COVID-19 had put a brake on many of the issues discussed. We were again forced into a period of damage control. At the time of writing this, we seem to be over the peak of the surge and at the BOA are again pursuing the issues such as appropriate prioritisation of patients, provision of adequate resource, protection of training and career progression. Hopefully the next time I write for JTO it will not be titled ‘Déjà vu, again’.

During the period of crisis, many members have supported the general effort to combat the coronavirus by working outside of their normal areas. The adrenaline rush and urgency of the crisis will subside and we will be left with the customary long term problems (made worse by the pandemic) but without the euphoria of NHS clapping and the backslapping the goes with a sound team effort. We need to be motivated, energetic and up for the task. We therefore await with interest the results of the recently completed well-being survey of members, which will give some insight into how well prepared we really are for this period of our practice.

Continuing the spirit of optimism, we can look forward to the 2021 BOA Congress which has as its theme, infection. Short case presentations often have a happy ending or occasionally a quick sad one, but whenever there is a long presentation, no matter what the initial subspecialty, there is a good chance infection is involved. As an unwanted common pathway of all of our areas of practice, it is something that we can genuinely share, particularly if we do not remain socially distanced. The conference centre in Aberdeen is huge and we are preparing for all eventualities for Congress, but my earnest hope is that it will be the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new ones face-to-face.

The new Trustees; Sarah Stapley, Hiro Tanaka, Amar Rangan and Fares Haddad have yet to join Council; taking their seats next month. It is therefore surprising that it is already approaching the time to consider whether you will stand at the next election. By way of encouragement I can report that this year we have started to conduct entrance and exit interviews for Trustees. I have now spoken with most and can report that overall there was a pleasing enthusiasm for the role expressed in conversations laced with many constructive suggestions. It countered the pessimism of Groucho Marx’s quote, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”. Not everyone wants to be a representative, but everyone should be represented. It is your choice who you vote for, but remember, don’t restrict who you can vote for by forgetting that it is also your choice who is nominated.