RCOG Membership Matters Vol 2Issue 1

Membership

Matters Volume 2 | Issue 1

Your membership magazine from the RCOG: stories from the specialty See inside for a discussion of the impact of fitness on your patients’ health and wellbeing

Contents

Contents

From the President

International

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10th RCOG International Scientific Congress: 5–8 June 2012, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

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Centre COG

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Stories from the specialty A day in the life of a newly appointed consultant

Dr Gunasegaran PT Rajan FRCOG

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Dr Karen McIntyre MRCOG and Dr Vicky Cording MRCOG

A message to new Members

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Ms Melanie Davies FRCOG

Achievers

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New resuscitation trolley wins top innovation award

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Mr Andrew Weeks MRCOG

Honours and awards

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Clinical practice

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Revalidation: what will it mean?

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Mr Mahmood Shafi FRCOG

The Office for Research and Clinical Audit

Lifestyle

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An obstetrician goes surfing: the dawn of the electronic age 10 Professor James Drife FRCOG

Twitter ye not?

How clinicians should engage with social media

College archives

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Professor William Blair-Bell: a story in pictures

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Penny Bonning, Archivist

Heritage reviving history: learning from the past to inform the future

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Forthcoming dates, conferences and courses at the RCOG

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College news

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Fellows’ and Members’ Admission Ceremonies

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Electronic Fetal Monitoring: award-winning free resource available

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Can you help?

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In memoriam

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Update from the Retired Fellows and Members Society

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BJOG simulation supplement

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Simon Kemp

Education

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Importance of fitness for women

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Dr Sheela Nambiar

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 27 Sussex Place, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RG Registered Charity No. 213280 Tel: +44 (0)20 7772 6200

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Fax: +44 (0)20 7723 0575

Web: www.rcog.org.uk

About the front cover: A fit and active lifestyle has undisputed benefits for your patients’ health and wellbeing. See page 12 for more information on how exercise can enhance women’s lives throughout their life course.

Membership

Matters Volume 2 | Issue 1

Membership Matters Editor: Luke Stevens-Burt, Director, Membership Relations Send your contributions and ideas to lstevens-burt@rcog.org.uk All materials © RCOG, unless otherwise stated Printed by: Print Direct Ltd, Maidenhead

Your membership magazine from the RCOG: stories from the specialty See inside for a discussion of the impact of fitness on your patients’ health and wellbeing

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From the President

B

y the time you receive this, we will be well into the New Year, but at the time of writing it is fitting to reflect on successes through 2011.

The appointment of Dr Tahir Mahmood to CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List is a cause of huge pride to us all. In his usual very quiet and humble way, Tahir accepted this on behalf of the patients whom he served and on behalf of the standards and guidelines team at the RCOG. It is excellent that such commitment should be so acknowledged in this national honour.

Maternity services have been under intense scrutiny and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Effectiveness guideline on caesarean section, followed two days later by the birthplace study in England, created the need for immediate responses and clear messaging both for the women we serve and for our membership. I hope that everyone feels that our statements have been fair and representative of the evidence provided. I believe that our press releases were well received and clearly supported delivery for nulliparous women with no complications in obstetric units or adjacent midwifery units. Our view on multiparous women with no complications of pregnancy supported undertaking delivery in any of the four birthing options. While such clear uncontroversial statements make easy transcription to print, they do not always attract interviews for other media channels. As a College, we are very clear that we need to work very closely with our other medical and midwifery colleagues to provide the safest and most appropriate care possible. There is good evidence that such professional relationships, based on mutual respect, are accompanied by improved patient care.

Throughout the second half of 2011 there was much parliamentary and government affairs activity around the Health and Social Care Bill. The RCOG submitted its response to the Future Forum during the ‘listening exercise’ when the Bill was debated in the Commons. During the second phase of the Future Forum, Professor Stephen Field attended our Council and received direct feedback on matters of information, education and integration of care. We submitted a further written response. The critical responses to education and training from the Future Forum have yet to be published, but we will be making a separate submission to the Health Select Committee on education, training and workforce planning. Lord Patel has been very active in the Upper Chamber and our press office has produced briefing documents for both the Peers and MPs. Throughout last year, the enthusiasm and ability of our trainees has been very apparent to me. In meetings in London, Bristol, Bridgend and Newcastle, I have been struck by the outstanding quality of our future specialists. It is not

an easy climate: the legislation on working hours, the changing requirements of our discipline, the challenges of continuDr Tony Falconer ity of care and the greater President, Royal College of Obstetricians expectations are just some and Gynaecologists examples of the pressures they experience. Throughout all disciplines there is a view that ‘trainees are not as good as they were in my day’. Such statements were made when I qualified and have no evidence base. What has changed is the intensity and continuity of training today. However, much more concern has been focused on what trainees need to learn and the way they acquire and assess those skills. The messaging is important too. I am aware that the drivers to increase 24-hour consultant presence can be interpreted as specialist trainees providing a lesser-quality service. This is not the case. Our thesis is bound up in a concept centring on the value of experience.

Indeed, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is producing a publication addressing the value of 24-hour consultant presence across many different disciplines. As a specialty we have to address the issue of bullying and harassment of trainees, which has been an issue for a few years. In the recent General Medical Council survey, we were an outlier in this area. As a profession we must sign up to zero tolerance to this problem. I know that the majority of dedicated trainers will support such a stance and I look to all those involved to identify and resolve this problem through exclusion of such people from training responsibilities. I hope that the trainees, as a group, feel at the heart of our activities.

At the end of 2011, I was pleased to receive a letter from an ST1 at one of our London hospitals, who recognised the importance and dedication of their trainer. I have quoted a few lines and omitted the name to prevent any unnecessary embarrassment: ‘[she] utilises every opportunity for training junior doctors, her style is constantly patient and never changes even in busy and stressful situations. By deploying problem-based techniques, involving us in discussion and debate rather than simply giving information, our thinking is stimulated. Even the simplest process or task is turned into an enjoyable learning opportunity... What differentiates her from other teachers is her willingness to go the extra mile, make more effort, give more praise, spend more time and the way in which she treats us as individuals... We are doctors who will take and use some of the inspiration she gave us so generously to inspire our clinical practice in the future.’

Recruitment to our discipline has been very successful and we are again attracting outstanding young doctors to

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obstetrics and gynaecology. Above all, it is rewarding to meet so many dedicated teachers and it is timely for these doctors to be recognised through the academy structure. The MRCOG is a sought-after degree of quality everywhere and last year the examination was conducted in many centres, including Baghdad. As President, the Membership Admission ceremonies are very special and it is a great privilege to award the MRCOG to so many hard-working people from a truly global community. We must continue to support and nourish our successors.

The 9th International Scientific Meeting held in Athens was a huge success despite all the financial and economic difficulties engulfing Greece. We would encourage Fellows and Members to come to Kuching, Malaysia in June 2012 for our next conference, which will combine an outstanding conference with a fascinating country to visit. The scientific programme is now online (http://www.rcog2012.com/).

In September, we celebrated the contributions of Sir George Pinker to the RCOG, Wellbeing of Women and the Royal Society of Medicine through a memorial lecture. The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, gave a thought-provoking address at St Marylebone Parish Church on global health, followed by a question and answer session at Sussex Place.

Clinical governance is a concept very familiar to us all, but less consideration is given to institutional governance.

It has been timely for the RCOG to examine its structures and modernise in line with current thinking and principles.

Presently, the Trustees of the RCOG are the 36 elected members of the Council. The Council supported the establishment of a Working Party, chaired by Baroness Julia Neuberger, to review College governance. The recommendations were presented to Council in November where feedback was encouraged with the intention of modifying the document appropriately. The subsequent recommendations were submitted to Council at the end of January. Many of these concepts may seem rather dry, but they are vital to the successful running of an organisation. The impact of external support from lay people and their contribution to our work in the last year has been immense and it is my belief that we need to use the skills provided by lay experts more often.

We tried to tap advice from our membership in our responses to the Health and Social Care Bill. This feedback was extremely helpful in constructing responses. Now we are involved in a major Working Party looking at Tomorrow’s Specialists. This working group will assimilate information from many quarters and I am very grateful to those Members and Fellows who responded to the questionnaire. Such information is vital to us as we formulate our thinking.

During any year an organisation like this will experience significant change. The internal changes to the departmental structures have been embraced by the staff with enthusiasm.

In September Mr Ric Warren demitted office as Honorary Secretary, a post he held for seven distinguished years. I wish to express the gratitude of everyone for his outstanding contribution.

On 30 March Professor Andrew Calder will deliver the Founders’ Day lecture entitled ‘Footprints on the Sands of Time – Handing on the Obstetric Torch’. This lecture will be followed by a Scottish evening including opportunities for dancing. I look forward to seeing you there.

Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Centre COG A day in the life of a newly appointed consultant DR KAREN MCINTYRE MRCOG AND DR VICKY CORDING MRCOG OK, so you got the job, you exceptionally clever person you! Feeling incredibly proud right now?

Also probably relieved to have stepped off the conveyor belt that is specialty training and into a job with more continuity?

But also more than a litDr Vicky Cording MRCOG tle terrified at becoming a very important person with huge responsibilities?

Thought so!

Having commenced in post in 2010, we were in much the same situation and thought we would share our worries and tips for overcoming them.

To whom should I introduce myself when I start?

Most units have an induction programme set out when you first start, but try and ensure you also make some appointments to meet with people. This will give you a chance to introduce yourself and put a face to a name. It also gives you an opportunity to discuss the future of the unit and the hospital as a whole and meet some very influential people who can help you make any changes you may suggest. These people include the medical director, the chief executive, the head of nursing/midwifery, the finance director, your own directorate manager, clinical directors of related specialties and the director of operations.

How do I set up my clinic templates?

Some units will have generic templates that are used in all clinics; others will ask you to set up your own. Unless you have any specific wishes, there is no harm in following the template of one of your colleagues; you can always alter it at a later date if it doesn’t suit. Your secretary will be able to help you find out what others do.

I don’t understand everything in the management meetings!

The first couple of management meetings can be daunting, but no one expects you to be an immediate expert. You are a clinician and will build up your management skills through time. The best way to familiarise yourself is to involve yourself in the meetings. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – many unfamiliar abbreviations are used, so you need to ask. These meetings help give you the opportunity to offer your suggestions for changes to the unit and keep you aware of current issues.

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Centre COG | continued

What if I feel out of my depth when on call?

When you are first on call as a consultant, it is understandable and expected that you will be nervous. Some units provide a formal mentoring scheme where there is a specific senior colleague available during each period on call. If not, just ask! Most senior colleagues will happily give you their contact details for support. It is actually unlikely that you will need them (how often have you needed the consultant overnight in your final year of training?), but just having the option will help relieve the initial stress.

In some circumstances even the most experienced of consultants would (and should) call a colleague for a second opinion, so never be afraid to do this.

How do I organise my theatre list?

Organisation of theatre lists can vary among units.

In some units, lists are prepared by an admissions team, who will have an appreciation of the average length of procedures so as not to overbook the list.

If, however, you anticipate difficulties or feel you need longer than average because it’s been a while since your last vaginal hysterectomy, for example, then say so. Get to know your admissions team and have regular communication with them.

Some units expect you to organise your own lists/ diary. If this is the case, be realistic. Bear in mind the other factors, not just the operating time, and allow for anaesthesia and transfer times.

I have a difficult theatre case – help!

Again, your colleagues are invaluable here. You are not expected to deal with every single surgical possibility and, certainly, your colleagues will ask each other for help and advice more regularly than you perhaps appreciated as a trainee. No one thinks any less of you for asking for assistance – the safety of your patients is the priority.

I have a really awkward case – where can I get help?

Initially, you will generally be less busy than your colleagues; make the most of it because this doesn’t last long. A good use of your time may be to read notes ahead of clinics so you are prewarned of difficult cases, giving you time to prepare.

As mentioned above, your consultant colleagues almost certainly discuss difficult cases among themselves and may look to you for advice since you may be more up to date on recent guidelines than they are. Remember, you have only just left your training post and probably still have contacts in other units who can offer advice in the most complicated of cases.

Remember to make a note of challenging cases: continuing professional development points are available for ‘reflective learning’.

What are the benefits of being resident on call as a consultant?

For the unit you are working in, the benefits include consultant-level decision making out of hours (with benefits for patients) and increasing the consultant hours for the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts. There are also benefits for trainees. If your unit can ensure that you are on call with a specialty trainee rather than a general practitioner or foundation trainee, there will be opportunities for them to learn

practical skills from a consultant out of hours.

Your colleagues will also be quite happy: there will generally be an additional consultant on call from home in case you need another pair of hands, but they are very likely to have a quiet night on call.

On a more personal note, resident on call allows you to maintain your practical skills on the shop floor, and will be more familiar and comfortable for you than traditional consultant on call from home when you have just left your trainee post. Also, the rota is likely to be quite predictable, incorporating compensatory rest, which can be beneficial in terms of child care.

Are there any drawbacks to being resident on call – will I be viewed as a ‘sub-consultant’?

This can vary depending on the unit. Very few of us will be working in a tertiary centre and therefore, owing to the effects of the European Working Time Regulations, most of us are likely to be on call at a middle-grade level. As a result, there may be occasional problems with being recognised as the consultant and some staff may refer to you as the registrar. Also, if you have been appointed in a unit where you have worked as a trainee, the staff may find it difficult initially to view you as a consultant, particularly when resident. Unfortunately, you will just have to grin and bear it in the early days, but be reassured that, with time, you will be accepted as a consultant just as your colleagues but perhaps with the benefit that you are seen as more approachable owing to your ‘presence’ when on call.

The concept of the resident consultant is still in its infancy.

Given time, it will be accepted as the norm and those that follow us will have far less trouble being viewed as the same as their consultant colleagues.

Will there be any awkwardness with junior staff who are much older or have worked with me at a more junior level?

This will depend for the most part on the personalities of those juniors and yourself. Personally, we have not encountered any particular difficulties other than the occasional ‘test’ of decision making. Remember, you are obviously experienced enough to be in this role and ultimately the care of your patients is your own responsibility.

Other issues It is useful to consider other areas you may wish to become involved in early in the job so this can be worked into your job plan. For example, you may wish to be involved in risk management or teaching. Discuss this with your clinical director. Setting up a new teaching session may be as simple as gathering the juniors together at lunchtime to discuss cases, whereas attendance at prescheduled meetings may require reorganisation of your timetable.

The most important person is your secretary, who will generally know everyone and everything you need to know on a day-to-day basis, or at least know how to find out. Look after your secretary and they will certainly look after you.

Most importantly, don’t take things personally. Things will go wrong, you will be asked to sort them out and, ultimately, you will take responsibility because you are the consultant.

However, it is not all your fault and you do have lots of support – just be sure to use it.

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A message to new Members

Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

and you will keep up to date with The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, electronic journals and postgraduate meetings.

MS MELANIE DAVIES FRCOG Before you know it, you will become a senior member of the profession, and come back to a ceremony here in a different gown, becoming a Fellow with an even higher fee This is an abridged transcript taken from the to the Treasurer! You may even sit amongst Council. speech given by Ms Melanie Davies FRCOG, Fellows’ Being a representative on Council is an experience I Representative for London, at the 2011 November recommend and I hope that you will consider it. Currently, Admissions Ceremony. we are in challenging times, maintaining standards of care with the impact of the economic recession, a rising birth rate and an ageing population. My request to you is, please A message to those who have recently become Members of don’t stand on the outside – become involved to make things the RCOG (and a reminder for those who have been Fellows better. This is your organisation. and Members for some time!)

The College is an international body. Almost half of its At the heart of our ceremony is the admission of new MemMembers and Fellows live outside the United Kingdom. This bers. Congratulations! You have chosen a wonderful specialty multinational perspective enriches the College. There is – no other field offers so much variety. For example, my field a long history of doctors from overseas coming to train in of reproductive medicine has been revolutionised by develthe UK. In exchange, senior UK trainees are extending their opments in assisted conception, laparoscopic surgery, threeexperience with VSO projects. dimensional ultrasound and single-cell genetic diagnosis.

There is so much to do for women’s health around the We congratulate you on your hard work, and recognise the world. About 350 000 women are dying this year through preglong hours of study that you have put in preparing for this nancy and childbirth; 99% are in developing countries where exam – over and above those worked as junior doctors. The resources are scarce. Tragically, we see the effect of conflict MRCOG is recognised as a searching examination. It is a on health care: the countries with the highest maternal highly respected qualification wherever you may practise in mortality rates are believed to be Afghanistan and Somalia, your future careers. where for every 100 000 maternities there are at least 1200 You are bound to be challenged and deeply involved. There deaths, compared with eight in the UK. is always that little surge of adrenaline when you walk on to But there is progress: maternal mortality is falling, and the labour ward, as I did so recently: the emergency buzzer more women are getting skilled help during childbirth. Memwent off for a young woman having an eclamptic fit, and the bers of this College have collaborated to teach life-saving whole team worked together to stabilise her, control the obstetric skills to hundreds of health workers in a dozen seizures and successfully deliver her baby. I was exhausted, countries. Our very good wishes go to those new in the forebut also elated – and I still feel like this after 25 years in the front of this battle. business.

As Members of the College you are part of a global comSo now you have passed the exam and been admitted to munity – a network that will provide support in what can be membership of the College. What will it mean for you? a lonely position of responsibility. You will have friendship, One of the founders of the College in 1929 was Sir William social interaction and shared interests, but the College is Fletcher Shaw. He wrote: ‘a College is not an object of stone not a club, because it has a sense of purpose. That purpose or bricks, or of furniture or books. It is a collection of indiis to improve women’s health. And in looking after women, viduals, banded together for objects that can only be attained you are looking after the health of their families and their by the active co-operation of each Fellow and Member.’ communities. Does any other branch of medicine have the The College’s core purpose as a professional association is capacity to influence lives so profoundly? to promote the best in health care for women worldwide. It So, to enter this profession is a privilege. Of course, with is a charity providing education and training, and also a the attainment of your membership come responsibilities. membership organisation providing support and advice. The You have a role to maintain standards, and you must act College is very much a working organisation. It represents a with integrity in all aspects of your professional life. You hard-working specialty! The College coat of arms has a shield will lead a team, but please do not go beyond your capabiliof light and dark blue, as our work goes on day and night. ties, and never be afraid to ask for help. Treat My advice during the remaining years of all your patients with compassion, respect your training is to plan carefully to ensure A College is not an object and kindness. Use your increasing experithat you prepare yourself for job opportuniof stone or bricks, or of ence to teach and to train others. And I hope ties. Keep up your core skills, even if you develop a specialist interest, and take every furniture or books. It is a you will bring your skills and enthusiasm and lead the profession into the future. opportunity to gain experience. collection of individuals, With the knowledge and skills that you In the future the College will be a focus of banded together for have now, you can transform others’ lives. your professional life – and I don’t just mean the ongoing relationship you will have with objects that can only be Our specialty is intensely demanding but immensely rewarding – and you are now well my friend the Honorary Treasurer. The Colattained by the active on your way to an excellent career. So, to all lege will support you as a new consultant in of you, ‘congratulations’ and welcome to the what may be the most stressful transition of co-operation of each Membership of the Royal College of Obsteyour career. You will use the clinical service Fellow and Member tricians and Gynaecologists. standards and the highly valued guidelines,

Ten different ways to discover BJOG

For further information on accessing BJOG through these routes, visit

www.BJOG.org

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Achievers

What are the potential benefits?

There are three main benefits of the BASICS trolley: ●

New resuscitation trolley wins top innovation award ●

Photo: Lenita Burman

MR ANDREW WEEKS MRCOG

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Around 10% of all newborns are taken to the resuscitation unit immediately after birth, although 85% of these return to the mother within a few minutes. The BASICS trolley allows the newborn to stay with the mother for its initial assessment and care.

Randomised trials suggest that the babies harmed most by immediate cord clamping are those born prematurely. Immediate clamping in these babies increases the rate of intraventricular haemorrhage and need for blood transfusion; however, premature births are the very ones where delaying clamping is difficult in practice. The BASICS trolley allows both resuscitation and delayed cord clamping.

In theory, those with intrapartum cord compression/cardiotocographic abnormalities would also benefit. If the cord is compressed during labour, the optimal management is for the cord to be decompressed (by delivery of the baby) and then for the oxygenated placental blood to be allowed into the neonate.

The BASICS trolley will enable more detailed research into whether bedside or room-side resuscitation is best for these compromised babies.

(L to R): Dr David Hutchon, Retired Consultant from Darlington Memorial Hospital; Dr Andrew Weeks, Consultant Obstetrician from LWH; Peter Watt, Design Engineer from RLUH; Amanda Burleigh, Midwife from Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and Dr Andrew Gallagher, Consultant Paediatrician from Worcester Royal Hospital.

What did the judges say?

The Bedside Assessment, Stabilisation and Initial Cardiorespiratory Support (BASICS) trolley recently won ‘Best Innovation in Service Redesign in Cardiovascular Medicine’ at the 2011 Medical Futures Awards.

Who developed it?

What is it?

The BASICS trolley is a redesign of the standard resuscitation trolley. It allows resuscitation to take place at the mother’s bedside with the umbilical cord intact. This is in contrast to current ‘resuscitaires’ which are usually placed in a corner of the room, meaning that the baby has to be taken away from the mother after birth and carried over to the remote trolley.

What’s new?

The state-of-the-art BASICS trolley is much more compact meaning that it can be manoeuvred right alongside the bed for a normal delivery, over a caesarean section table or under the legs of a woman in the lithotomy position for an assisted vaginal delivery.

An artist’s impression of the BASICS trolley in action

‘This is a great example of service redesign and the sort of innovation that is essential in the modern NHS, where improved quality and efficiency play a vital role, but will require funding from the NHS.’

In January 2010, David Hutchon FRCOG convened a meeting of eight clinicians in Worcester interested in ‘intact cord resuscitation’. As well as the host Andrew Gallagher and chair Susan Bewley FRCOG, also present were Amanda Burleigh, Lelia Duley FRCOG, Anne Marie Heuchan, David Hutchon FRCOG, David Odd DRCOG and Andrew Weeks FRCOG. From this came the idea of a compact resuscitation trolley based on the platform that Anne Marie Heuchan had used in Glasgow. Susan Bewley coined the acronym BASICS and Andrew Weeks produced the original design drawings which were taken back to Liverpool. Lelia Duley gained research funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to build a prototype and conduct the early-stage research into its use. The BASICS trolley is currently being built by Peter Watt in the University of Liverpool’s Clinical Engineering Unit and undergoing trials run by Andrew Weeks and Bill Yoxall at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

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Achievers | continued

Honours and awards

Welsh Asian Women of Achievement Award

The RCOG wishes to acknowledge the following achievements. We are sure all Fellows and Members would wish to join us in congratulating the following.

Miss Tapati Maulik FRCOG is the first ever recipient of the Welsh Asian Women Achievement Award in the category of Science Technology and Leadership. She has been a much revered mentor and trainer to many obstetricians and gynaecologists in South Wales and further afield over many years. In 1985 she was the first female Asian consultant to be appointed in the UK. Now retired from the NHS, she continues to operate on a pro bono basis in charitable hospitals in her native India. See: http://www.welshasianwomenaward.org.uk for more information about the award.

Dr Tahir Mahmood FRCOG elected President of EBCOG Dr Tahir Mahmood, immediate past Vice President (Standards), became President Elect of the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) on 26 November 2011. This comprises a three-year appointment as President Elect, followed by another three years as President. Tahir follows in the footsteps of other past RCOG Officers, including Lord Naren Patel and Professor Bill Dunlop CBE (past Presidents).

We would like to congratulate Tahir on this post and wish him well during his term.

Professor Marshall D Lindheimer FRCOG receives honorary doctorate Professor Marshall D Lindheimer, Fellow ad eundem, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bern University during their ‘Dies Academicus’ for his work focusing on advocacy and research relating to pre-eclampsia and other studies.

This doctorate adds to a number of other honours he has received, including: Lifetime of Service and Advocacy Awards; The Chesley Award for Research in Hypertension in Pregnancy; The Belding Scribner Award from the American Society of Nephrology; and a personal letter congratulating him for contributions to the health of mothers and children from US President Barack Obama.

Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring module wins award The RCOG, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and eLearning for Healthcare (e-LfH) have worked in partnership on the successful development of the Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring (eFM) module. eFM won the silver award in the ‘Most innovative new learning hardware or software product’ category at the eLearning Age 2011 Awards, competing against 250 entries from 17 countries, including those from commercial IT and multinational organisations such as BT, RBS and BP. One user commented, ‘Overall, this appears to be an excellent programme, based on constructivist learning principles that will provide a flexible, easily accessible and invaluable resource for maternity care providers’.

About this issue and Membership Matters in 2012 We are pleased to announce that, owing to an increasing amount of content and contributions, Membership Matters will be increasing to three issues per year. In order to initiate the new schedule, it has been decided to print this supplementary issue which is thinner than usual.

The new distribution dates will be: ● February/March ● June/July ● October/November

Professor Lindheimer (right) receiving his doctorate from Professor Peter Eggli, Medical School Dean, Bern University (left).

The extra edition will allow for more articles and information, so please let us know if you have any items of interest which you would like to include. Also, if you have any suggestions for content that you would like to see, do not hesitate to contact one of the editorial team.

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Clinical practice

Revalidation: what will it mean?

MR MAHMOOD SHAFI FRCOG CHAIR, REVALIDATION COMMITTEE AND CPD OFFICER

First of all there was recertification, then relicensing and now we have settled on revalidation. We have been discussing this issue for many years and various planned start dates have been delayed for a number of reasons. With the recent review by the General Medical Council (GMC), revalidation now appears to be on track to commence by late 2012. The GMC will work with the health departments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure that all systems are ready by the summer. An assessment of readiness will need to be undertaken before the Secretary of State for Health can agree to the commencement of the relevant legislation.

Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

the good medical practice framework of the GMC. The RCOG will continue to be involved in standard-setting and as such will be looking for advice from the various subspecialty areas in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an integral part of revalidation. CPD has undergone revision and refinement with the inclusion of a mandatory ‘knowledge base assessment’ (KBA) based around TOG. We are still developing the KBA to fulfil CPD requirements and no doubt will work closely with subspecialist societies to make sure all are catered for adequately. CPD participants would normally achieve at least ten credits for KBAs annually using the articles from TOG (equivalent to five articles/assessments).

The articles chosen should be relevant to the individual’s area of practice. Subspecialists will be required to complete a minimum of two articles/assessments from their particular area and another three which can be general. Those who have difficulty accumulating CPD credits in the national/ international or personal/professional categories can use KBAs to supplement these areas. This gives considerable flexibility to the whole process and we will continue to monitor and revise as necessary.

With revalidation and CPD, the secret is always going to be to do this on a regular basis. This minimises any pain; also, if any problems or issues are identified, they can be corrected in a timely manner. Certainly, at the RCOG we value feedback and always aim to assist Fellows and Members in the CPD and revalidation process.

A reminder about CPD changes

Fellows and Members will be aware that the College has revised the CPD programme and that the old CPD diary is no longer valid. Please ensure that you are familiar with the CPD guide (July 2010). You will need to be aware, for example, that all participants are required to undertake KBA via the questions provided in TOG. If you work in a narrow area and do not find sufficient material in TOG to cover your practice, you will need to find an alternative KBA activity The purpose of revalidation is to assure patients and the and liaise with the CPD Office to agree this. You are also public, employers and other healthcare professionals that required to attend one mandatory meeting in each 5-year licensed doctors are up to date and fit to practise. Andrew cycle. It is important that the CPD programme retains a Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, has reiterated the govbalance and for this reason a maximum of 25 credits per ernment’s intentions in relation to revalidation, which must main type of activity (excluding the KBA category) has been be relevant to doctors’ day-to-day medical practice. This set in each 5-year cycle. approach will reinforce and promote the importance of having robust clinical governance systems within healthcare organAll CPD participants should use the CPD/revalidation ePortisations. The process of revalidation will need to be more flexfolio to record their CPD activities and store the related eviible, especially when considering non-mainstream doctors dence. Because the CPD activities need to be linked to particsuch as locum doctors or those working solely ipants’ current clinical activities, you are The purpose of in the independent sector. required to store your job plan and personal What is evident is that there will be no ‘big revalidation is to assure development plans in your ePortfolio.

A revalidation log has recently been added bang’ approach to introducing revalidation; patients and the public, to the ePortfolio to allow you to save suminstead, it will be rolled out incrementally. employers and other maries of annual appraisals and outcomes There is a desire to make the process as straightforward, proportionate and costhealthcare professionals of patient and colleague questionnaires in one place. CPD credits are not claimable for effective as possible. With this in mind, the that licensed doctors uploading these documents. Use of the revalSecretary of State has committed to an adidation log is optional, but you are required ditional 12 months of testing and piloting in are up to date and to use the CPD/revalidation ePortfolio for England. All doctors will need to take part fit to practise CPD purposes. in an annual appraisal process based around

9

Clincal practice | continued

The Office for Research and Clinical Audit The Office for Research and Clinical Audit (ORCA), a collaboration between the College and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has been working on the research project ‘Evaluation of caesarean section rates using Hospital Episodes Statistics’ for the last three years. Starting with a paper on regional differences in caesarean section rates among English NHS trusts, the research has moved on to related topics such as the timing of elective caesarean delivery in England (in response to the recommendations of the NICE caesarean section guideline) and placenta praevia after caesarean section morbidity. The following is a summary of the papers produced and their key messages.

Visit the ORCA webpages at www.rcog.org.uk/orca for more information.

Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Edozien LC, Smith GC, Onwere C, Mahmood TA, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Risk of placenta praevia in second birth after first birth caesarean section: a population-based study in England.

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2011;11:95. www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/11/95 Key messages: There is an increased risk of placenta praevia associated with a previous caesarean section (CS). The increase in risk is at the lower end of the range of previously reported estimates. In our retrospective cohort study of 192 816 women who gave birth to a singleton first and second baby between April 2000 and March 2006 in England, the rate of placenta praevia at second birth for women with vaginal first births was 4.3 per 1000 births, compared with 8.4 per 1000 births for women with CS at first birth. After adjustment, a previous CS remained associated with an increased risk of placenta praevia (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.34–1.80). The effect of first birth CS on placenta praevia was marginally higher in Asian women than in the other ethnic groups, but the size of effect did not differ for other patient characteristics.

Multiple logistic regression was used to adjust the estimates for placenta praevia at first birth, maternal age, ethnicity, deprivation, inter-birth interval and pregnancy complications. The increased risk of placenta praevia associated with previous CS is 56%, which is at the lower end of the range of previous estimates.

Onwere C, Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Mahmood TA, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Maternal morbidity associated with placenta praevia among women who had elective caesarean section. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2011;159:62–6. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21835537 Key messages: Estimates of the increased risk of maternal complications after CS posed by placenta praevia differ among studies and may not reflect current practice. In our retrospective cohort study of women who were delivered by elective CS at term for a singleton pregnancy in the English NHS between 1 April 2000 and 28 February 2009 (using routine data from the Hospital Episode Statistics database), among 131 731 women having an elective CS for a singleton, 4332 (3.3%) women had placenta praevia. Placenta praevia

increased the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (adjusted OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.74–2.09), obstetric trauma (OR 2.34; 95% CI 1.50–3.65), blood transfusion (OR 4.39; 95% CI 3.76–5.12) and hysterectomy (OR 39.70; 95% CI 22.42–70.30). The rate of hysterectomy among women with placenta praevia was 1%, considerably lower than estimates from other studies of 5%.

Therefore, placenta praevia remains a risk factor for various maternal complications after elective CS, but the risk is lower than estimated in previous studies.

Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Edozien LC, Onwere C, Mahmood TA, van der Meulen JH. The timing of elective caesarean delivery between 2000 and 2009 in England. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2011;11:43. www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/11/43 Key messages: NHS trusts in the study have responded to the new evidence on the benefits of delaying elective CS to after 39 weeks of gestation (NICE Clinical Guideline 13: Caesarean section). However, substantial differences between NHS trusts remain, which indicate there is room for further improvement. In our analysis of 118 456 elective CS deliveries between 1 April 2000 and 28 February 2009 in 63 NHS trusts (recorded on the Hospital Episode Statistics database), the overall proportion of elective CS deliveries performed after 39 completed weeks steadily increased from 39% in 2000/01 to 63% in 2008/09. The proportions rose from 43% to 67% for women with breech presentation and from 35% to 62% for women with a previous CS. There was significant variation across NHS trusts in each year; in 2008/09, the proportion of elective CS performed after 39 weeks ranged from 28% to 89% (inter-quartile range limits: 54% to 72%). The study found a small but statistically significant increase in the proportion immediately after the publication of the NICE guidance, but the growth rate declined slightly thereafter.

The authors suggest that maternity services and commissioners adopt the ‘timing of elective caesarean’ as a quality indicator to support clinical practice.

Bragg F, Cromwell DA, Edozien LC, Gurol-Urganci I, Mahmood TA, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Variation in rates of caesarean section among English NHS trusts after accounting for maternal and clinical risk: cross sectional study. BMJ 2010;341:c5065. www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c5065?tab=full Key messages: Characteristics of women delivering at NHS trusts differ, and comparing unadjusted rates of CS should be avoided. Adjusted rates of CS still vary considerably and attempts to reduce this variation should examine issues linked to emergency CS. In our cross-sectional analysis of 620 604 singleton births in 146 English NHS trusts between 1 January and 31 December 2008 (using routinely collected Hospital Episode Statistics), 147 726 (23.8%) were delivered

by CS. Women were more likely to have a CS if they had had one previously (70.8%) or had a baby with breech presentation (89.8%). Unadjusted rates of CS among the NHS trusts ranged from 13.6% to 31.9%. Trusts differed in their patient populations, but adjusted rates still ranged from 14.9% to 32.1%. Rates of emergency CS varied among trusts to a greater extent than rates of elective CS.

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Lifestyle

An obstetrician goes surfing: the dawn of the electronic age PROFESSOR JAMES DRIFE FRCOG Ten years ago at an overseas meeting I gave a lecture called ‘The obstetrician goes surfing’. It was an invited talk and the task seemed impossible until I saw the subtitle: ‘The ups and downs of the internet’. I felt I could manage that, just, and I still have a list of my slides. Yes, slides. Although I was willing to speak to an international audience about cyberspace, I still didn’t trust myself with PowerPoint. Looking back, I realise that my list is historical evidence: a fixed point in time documenting the communication revolution as it affected one obstetrician. Perhaps I should donate it to the College museum!

Progress was fast in those days. By 2003 my PowerPoint phobia had been cured and my relationship with Medical Illustration, which had endured through thick and thin for 30 years, was over. I was now wedded to Google. Evidently, I was quick to be convinced of the ups of the internet, but I see that in my 2002 lecture I spent more time on the downs and finished by trying to forecast the future. How accurate was I? Read on.

I began with a bit of history. First, a picture of Lord Reith, whose authoritarian control of that earlier global convulsion, the birth of the BBC, contrasts so sharply with the anarchy of the internet. Then I put in a timeline. That slide is now lost, but it probably showed that Microsoft was founded in 1974, that the Queen sent her first electronic mail in 1976 and that the internet really took off from 1995 onwards. My hard disc still has a few emails dated 2000, so it looks as if I joined in around the turn of the millennium.

The ups were exciting at first, but in less than two decades we have learned to take them for granted. Academics such as myself have almost forgotten what life was like in the 1990s. We used to have to work in book-lined rooms, develop a sixth sense about which volume to consult, make frequent

Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

trips to the university library or one of its far-flung outposts and, sometimes, phone a friend to check our facts. Now we simply change screens and click. How else would I know when Microsoft was founded? We may miss the exercise of climbing ladders to those high shelves, but we wouldn’t turn the clock back.

In 2002, I fondly believed that the ups included opportunities for medical Royal Colleges to communicate directly with the public. I noted, however, that the internet’s American origins made other countries’ medical institutions hard to find on the web. Type ‘rcog.com’ into your browser and you reach the Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia. Search for the World Health Organization on ‘who.com’ and you find WHO: Australia’s best-selling celebrity magazine.

Turning to the downs, my next slide was an erotic but tasteful postcard from 1850. Watching the audience sit up, I reminded them that every advance in imaging, from classical statuary to the video cassette, has been led by sex. With the help of a tabloid headline (‘PORN DOC STRUCK OFF’), I warned the audience that hospitals, for the first time in history, have a permanent record of their staff’s viewing preferences. Was it my imagination or were there a few thoughtful faces out there?

Ten years on, internet users are bored with titillating imagery, but other downs have emerged. These include the risks of putting your own (far from sexy) photos on the web. For years my hobby has been writing and performing comic songs, and publicity for our shows has involved funny posters and, more recently, a website. (Why be coy? It’s www.abracadabarets.com.) The downside of all this emerges when you are introduced at a medical conference by a chairman with a USB stick and a sense of humour. After delegates have seen a picture of you in a straw hat, your lecture can only disappoint.

Later you hurry home to check up on your online reputation.

I found this a nerve-racking experience. A prominent homebirth campaigner once described me on her website as ‘Batman’. No doubt she meant it unkindly, but the epithet has become more flattering with each passing year.

The biggest down of the internet, however, is its muchvaunted democracy. Universal access, unmoderated by Lord Reith, means that much of the information on the web comes from cranks with too much time on their hands. Hyperbole and bias attract attention, and unfortunately search engines list websites in order of popularity. If you Google ‘obstetrician’, one of the first sites you find, after Wikipedia, is the Daily Mail. You can imagine the rubbish listed under ‘gynaecologist’. Journalists and politicians, who now gauge public opinion by reading tweets and blogs, must regard the populace with more contempt than ever.

I didn’t foresee this in 2002 when I gazed idealistically into the future, imagining a day when women all over the world would have access to reliable information about their health.

Nor did I guess that in 2012 young people would be taking themselves off Facebook, either because they fear identity theft or, more likely, because it is passé. We oldies, by contrast, have discovered online social networking – so much nicer, don’t you think, than having to meet people in the flesh. The baby boomers are now the silver surfers, sending one another emails full of correct spelling and punctuation, and ending them ‘Yours sincerely’. If I had put that on a slide in Sydney ten years ago, nobody would have believed me.

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Lifestyle | continued

Twitter ye not?

How clinicians should engage with social media SIMON KEMP FORMER WEBSITE MANAGER, RCOG As the internet continues to transform all of our lives, many medical professionals are using web services such as Facebook and Twitter or discussion forums on sites such as doctors.net.uk or the BMJ’s doc2doc.

Especially when accessed using the ever-present smartphone, the immediate connection social media give us to friends and colleagues is appealing. Whether grabbing a coffee on a long night shift or travelling on the train, doctors can quickly post about a challenging day, upload a photograph or ask a clinical question knowing there are hundreds of people reading who may be able to help. As a consultant surgeon from Northern Ireland told the BMJ Careers website, ‘Aside from meeting doctors outside my own field of practice, Twitter allows me to make intellectual discoveries and indirectly get opinion on clinical queries’.1 Indeed, for gathering information quickly or alerting others to interesting developments, Twitter has become a vital tool in many fields, including some areas of medicine. And with upward of 750 000 000 users, communicating on Facebook has become as commonplace as sending a text.

However, clinicians need to be aware of the potential risks of posting too much information in the public domain. While we know who can hear a comment to colleagues in the hospital lift, it is not so easy to control who reads something posted on the internet. It is more or less impossible to remove all traces of a tweet once it is on online and Facebook’s complicated and ever-changing privacy settings can make it difficult to know exactly who could be reading. Google’s recently launched Google+ service has attempted to make privacy settings easier to understand but, as an article on iMedicalApps.com recently said, ‘It is safer to assume that anything posted on the internet is permanent and traceable’.2 Medical defence experts have suggested that doctors could run the risk of being brought before the General Medical Council for posting intemperate, disparaging or inappropriate remarks. In 2009, doctors at the Great Western Hospital were suspended following the publication on Facebook of photographs of them playing the ‘lying down game’ (participants lying face down with the palms of their hands against their sides and the tips of their toes pointing at the ground) during a night shift.

Social media can blur the boundaries between a clinician’s private and professional lives. In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, Sachin H Jain described the anxiety he felt when the mother of a baby girl he delivered as a medical student approached him through Facebook some years later. As it turned out, the mother wanted some advice about a career in medicine, but Dr Jain was concerned her motives were initially unclear: ‘The anxiety I felt about crossing boundaries is an old problem in clinical medicine, but it has taken a different shape as it has migrated to this new medium’.3 The British Medical Association (BMA) has considered this issue and published some practical and ethical guidance about the issues medical professionals may face when using

social media (www.bma.org.uk/press_centre/video_social_ media/socialmediaguidance2011.jsp). The guidance makes it clear that there are many personal and professional benefits to engaging in social media activities but that doctors should always be aware of how their online activity could appear. The BMA acknowledges that it may be entirely appropriate and useful to discuss clinical experiences online, but the ethical and legal duty to protect patient confidentiality, as well as defamation law, applies equally online and offline. The BMA further suggests that doctors never accept Facebook friend requests from either current or former patients and adopt ‘conservative’ privacy settings on social media sites.

Despite these concerns, it would be wrong to dismiss social media as something inappropriate for medical professionals to participate in. A recent article by Martin McKee et al in the BMJ4 argued that Twitter in particular had played a vital role in monitoring the UK government’s NHS reforms.

It was on Twitter that the claim by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on the BBC’s Question Time that ‘someone in this country is twice as likely to die from a heart attack as someone in France’ was first challenged and debunked. The lack of hierarchy on Twitter makes it possible for a junior doctor to engage in debate directly with, for example, the director of policy at the NHS Federation (@nedwards_1, if you want to follow him too).

Furthermore, general practitioner Margaret McCartney reasoned in a letter to the BMJ that there are hazards in doctors being too afraid to have an online presence: ‘Having doctors online is a good antidote to nonsense science, erroneous media health scares… Social media enable doctors to stand up for good medicine, democratically and instantly’.5 One thing is for sure: social media are here to stay, but what do you think of its appropriateness in the medical profession? Have your say on the RCOG discussion boards: http://www.rcog.org.uk/content/social-media-medicalprofession-appropriate-medium-sharing-information

The RCOG can be found on Twitter @RCObsGyn and BJOG @BJOGTweets The RCOG Events team is on Facebook (www.face book.com/eventsRCOG) as is the RCOG Bookshop (www.facebook.com/RCOGbooks)

References 1. http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article. html?id=20001768&q=w_bmj. Accessed 23 August 2011.

2. http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/06/physicians-shouldcautiously-navigate-social-media-medicine-waters/.

Accessed 23 August 2011.

3. Jain SH. Practicing medicine in the age of Facebook. N Engl J Med 2009;361:649¬–51.

4. McKee M, Cole K, Hurst L, Aldridge RW, Horton R. The other Twitter revolution: how social media are helping to monitor the NHS reforms. BMJ 2011;342:d948.

5. McCartney M. We shouldn’t fear social media. BMJ 2011;343:d4864.

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Education

Strength training

Importance of fitness for women DR SHEELA NAMBIAR CONSULTANT OBSTETRICIAN AND GYNAECOLOGIST AND LIFESTYLE CONSULTANT, PARVATHY MEDICAL CENTER, COIMBATORE, INDIA

Health and wellness should be enhanced to increase people’s productivity and quality of life.

Instead of anticipating illness, why not prevent it? Instead of experiencing and accepting a poorer quality of life, with degenerative disease, obesity, pain and emotional crisis, why not introduce a simple yet effective way to improve the quality of daily living?

Numerous studies have shown the undisputed benefits of fitness, and using fitness as an extension of my medical practice has benefited women in ways I never thought possible.

In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, the introduction of regular monitored exercise improves weight loss, ovulation incidence and conception rates. For women suffering from conditions such as depression, back and knee pain, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea and menopausal symptoms, regular exercise is of extraordinary benefit. A fitter woman recovers faster from the whole process of labour and delivery, surgery or illness. Surgical procedures are noticeably easier when not impeded by subcutaneous and/ or intra-abdominal fat.

Cardiovascular fitness Incorporate an aerobic activity such as walking, running, cycling or aerobic dance into your lifestyle. The choice of activity depends on the fitness level, goals and objectives of the individual. Obese women require a low-impact activity such as walking, cycling or swimming as opposed to highimpact activities such as running to keep the risk of injury to a minimum. For fat loss, enough calories have to be expended in the woman’s day: a calorie deficit of about 15% of the total requirement, consistent over a period of time, is needed for safe fat loss. Initially, longer-duration, lowerintensity aerobic exercise will achieve these results.

Six major pillars of fitness ● ● ●

Strength Body composition Nutrition

● ● ●

Flexibility Rest Cardiovascular endurance

Minor pillars of fitness ● ●

Balance Reaction time

● ●

Agility Speed

●

Reflexes

Muscles confer shape to the body and are essential for movement and functionality. Preserving this muscle mass therefore becomes crucial to improving a woman’s health. Weight training incorporating external resistance (dumb bells, barbells, machines, resistance bands, medicine ball) or the woman’s own body weight (push-ups, squats) aid in the development of muscle. Muscle grows when challenged to work at a greater intensity than that to which it is accustomed.

Strength training also protects a woman from osteoporosis and can be used to treat specific concerns such as back pain, poor posture and muscle imbalance. A well-designed weight training routine can change a woman’s appearance, functionality, strength, mobility, posture and self-confidence in remarkable ways. In addition, weight training has been found to aid fat loss.

Flexibility Muscles are inherently elastic. This elasticity, however, is compromised with age and disuse, once again leading to muscle imbalance, pain, posture problems, injury and even poor mobility. Stretching individual muscles maintains their elasticity and suppleness, making for healthier muscle.

Modalities such as yoga encourage intense stretches and, when incorporated into a fitness routine on a regular basis, improve overall fitness from a holistic perspective.

Young girls experiencing hormonal surges, menarche and teenage trauma benefit enormously from regular exercise.

Not only does exercise protect against obesity, it also improves self-confidence and morale. Making fitness a part of one’s day early in life ingrains the importance of it deep into the psyche.

Pregnancy poses new challenges to a woman’s body. The weight gain, lumbar lordosis and hypermobility of the joints encourages discomfort and fatigue. Specific strengthening/ stretching exercises for the back, hamstrings, pelvic floor and shoulders, for instance, can rectify the muscle imbalance that tends to develop. Women who are already fit and continue to exercise through pregnancy have been found to have an easier pregnancy, labour and delivery followed by a faster recovery. In addition, losing the weight gained during pregnancy is important to prevent future obesity.

Menopause is another trying time of change for most women. Aside from keeping the heart, muscles and bones healthy and preventing osteoporosis and muscular atrophy from disuse, regular exercise has been found to aid in the management of menopausal symptoms, prevent dementia and depression and, to a large extent, slow down and even reverse the ageing process.

There is no question that exercise is crucial for women at any age. With obesity reaching epidemic proportions and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension on the rise, it may be worthwhile for every obstetrician and gynaecologist to encourage women to exercise regularly. Fitness prescriptions should become mandatory. Physicians themselves should experience the benefits and pure exhilaration of being fit and exercising to be able to honestly recommend it to their patients. Fit doctors are more likely to advocate physical activity to their patients. It may be time for all doctors to take the impact of exercise on a woman’s life more seriously and recommend it more forcefully as a part of therapy.

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Call for papers: Urogynaecology and female pelvic reconstructive surgery An international Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

In January 2013 BJOG will be publishing a special themed issue on Urogynaecology and female pelvic reconstructive surgery. This issue will be edited by Douglas Tincello, Rufus Cartwright, Stergios Doumouchtsis together with guest editors Matthew Barber, Jan Deprest and Anna Rosamilia.

We are interested in receiving original research articles and systematic reviews on all aspects of urogynaecology, ranging from articles on basic science, classical and genetic epidemiology, emerging clinical challenges, as well as interventional trials.

Please go to http://bjog.allentrack.net to login and submit your manuscript, including your interest in the special theme issue in your covering letter and in the online submission form.

The deadline for submission is the 31 May 2012.

Instructions for authors are available here: http://www.bjog.org/view/0/authorInformation.html If you have any queries, please contact the BJOG Editorial Office, Tel: +44 (0) 207 772 6236. Email: bjog@rcog.org.uk.

EGYPT DAY The RCOG, in partnership with the Egyptian Liaison Group, is pleased to announce Egypt Day on 14 September 2012.

Held at the RCOG, this meeting will comprise themes exploring the most important pillars in Egyptian women’s health care: ●

maternal and perinatal mortality

●

gynaecological cancers

●

reproductive medicine

●

undergraduate and postgraduate education and training (including appraisal and certification)

●

health service structure and delivery

●

healthcare education and research agenda for Egyptian women.

Delegates and panel members aim to address the current situation in Egypt, the ideal situation and how to get there. This meeting is a great opportunity to display Egyptian heritage and cultural values.

For information please visit www.rcog.org.uk/events or call the Conference Office on +44 (0)20 7772 6245.

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

International 10th RCOG International Scientific Congress 5–8 June 2012, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia DR GUNASEGARAN PT RAJAN FRCOG CHAIRMAN, CONGRESS SECRETARIAT, RCOG 2012 My team and I are delighted to invite you to the 10th RCOG International Scientific Congress, to be held in Kuching, Malaysia.

The scientific programme is now available online at www. rcog2012.com with details of the sessions you can attend. Join us to learn and share from a memorable congress in Malaysia.

Plenary speakers We’re pleased to announce that our plenary speakers include: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Dr Anthony Falconer Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran Professor Linda Cardozo Mr Sean Kehoe Professor Jacques Donnez Professor Frank Chervenak Professor Beryl Benacerraf

Their biographies can be found on our conference website.

Pre-Congress workshops Don’t miss a thing. Get the very most out of your congress experience in Malaysia by enjoying a pre-Congress workshop.

Register for pre-Congress workshops online now at the Congress website: www.rcog2012.com

Contraception: recent advances and their use in patients with comorbid factors Contraception has been practised for centuries. The last decade, however, has revolutionised the practice of contraception. This workshop is intended as an update for trainees and general obstetricians and gynaecologists who work in sexual health. Its aim is to refresh the participants’ knowledge on reproductive physiology and expose them to the newer contraceptive methods, such as low-dose regimes, biodegradable delivery systems and vaccines, which are either already available or soon will be and which can be used under supervision by patients with comorbid factors. The workshop will also discuss the issues regarding sex, the law and young people as well as the ethico-legal aspects of contraceptive use.

Managing obstetric emergencies – nursing workshop No pregnancy is without risk. This workshop is open to all registered nurses and midwives who manage obstetric patients. The aim of this workshop is to educate obstetric personnel regarding the diagnosis of obstetric emergencies and the appropriate management of such situations to improve clinical outcome and reduce patient morbidity.

Patient safety, risk management and the legal implications of obstetric practice This workshop is open to trainees, practising obstetricians and gynaecologists and health managers who are interested in patient safety and risk management. The aim of the workshop is to show how a robust risk reporting structure that supports the appropriate flow of information across and up and down an entity can enable healthcare providers to become ‘risk intelligent’, anticipating and avoiding potential pitfalls.

Robotic and laparoscopic workshop: exploring new frontiers This workshop will offer the latest updates in the rapidly evolving field of minimally invasive surgery in gynaecology.

Robotic-assisted surgery is the latest technological advance in this field and its rapid uptake leaves little doubt that this is the way forward for the future. The workshop aims to familiarise participants with the indications for the set-up, application and use of robotic surgery. At the same time, advances in laparoscopy are also making further inroads, with single-port surgery, semi-automated suturing devices, new morcellators, better energy sealing devices and instrumentation all making their debuts in the last two years. The workshop also aims to enhance participants’ understanding and handling of these new instruments, aiding the transition to clinical practice. This workshop is suitable for clinicians with mid to advanced skill levels in minimally invasive surgery.

BJOG workshop: how to get your paper published Come to the BJOG workshop to find out how to give your paper the best chance of being accepted. The workshop will include advice on how to prepare your submission and structure your paper. Find out what goes on behind the scenes in the editorial office and understand the initial checks that must be passed before your paper even reaches the editor.

Hear about the editorial and peer review processes and improve your understanding of publication ethics, good reporting guidelines and registering clinical trials. Common reasons for rejection, such as poor study design and data presentation, will be discussed as well as how to enhance your submission with a video or PowerPoint presentation.

There will also be a chance to hear from the publisher Wiley-Blackwell about impact factors, the H-index and how widely your article would be distributed and accessed.

Early Bird Registration specially extended to 31 March – don’t miss out, book your place today! www.rcog2012.com

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

College archives Professor William Blair-Bell: a story in pictures PENNY BONNING COLLEGE ARCHIVIST On 28 September 2011 we celebrated the 140th anniversary of the birth of William Blair-Bell, co-founder of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and respected gynaecologist and obstetrician.

Blair-Bell’s words are well documented through correspondence and statements found in the College archive, but less well known are the images of him captured in photographs, which give a fascinating glimpse of the man behind the stern presidential portraits.

Blair-Bell: the lecturer William Blair-Bell was educated at King’s College London and King’s College Hospital, where as a student he was awarded the Warneford Scholarship and the Tanner Prize for Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He held a number of resident appointments in London following his graduation in 1896, before moving to general practice in his home town of Wallasey, Cheshire. He was appointed to the post of assistant consultant gynaecologist to the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and the Wallasey Cottage Hospital, ultimately becoming consulting gynaecologic and obstetric surgeon and President in 1935. He held the professorship in obstetrics and gynaecology at Liverpool University between 1921 and 1931 and retired with the title of emeritus professor. The list of lectureships held by him is long and distinguished, and includes Arris and Gale lecturer (in 1913 on the ‘Genital Functions of the Ductless Glands in the Female’), Hunterian professor at the Royal College of Surgeons (1916), Ingleby lecturer at Birmingham University and Lloyd Roberts lecturer at Manchester University.

Blair-Bell’s most important contributions to the science and profession of obstetrics and gynaecology were his endocrinological–physiological studies and his investigations of cancer. Several of his papers on these subjects appeared in medical journals before the publication of his textbook Principles of Gynaecology in 1910 and of his book The Pituitary in 1919, which won him the award of the John Hunter medal of the Royal College of Surgeons and the triennial prize for his original work on the pituitary gland.

The above photograph from the College Archive shows Professor Blair-Bell in his lecture room in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Liverpool. The lectern was his own and was presented to the College in 1931 when Professor Blair-Bell retired from the chair. This lecture room was the original and only lecture room in the Liverpool Medical School, preceding the university. Close inspection of the photograph reveals a missing finger on Blair-Bell’s left hand – by all accounts attributable to an infection resulting

Professor Blair-Bell in his lecture room at the University of Liverpool [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/1/8c]

from an accidental pricking of the finger during the course of an operation and something of which he was quite proud, particularly as it did not impair his surgical skills.

Blair-Bell: the surgeon William Blair-Bell became internationally known because of his recommendation of the use of lead treatment in the management of cancer. This treatment involved the use of chemical agents, in particular the intravenous injection of colloid lead. Researchers at the Liverpool Medical Research Organization, under the directorship of Blair-Bell, investigated the use of lead and its action on young growing tissues and toxicity on organs and the histological changes observed in the cells of malignant tumours after treatment with lead preparation. Although criticised by many, Blair-Bell had his supporters, many from overseas, as papers within the College archive show, with letters written to him asking him about his research and the possibility of having the ‘recipe’ for the lead preparation. A grateful cancer patient wrote to BlairBell in 1925 that ‘No words of mine can convey to you, the great joy & comfort I feel, & to know, how many lives will be benefited by your cleverness’.1 Blair-Bell himself said in a letter of July 1928 that ‘…even though the treatment may not always “cure” the patient, it does them no harm if prop-

Professor Blair-Bell, on the far side of the table, operating in Larringa Theatres at Liverpool Royal Infirmary, observed by onlookers possibly from the Gynaecological Visiting Society (c. 1930) [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/1/7a]

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College archives | continued

erly applied’.2 Lists of patients, their diagnosis and treatment may also be found in the archive as part of the collection of papers left to the College by Professor Blair-Bell.3

Blair-Bell: the professional In 1911, William Blair-Bell founded the Gynaecological Visiting Society of Great Britain (GVS), which was intended to bring together young teachers and research workers in the specialty so that they might share their experiences and discuss scientific and clinical problems and also visit foreign clinics with a view to studying their methods. The camaraderie within the GVS is evident in the records of meetings which are housed in the College archive4 and reveal a wonderful sense of professionals meeting up for scientific elucidation, fine wine and plenty of banter and song. Many of the early records of the GVS reveal the respect and affection with which ‘BB’ was held and, during the recent centenary celebration of the society, photographs of ‘BB’ were requested for display at their meeting.

In a photograph which well portrays the age and atmosphere in which the College was born, Blair-Bell is shown with Arthur Leyland Robinson, Foundation Fellow and staunch supporter of Blair-Bell, who held the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Liverpool University and served on the first College Council [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/1/10]

Blair-Bell: the President William Blair-Bell has been described as ‘a restless, lovable torch-bearer, who never forgot or allowed anyone else to forget that he was bearing a torch’.7 The decision to appoint him as the first President of the College was almost a foregone conclusion, and the College owes all its traditions to Blair-Bell, including the oath (which he composed as early as 1925), the College motto and shield and the presidential badge and This wonderfully intimate photograph shows Blair-Bell with two Foundation Fellows of the College and members of the GVS, Professor Miles Harris Phillips5 and (possibly) Arthur Leyland Robinson [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/1/14b]

Blair-Bell: the politician William Blair-Bell was chairman of the foundation committee for the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the idea for which was raised at a meeting of the GVS by Sir William Fletcher Shaw in 1925. A man of undoubted passion and energy, Blair-Bell threw himself into the task of negotiation and compromise to overcome the obstacles encountered in launching the College and obtaining a Charter. Blair-Bell was not loved by all and made certain enemies along the way: in 1932 he wrote in a letter to the wife of his co-founder, Fletcher Shaw, ‘I should like him to know that it was chiefly for his sake that I forfeited some self-respect and sacrificed a regard for the truth in an endeavour to settle the “row” we have had with certain of the others… I can be so outspoken and impolite when people do not play the game!’6 Relationships with supporters and important sponsors of the new College, such as Lord Riddell, were delicately handled by Fletcher Shaw in recognition that Blair-Bell’s political skills were more suited to making the big statements for his campaign for a great Commonwealth scientific institution to rank with the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.

William Blair-Bell in his presidential robes, bought at a cost of £63 from the London milliner Ede & Ravenscroft in 1931, in which he was buried in 1936 [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/1/9b]

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

robes. It is beyond doubt that the high regard in which the College is held today is the result of the foundations laid by the indomitable spirit and ruthlessness of its first President.

Blair-Bell: the person Among those who were fortunate to know and like him, William Blair-Bell was remembered for his charm and personality. The American gynaecologist George Gray Ward wrote in an obituary of his English contemporary: ‘He was full of charm and courtesy, and had the enthusiasm of a child as he showed us his gardens, and his guns and dogs’.8 Blair-Bell is known to have been something of an athlete during his youth, a good cricketer and champion tennis player, and in later life a keen hunter: Fletcher Shaw describes how he reluctantly joined his colleague on a hunt during his first visit to Blair-Bell’s home in Eardiston, Shropshire, undoubtedly persuaded by the infamous ‘BB’ charm!

A whole folder of letters was put to one side by Fletcher Shaw and labelled ‘BB’s charming letters’,9 and included notes to Mrs Fletcher Shaw, the most endearing of which are those which he sent after the opening of the College house in Queen Anne Street by the Duchess of York (later the Queen Mother) in 1932. Nora Fletcher Shaw presented Blair-Bell with a silver gilt horseshoe, which her husband recorded was kept on the table in front of Blair-Bell during the opening day ceremony and which Blair-Bell thanked her for later by saying: ‘Your beautiful “lucky gift” is now in my “silver cupboard”. It was a charming thought, and I am sure it was responsible for any success there may have been in my terrible ordeal, or shall I say “orgy”, at the opening ceremony.’10 The horseshoe remained in Blair-Bell’s cabinet at Eardiston until his death, when Fletcher Shaw took it as a memorial gift and ultimately passed it to the College, where it is safely held in the archive and museum today.

Blair-Bell: the legacy William Blair-Bell died at the age of 64 while travelling home to Eardiston by train after a College committee meeting in London on 26 January 1936. The meeting is said to have been full of ‘violent quarrels’11 which could have brought on the fatal coronary thrombosis attack. Indeed, some years earlier in 1932, Blair-Bell wrote: ‘I realise there are more things for which it is worth dying than there are things for which it is worth living’.12 One can well believe that he exited the stage in a manner in which he would have approved, fighting for what he believed.

Blair-Bell has remained a mighty presence in the life of the College, mainly through his many bequests and legacies.

The first College house in Queen Anne Street was purchased through an anonymous donation made by Blair-Bell; other bequests include the Florence and William Blair-Bell Memorial Fellowship and the Florence Blair-Bell Art Fund.13 He bequeathed to the College all the furniture from his original study and his legacy includes the oath made by all new Members during their admission ceremony, the College motto and the design of the College crest.

This photograph shows Blair-Bell’s grave in the small churchyard at Eardiston at the time of his burial in 1936; the College laid flowers on his grave annually for many years, and continued to care for the grave in the succeeding years [Archive Reference: S26/7/9/5]

References 1. Archive Reference: S10/11, Personal papers of William Blair-Bell.

2. Archive Reference: S1/33, Personal papers of William Blair-Bell.

3. Archive Reference: S1/7-9, Personal papers of William Blair-Bell.

4. Papers of the Gynaecological Visiting Society, S26.

5. The personal papers of Professor Miles Harris Phillips are held in the College Archive, Reference S97.

6. Archive Reference: S34/12, Personal papers of Sir William Fletcher Shaw.

7. Peel J. The Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1929–1969. London: RCOG Press; 1976. p. 77.

8. Transactions of the American Gynaecological Society, Vol 61, page 369, 1936.

9. Papers of Sir William Fletcher Shaw, Archive Reference S34/12.

10. Papers of Sir William Fletcher Shaw, Archive Reference S34/12.

11. Peel J. The Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1929–1969. London: RCOG Press; 1976. p. 77.

12. Papers of Sir William Fletcher Shaw, Archive Reference S34/95, letter of 27 January 1932.

This photograph is one of several showing Blair-Bell relaxed with one of his beloved dogs, possibly c. 1930 [Archive Reference: RCOG/PH1/3b]

13. Blair-Bell married his first cousin, Florence, rather late in life. She remains a rather enigmatic figure and died in 1929. The couple had no children.

College archives | continued

Heritage reviving history: learning from the past to inform the future An official launch of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Library at the RCOG took place on 4 November 2011. The launch marked the successful collaboration between the two Colleges to preserve and make accessible some 125 years of knowledge relating to midwifery, and enables researchers for the first time to consult published and unpublished collections across the broad spectrum of women’s health services.

An afternoon of talks and presentations was chaired by Professor Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the RCM, and presentations were given by representatives of the RCM, RCOG and De Partu group, an independent history of childbirth group affiliated with the UK Centre for the History of Nursing and Midwifery. Also present was Dame Karlene Davis, former General Secretary of the RCM. Damian Eustace FRCOG, Heritage Collections Advisor, told of his initial excitement at the prospect of both collections being held together. Liz Stephens, RCM President, gave a brief overview of the history of the RCM and its library.

She pointed out that the ethos of promoting education for midwives was inherent in the work of the Midwives Institute, the forerunner to the RCM, and that this new initiative to open up resources for researchers and members of the RCM was following in this tradition.

Professor Helen King, Professor of History in the Department of Classical Studies at the Open University, looked at past conflict and collaboration in the history of midwifery services, focusing upon the traditional story of Agnodice, an Athenian midwife from the 2nd century, who has been used throughout the years to support arguments about whether childbirth assistants should be male or female.

Canon Julia Allison, a former General Secretary of the RCM and now Canon of Norwich Cathedral and active member of the De Partu group, gave an interesting timeline of the history of the RCM, with an attempt to give a context to the most important points of its history. She gave an interesting insight into how the development of the RCM, from the early days of the Institute of Midwives to the creation of a Royal College, was directly linked to the growing awareness of high mortality rates among babies and mothers.

Lucy Reid, Librarian and Director of the Knowledge Management Team at the RCOG, and Penny Hutchins, RCOG Archivist, presented a brief history of the RCOG and how its

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heritage and library collections had developed over the years.

Dr Janette Allottey of the University of Manchester and Chair of the De Partu group presented her experiences of researching the history of midwifery, pointing out how quickly context is lost when the present becomes the past, and the importance of interpreting archives.

The next presentation was made by a trio representing the world of midwifery and covered the past, present and future of midwifery history. Billie Hunter, Professor of Midwifery at Swansea University, looked at the importance of history, emphasising that ‘We need to know the past to understand our present’. Gillian Smith, Director of the RCM in Scotland, gave us an insight into her own role and the exciting and challenging issues with which she is faced. Marlene Sinclair, Ireland’s first Professor of Midwifery, looked at capturing history and making archives accessible for the future.

Ann Thomson, Emeritus Professor of Midwifery at the University of Manchester, talked about her research on the history of the International Confederation of Midwives and a history of midwifery and nursing regulations in the UK. The final presentation of the afternoon was made by Mary Dharmachandran, the Project Librarian from the RCM, and Clare Sexton, Project Archivist at the RCOG, who showed details of the library and archive collections.

The afternoon concluded with a very positive discussion centred on knowledge about the location of additional papers and objects relating to midwifery history. Dr Jenny Haynes of the Wellcome Library gave her support for the joint resource. The enthusiasm of the midwives for the uniting of the collections was refreshing and exciting, and bodes well for the future research possibilities in women’s health services.

For any enquiries about the library and archive collections of the RCM and the RCOG, please email library@rcog.org.uk or archives@rcog.org.uk.

The images accompanying this article are from the RCM Archive (rcmarchive@rcog.org.uk) and are reproduced with the permission of the Royal College of Midwives.

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Forthcoming dates, conferences and courses at the RCOG How Should We Manage Twin and Triplet Pregnancies?

Joint RCOG/NCC-WCH Meeting 13 March 2012 With the launch of the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) multiple pregnancy guideline, this is a great opportunity to understand how the key management priorities in multiple pregnancy were made; discuss the implications for clinical practice in primary and secondary care settings; and understand implementation of this guideline.

This guideline contains recommendations specific to twin and triplet pregnancies in a variety of clinical areas, including optimal methods to determine gestational age and chorionicity; appropriate specialist care; maternal and fetal screening programmes to identify structural abnormalities, chromosomal abnormalities, fetal growth restriction and feto–fetal transfusion syndrome; indications for referral to a tertiary level fetal medicine centre; and the timing of birth. The guideline also advises how to give accurate, relevant and useful information to women with twin and triplet pregnancies and their families, and how best to support them.

Subfertility and Reproductive Endocrinology Course and The Assisted Conception Theoretical Course Joint RCOG/BFS Meeting 16–20 April 2012 This is a clinical update meeting aimed at all clinicians involved in the management of the subfertile couple and reproductive endocrinology. The speakers have been chosen to provide the latest information in this rapidly developing area.

This course is recognised for the theoretical component of the ‘Subfertility and Reproductive Endocrinology’ Advanced Training Skills Module (ATSM).

Risk Management and Medico–Legal Issues in Women’s Healthcare Joint RCOG/ENTER (Endowment for Training and Education in Reproduction) Meeting 26–27 April 2012 The meeting provides a forum for learning from patient safety incidents and sharing good practice in the promotion of patient safety. This is the only annual national conference on risk management in obstetrics and gynaecology. The emphasis throughout the meeting is on practical as well as theoretical concepts. The programme is based on the RADICAL framework for risk management (Raise Awareness, Design for safety, Involve users, Collect and Analyse safety data, and Learn from patient safety incidents).

and Children’s Health (NCC-WCH) produces guidelines related to women’s and children’s health on behalf of NICE. However, NICE clinical guidelines are written for the NHS in England and Wales and thus recommendations may not be transferable to other countries. This NCC-WCH/RCOG-led course will introduce participants to what is involved in producing clinical guidelines. Participants will be given a grounding in all aspects of guideline development and will have the opportunity to gain practical experience of the tasks involved.

By the end of the course participants will be equipped with the necessary skills to produce clinical guidelines.

SpROGs 2012, Bristol 24–25 May 2012 Join us at the gateway to the southwest for the Annual Conference for Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. This event is exclusively for trainees and includes: networking opportunities and sessions on getting that consultant job, talks and workshops that will help those logbook requirements, and Part 1 and 2 MRCOG exam preparations; plus you can attend workshops tailored for your training year. This is the mustattend event for all trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Intermediate/Advanced Colposcopy 12–13 June 2012 This course aims to cover the latest advances in the field including: the NHSCSP guidelines, the likely role of HPV testing in primary screening, an update on the HPV vaccination programme, quality assurance issues and difficult clinical management issues with interactive case presentations.

Intraepithelial neoplasia of other areas of the lower genital tract will be covered. This course is aimed at recently trained colposcopists keen to advance their knowledge and expertise as well as being a refresher for those who have been practising in the field for quite some time. It is not suitable for those with little or no experience in the area of colposcopy.

PROMPT: Training the Trainers Day Joint RCOG/PROMPT Maternity Foundation Meeting 22 June 2012 The PROMPT (PRactical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training) Course ‘Training the Trainers’ day is for midwives, obstetricians and anaesthetists wishing to run multiprofessional obstetric emergencies training within their own maternity units. Participants will be trained to run an ‘in-house’ multiprofessional obstetric emergencies course that is both economical and also contributes to the training requirements of the maternity standards for CNST.

Clinical Guidelines Development Joint RCOG/NCC-WCH Meeting 8–10 May 2012 NICE guidelines are internationally regarded as the most advanced in terms of scope and methodology. They incorporate evidence-based medicine, cost-effectiveness analyses and clinical and lay consensus to reach recommendations on health and social care. The National Collaborating Centre for Women’s

Advanced Obstetric Ultrasound and Advanced Antenatal Practice Joint RCOG/RCR/BMFMS Meeting 25–27 June 2012 Offers a comprehensive review of diagnosis, management and counselling for fetal anomaly and will be of benefit to all involved with antenatal fetal ultrasound.

Forthcoming dates, conferences and courses at the RCOG | continued

Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2011–2012 21–23 February, RCOG 20–22 March, RCOG 21–23 March, Leeds 29–31 May, RCOG 27–29 June, Norwich More dates coming soon: check the website for more details. Choose Basic Practical Skills at www.rcog.org.uk/events as your event type and click search.

Advanced Training Skills Modules Early Pregnancy and Emergency Gynaecology 21–22 March 2012 Joint RCOG/AEPU Meeting

Subfertility and Reproductive Endocrinology Course and Assisted Conception Theoretical Course 16–20 April 2012 Joint RCOG/BFS Meeting

Training the Trainers 26–27 April 2012

Advanced Obstetric Ultrasound and Advanced Antenatal Practice Course 25–27 June 2012 Joint RCOG/RCR/BMFMS Meeting

Laparoscopic Surgery 17–18 September 2012 Joint RCOG/BSGE Meeting

Early Pregnancy and Gynaecological Ultrasound 24–25 September 2012

Science for Subspecialties 1–2 October 2012

Understanding Urodynamics 3–4 October 2012 Joint RCOG/BSUG Meeting

Advanced Labour Ward Practice 30 October 2012 Joint RCOG/BMFMS Meeting

Postmenopausal Health 19–20 November 2012 Joint RCOG/BMS Meeting

Intermediate/Advanced Hysteroscopy 3–4 December 2012 Joint RCOG/BSGE Meeting

MRCOG Revision Courses 2012 The RCOG Revision Courses provide the inside track on how to study for the MRCOG Part 1 and 2 exams.

Part 1 MRCOG Revision 9–13 July 2012 Part 2 MRCOG Revision 16–18 July 2012 Part 2 MRCOG OSCE 30 April – 4 May 2012

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Calendar 2012 MARCH 2012

5 6 9 9 20–22 21–22 26–27 27 30 30

Part 1 MRCOG Examination Part 2 MRCOG Examination (written) Pregnancy and Complex Social Factors PROMPT Training the Trainers Implementation Day Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Early Pregnancy and Emergency Gynaecology Maternal Medicine Newly Appointed Consultants Founders’ Lecture Founders’ Dinner

APRIL 2012

14 16–20

DRCOG Examination Subfertility and Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Conception Theoretical Courses 26–27 Risk Management in Medico-legal Issues in Women’s Health 26–27 Training the Trainers 30 – 4 May MRCOG OSCE Revision Course

MAY 2012

8–10 14–15 17 17–18 21–22 24–25 25 29–31

Clinical Guidelines Development Part 2 MRCOG Examination (OSCEs) Clinical Directors’ Forum BSGI Annual Scientific Meeting Surgical Masterclass in Urogynaecology SpROGs, Bristol Members’ Admission Ceremony Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

JUNE 2012

5 6–8 12–13 25–27 28

Pre-congress Workshop, Sarawak 10th International Scientific Meeting, Sarawak Intermediate/Advanced Colposcopy Course Advanced Obstetric Ultrasound and Advanced Antenatal Practice Course Examiners’ Training Course

JULY 2012

9–13 16–18

MRCOG Part 1 Revision Course MRCOG Part 2 Revision Course

SEPTEMBER 2012

3 4 13 14 17–18 24–25 25–27 27–28 28 28

MRCOG Part 1 Examination MRCOG Part 2 Examination (written) ‘Meet the Expert’ public talk Egypt Day Laparoscopic Surgery Early Pregnancy and Gynaecological Ultrasound Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Training the Trainers Fellows’ Admission Ceremony Fellows’ Dinner

OCTOBER 2012

1–2 3–4 5 6 8 11 12 16–18 23 29 – 2 Nov 30 – 1 Nov

Science for Subspecialties Understanding Urodynamics PROMPT DRCOG Examination Childbirth and Pelvic Floor Trauma How to be a College Tutor College Tutors’ Meeting Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Intrapartum Fetal Surveillance MRCOG Part 2 OSCE Revision Course Advanced Labour Ward Practice

NOVEMBER 2012

For further information about RCOG conferences and courses, and all terms and conditions, please visit www.rcog.org.uk/events or call the Conference Office on +44 (0) 20 7772 6245.

5–6 8 12–14 17 19–20 20–22 23 23 27–29

Why not add us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest events and courses?

Just search for RCOG Events.

3–4 5 11–12

BSUG Annual Scientific Meeting Clinical Directors’ Forum MRCOG Part 2 Examination (OSCEs) RCOG Careers Fair Postmenopausal Health Basic Practical Skills in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Members’ Admission Ceremony Annual Dinner RCOG Annual Professional Development Conference

DECEMBER 2012

Intermediate/Advanced Hysteroscopy Christmas Lecture for Young People RCOG Annual Academic Meeting

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

College news Fellows’ Admission Ceremony: 23 September 2011 The President admitted 191 new Fellows during the Fellows’ admission ceremony held on Friday 23 September 2011 at the College.

During the same event, the following were awarded Fellow ad eundem of the College: Professor Aris Antsaklis, Greece Professor Gian Carlo Di Renzo, Italy Professor Hermann Peter Gerhard Schneider, Germany Professor Lil Valentin, Sweden Professor Kevan Richard Wylie, England Seated, L–R: Professor Aris Antsaklis, Professor Gian Carlo Di Renzo, Professor Hermann Schneider, President, Professor Lil Valentin, Professor Kevan Richard Wylie

Members’ Admission Ceremony: 25 November 2011

Lucy Elizabeth Higgins received the Prize Medal

The President admitted 151 new Members during the Members’ admission ceremony held on Friday 25 November 2011 at the College. Lucy Elizabeth Higgins received the Prize Medal for being the candidate who achieved the highest mark in the Membership examination.

During the same event, Professor Rolf Kreienberg, Germany was awarded Fellow ad eundem of the College. Also, the following were awarded Fellow honoris causa of the College: Professor Sayeba Akhter, Bangladesh Ms Toni Belfield, England CORRECTION Mrs Sarah Brown, Scotland Volume 1 Issue 2 of Membership Matters Mr John Chiene, England There may have been some confusion in the Professor Linan Cheng, China images on page 25 of the last Membership Lord Crisp KCB, England Matters. The medals were handed out by Professor James Walker, Senior Vice President Professor Florence Mirembe, Uganda (International), as the President was unavailProfessor Cathy Warwick, England able. While the President admitted the new Dr Jan Welch, England Members in May, it was not him in the picDr Catherine White, England tures. Apologies for any confusion caused.

Seated, L–R: Ms Toni Belfield, Professor Sayeba Akhter, Mrs Sarah Brown, Professor Linan Cheng, Mr John Chiene

Seated, L–R: Lord Crisp KCB, Dr Jan Welch, Dr Catherine White, Professor Florence Mirembe, Professor Cathy Warwick, Professor Rolf Kreienberg

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College news | continued

Electronic Fetal Monitoring: award-winning free resource available The RCOG, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and e-Learning for Healthcare (eLfH) have worked in partnership on the successful development of the Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring (eFM) module.

The RCOG’s clinical lead Barry Whitlow, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Colchester University Foundation Trust, hoped ‘that this free learning resource for NHS staff will improve CTG [cardiotocograph] interpretation and clinical outcomes as well as help NHS trusts reduce spending on CTG learning while complying with NHSLA [National Health Service Litigation Authority] risk management guidelines’.

Award winning eFM won the silver award in the ‘Most innovative new learning hardware or software product’ category at the e-Learning Age 2011 Awards, competing against 250 entries from 17 countries, including those from commercial IT and multinational organisations such as BT, RBS and BP. One user commented, ‘Overall, this appears to be an excellent programme, based on constructivist learning principles that will provide a flexible, easily accessible and invaluable resource for maternity care providers’. eFM is split into three sections: ● ●

●

a knowledge-based interactive tutorial section a case study section, which allows the learner to practise their skills on actual fetal heart rate recordings and subsequent management in a virtual labour ward setting an assessment section, which formally tests the knowledge the learner has acquired from the knowledge-based sessions.

eFM provides 17 different subject modules on electronic fetal monitoring, written by obstetric and midwifery experts in the field. They are in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines and allow healthcare professionals to test their knowledge by way of five assessment sections, also completed online.

Up to 17 RCOG knowledge CPD credits can be claimed from these sessions over a five-year cycle if a score of more than 70% is achieved within three attempts. Evidence of achievement can be used for recertification of healthcare professionals by the RCOG, the RCM and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Certificates for proof of learning can be printed out regularly.

In addition, there are 12 case studies with real-life CTGs that test the professional, again in line with NICE guidance.

Clinical management and feedback is requested and given throughout by three independent experts who were also blinded to the outcome of the case. One hundred new cases will be added over a five-year period.

The feedback received from the pilot was extremely positive, showing in excess of 80% satisfaction to date. Users commented: ‘I thought that the coverage of sinusoidal FHR [fetal heart rate] pattern was excellent as this is a pattern which is poorly covered in other CTG teachings that I have come across’ and ‘It is a highly informative package, and I certainly learnt a lot whilst working my way through this. I also liked the way that the information was linked to outcomes, conditions and guidelines, which I think is essential’.

Free access All NHS staff in the UK with a valid NHS email account can access the resource for free. This resource is also available internationally. To access eFM, to register or for more information, please visit www.e-lfh.org.uk, then choose projects and Electronic Fetal Monitoring from the menus. There are two buttons, one for those with an NHS email and one for those without. Those with an NHS email can access the resource for free. For those users without an NHS email, eFM costs £65 per year.

SBAs for the Part 1 MRCOG Andrew Sizer and Neil Chapman This book is essential reading for all Part 1 MRCOG examination candidates.

It provides a detailed guide to the new question format introduced for the March 2012 examination: single best answer questions (SBAs): ●

an explanation of the SBA format and why it was introduced

●

a guide to how to approach and answer SBAs

●

over 300 sample questions

●

two sample examination papers.

Written by one of the organisers of the RCOG Part 1 revision course, this is a guide that no serious candidate can afford to go without.

Buy your copy from the RCOG Bookshop Online at www.rcogbookshop.com

Andrew Sizer and Neil Chapman

£24 to Fellows, Members and Trainees (retail price £32) ISBN 978-1-906985-58-5 ● 144 pages

SBAs for the Part 1 MRCOG

New from RCOG Press

Andrew Sizer an d Neil Chapman

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Can you help?

The College has lost contact with the following Fellows and Members. If anyone is able to provide any information or current addresses for any of these individuals, please inform Sandra Silvera, Membership Relations Department: tel: +44 (0)20 7772 6248; fax: +44 (0)20 772 6359; email: ssilvera@rcog.org.uk Status Last known town and country of residence FELLOWS Samir Husni Abukhalil King’s Lynn, England Hussein Kamel Amin-Salem Ardsley-On-Hudson, United States of America Daniel Oluremilekun Asekun Lagos, Nigeria David Kwasi Atubra Plymouth, England Ibrahim Farid Ayad Buffalo, United States of America Jamshid Bahrami York, England Renu Kana Banerjee Pondicherry, India Samar Krishna Basu Kolkata, India (East) Barbara Yvonne Bazliel Gurgaon, India (North) Mohamed Ahmed Bella Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Suniti Kumar Bhattacharyya Gauhati, India Apollonia Lobo Braganza Forbes, Australia James Grant Cameron Harare, Zimbabwe Aroti Chakravarty New Delhi, India (North) Dhipati Chanda Holyoke, United States of America Thilagavathi Chandu Lall Toronto, Canada Christopher Yun Hian Chen Singapore Lena Ling Fen Chen Singapore Devanadan Chetty Durban, South Africa Douglas Albert Chiswell Warkworth, New Zealand Mohammed Abdul Hoque Choudhury London, England Shyamoli Datta Choudhury India Mary Elizabeth Connor Sheffield, England Quentin Davies Leicester, England Rex Patrick De Bond Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Hira Devi Dongol Kathmandu, Nepal Rudolf Walter Dunn South Surrey, Canada Yaseen Burhan Edrees Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdussalam Mohamed El-Dali Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Naser Eldeen Abdel Tawab El-Khouly Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Edward John Fairlie St Andrews, Scotland Faiza Hanim Youssef Abdel Fattah Safat, Kuwait Paul Alozie Feyi-Waboso Nigeria Michael Brendan Flanagan Santa Rosa, United States of America George Bernard Frazer Bromley, England Istvan Gati Budapest, Hungary Mustafa Mohamed Bashier Gawass Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Shahid Javid Ghani Cranbrook, Canada Chitralekha Ghosh Kolkata, India (East) Saroj Kumar Ghosh Kolkata, India (East) Abo El Fetoh Ahmed Gomaa London, England Leyland Hope Goss Modi’in, Israel Stanley Frederick Hans Ware, England Lionel Mark Halliday Hanson Gillingham, England Grahame Harry Harris Mosman, Australia

Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Ahmed Hanafi Ahmed Hassan Cairo, Egypt Naheda Abdulla Mohamed Hassan Al Nuzha, Kuwait Razia Hassan Al Midhnab, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohamad Abdel-Hamid Helmy Kuwait Jack Sydney Hirschowitz Bellevue, United States of America Hla Kyi Yangon, Myanmar Andrew Chung Yin Ho Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR China Malcolm St Clair Hopper Leeds, England Phillip Francis Hughes Romsey, England David James Shaw Hunter Norwalk, United States of America Bertram Obi Igbogbahaka Aba, Nigeria Vimala Isaac Chennai, India (South) Khorshed Sorabji Karai-Jones Brandon, Canada Veluppillai Karunakaran Chulipuram, Sri Lanka Monira Kayani Santa Clara, United States of America Khalida Kayssi Baghdad, Iraq Anwar Jamal Jan Khan Peshawar, Pakistan Edward Paul Kirk Portland, United States of America Stephen Babatunde Kuku Lagos, Nigeria Dorothy Kit Chin Kwan Daly City, United States of America Venkatraman Sita Lakshmi Bangalore, India Jacques Marie Joseph Frederic Desire Lalouette Sault Sainte Marie, Canada Subrahmanyam Lavan Iswaran Singapore George Archibald Lewis Peterborough, Canada David Lim-Howe Northbridge, Australia Sarah Macaskill Kings Lynn, England Pushpa Madan New Delhi, India (North) Santosh Kumari Madan New Delhi, India Faiza Badawi Mahgoub Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hugh Naylor Mansfield Birmingham, England James Guthrie McCarroll Fort Dodge, United States of America Edward McPhedran Ottawa, Canada Naziha Khalil Merjan Fujairah, United Arab Emirates Maurice Cecil Michelow Johannesburg, South Africa Eric Thomas Miller Horsham, Australia Joyce Morgan Pwllheli, Wales Gladys May Morrison Montego Bay, Jamaica Harry Stafford Morton Halifax, Canada Trishit Kumar Mukherjee Orangeburg, United States of America Malcolm Erwin Murray Burlington, Canada Jean Murray-Jones West Perth, Australia Sothiprakasen Narayanasamy Naicker Isipingo Hills, South Africa Aruna Nath Croydon, England Sundaram Neela India Nasim Niaz Lahore, Pakistan Benjamin Ifeanyichukwu Nsofor Glasgow, Scotland Liam Joyce O’Brien Drogheda, Republic of Ireland Peter Francis Michael O’Connor Watford, England George Olesnicky North Adelaide, Australia Doddana Goud Paranjothy Tiruvella, India (South) Kamal Jayantilal Parikh Strongsville, United States of America Indu Fakirbhai Patel Ahmedabad, India Win Pe Mandalay, Myanmar

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College news | continued

Andrew Ebert Perera Morgan David Pickrell Colin Ross Porteous Simon Michael Mallet Prigg John Michael Quilter William Leslie Gray Quinlivan

Kurunegala, Sri Lanka Worcester, England Ormskirk, England Alloway, Scotland Wollongong, Australia Green Valley, United States of America Tara Ramarao Mumbai, India (West) Arnold Arthur Raubenheimer Port Shepstone, South Africa Brian James Ridyard Victoria, Canada John Roper Fleet, England Muriel Rose Woodbridge, England James Holden Routledge Beaverton, Canada Biswanath Roy New York, United States of America Smriti Kana Roy Kolkata, India (East) Leon Rubin Winnipeg, Canada Krishna Kumari Saharan New Delhi, India Adel Mohammed Salama Worthington, United States of America Nanita Sampson Enfield, England Mary Caffyn Wright Scott London, England Paramasivam Paramasiram Sellvakumaran Sturt, Australia Khurshid Shafi Lahore, Pakistan Mukti Sharan District Saran, India Michael David Shields Wakefield, England Shafia Siddiqi Stockport, England Nadeem Ahmed Siddiqui Glasgow, Scotland Gulshan Bhag Singh Pompano Beach, United States of America Geoffrey Thomas Smedley Fordingbridge, England Ismat Ibrahim Snobar Amman, Jordan Maya Srivastava Ajman, United Arab Emirates Robert Vivian Stephenson Yeovil, England Jamal Yacub Sunnaa’ Amman, Jordan David Michael Thomas North Vancouver, Canada Kokkat Kuruvilla Thomas Tellicherry, India (South) William Roderick Carl Tupper Halifax, Canada Peter Anthony Tynan Newcastle, Australia Perampalam Vithiananthan Seven Hills, Australia John Douglas Walker Johannesburg, South Africa Sunil Sumant Wassoodew Mumbai, India (West) Roger Meyrick Williams Reading, England Win May Yangon, Myanmar James Lawrence Wright Dunedin, New Zealand Balasubramaniam Yoganathan Colombo 6, Sri Lanka Yousif Babiker Yousif Al-Baha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia MEMBERS Essam Abdel MacksoudAbdel-Salam

North Battleford, Canada Aleti Sunitha Dubai, United Arab Emirates Helen Elizabeth Allen Sudbrooke, England Lubna Fathi Al-Maghur Nuneaton, England Najeeba Hussein Al-Qattan Al Salmeya, Kuwait Malak Bander Mohammed Al-Rawi Dubai, United Arab Emirates Amani Ahmed Mohamed Ali Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Lucy Clare Ambler Romsey, England

Andrew Ansari Kenneth John Hugh Ayers Emily Elspeth Grace Baillie

Tamworth Nemsc, Australia Eastbourne, England Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran Clarice Ann Baker Tappen, Canada Jharana Behura Basildon, England Indira Lavanya Bobba Ravulapalem, India (South) Shifaya Cader East York, Canada Agnes Urquhart Campbell Bridgnorth, England Brian Carson Leamington Spa, England Mahomed Ismail Cassimjee Toronto, Canada Arshalouis Chapman Bury St Edmunds, England Charanjit Singh Kamunting, Malaysia Agnes Clark Poulton-Le-Fylde, England Jennifer Hibble Cornish Jannali, Australia Margaret Cunningham Edinburgh, Scotland Mazin Hassan Daghistani Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Maithilee Nishigandh Deole Birmingham, England Ebenezer Maduram Devadason India Elmutasim Mohamed Mohamed Ali Elkanzi Dorchester, England Mohamed Kamel Said El-Rafey Walton-On-Thames, England Gwenyth Evenhouse Olmsted Township, United States of America Joanna Ghigo Wirral, England Janice Lesley Gibson Glasgow, Scotland Alfred Henry Grenz Newport Beach, United States of America Gulnaz Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sweta Gupta Noida, India (North) Christine Rosemary Gutteridge Stonehaven, Scotland Hajra Shafiq Bahawal Pur, Pakistan Humaira Jamal Hanief Bangalore, India (South) Michael Benjamin Harris Pinner, England Mary Frances Higgins Dublin, Republic of Ireland Kadry Abdel Sattar Mohammed Ibrahim London, England Augustine Okechukwu Ihenacho London, England Mohamed Taher Ismail Cairo, Egypt Betty Shui-Ling Iu New York, United States of America Priti Jain Slough, England Jaitha Accamma John Safat, Kuwait Mary Soutar Jolly Pulborough, England Leelamma Joseph Hornchurch, England Leela Kalamkar Mumbai, India (West) Gazala Khan Muscat, Oman Ahmad Khattab Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic Patrick John Kieran Cork, Republic of Ireland Franklin George Ernest King London, Canada Johan Kruger Kroonstad, South Africa Sui Yee Karen Kataleen Kwok Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR China Margaret Amy Lakeman Romford, England Adegboyega Hakeem Lawal Hillside, United States of America Arthur William Lawler Vancouver, Canada Mohamed Maimoon Mohamed Lebbe Bexley, England Silvia Celeste Lewin Kineton, England Wai Loon Lim Brighton, England Ka Ling Luk Ma On Shan, Hong Kong SAR China Swati Manohar Mahajan Warwick Farm, Australia

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Samah El-Sayed Mahmoud Mohamed Alexandria, Egypt Janki Devi Majid Pune, India (West) Radha Naravan Majumdar Tampa, United States of America Kazimierz Antoni Makos Waterloo, Belgium Mamta New Delhi, India (North) Gerard Francis McCarthy Winnipeg, Canada Stephen McPherson Coolum Beach, Australia Mrinalini Hemchandra Mehta Bangor, Wales Alexander Desmond Muirhead Bury St Edmunds, England Sunitha Muralidharan Dubai, United Arab Emirates Narassa Narayani Worcester, United States of America Waheeb Slaiman Zohdee Naser Madaba, Jordan Sarita Vidyanand Nesargi Exeter, England Jennifer Margaret Nixon Truro, England Penelope Louise Noble Stanley, Hong Kong SAR China Malathi Noothi Hull, Channel Islands Abha Ojha Altrincham, England Chukwuemeka Obianagha Okaro London, England James Henry Olobo-Lalobo London, England Iola Lloyd Trevor O’Malley Liverpool, England Colin Kjeld Partington Chelmsford, England Dilip Bhimagouda Patil Bedford, England Aled Wyn Pleming Rhyl, Wales Mohammad Siddique Qureshi Karachi, Pakistan Devulapalli Ramani Fahaheel, Kuwait

Sangeeta Roy Sushila Daya Sagar Mohamed Said Hamed Salman

Dehradun, India (North) Nottingham, England Yanbu Albahr, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Shubha Sangal Southsea, England Arthur Octavius Sankey London, England Khorshed Indra Kumar Shah Bangalore, India Shahnaz Bano Karachi, Pakistan Richard Lewis Laurence Simmons Bexley, England Packialedchumy Sinnayah London, England So Chun Hong Shatin, China Chelliah Sornalingam South Croydon, England Sivagurunathan Srirangalingam Trimdon Station, England Selvarajah Sundralingam Ipoh, Malaysia Raeburn Rodd Talbot Auckland, New Zealand Alexander Tsakiris London, England Dipti Ukil Woodford Green, England Ramadevi Vivek Wani Khaldiya, Kuwait Nicola Tracey Whitaker Bristol, England Charles Yates Willunga, Australia Ezz El Din Abd El Aziz Yehya Cairo, Egypt Yellamareddygari Sireesha Manchester, England Yeung Heung Na Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR China Eu Leong Yong Singapore Ayesha Zaman Boston, England

In memoriam We have recently undertaken an exercise to investigate the whereabouts of many Fellows and Members with whom we have lost contact.

As a result we have discovered some notifications of those who have passed away some time ago. While some of these may be old, it was decided that there may be some colleagues and friends who were not aware and would be able to find out through Membership Matters.

FELLOWS AD EUNDEM Dr Saul Bernard Gusberg, USA Notice in the New York Times: http://bit.ly/AuaLJh Dr Janet Elizabeth Macgregor OBE, England Obituary in the BMJ: http://bit.ly/wH1Zwk Dr Roy Turnage Parker, USA Professor Paul Emanuel Polani , England Biography on the Royal College of Physicians website: http://bit.ly/zMm25B Professor Samuel S C Yen, USA University of California Obituary: http://bit.ly/xQZZHe FELLOWS Dr Arthur Lancaster Ansdell , USA Dr Augustus Amartei Armar, Ghana Dr Ralph Delos Atyeo, Canada Dr Clive Leonard Bagley, South Africa

Professor Samuel Jan Behrman, USA http://www.agosonline.org/InMemoriam/ behrman-sj.pdf Dr Kamala Bose, Canada Colonel James Bradshaw, England Dr Fiona Jean Ward Burslem OBE, Scotland Dr George Thompson Carson, Canada Dr Denis Cranmer Cominos, South Africa Dr Anusya Dass, India Mr Peter Michael Fullman, England Dr Austin Ananda Herat Gunaratne, Sri Lanka Professor Robert George Hibberd Hall, Canada http://www.lrhfoundation.com/funds/ view.php?fund=50 Dr Graeme David Henderson, New Zealand Mr Stanley Ray Hewitt, Republic of Ireland Dr Alexander Hunter, Canada Dr Wilfred Roger Hutton, Australia Mr William Herbert Laird, Republic of Ireland Mr Rees Lloyd-Jones, England Mrs Wendy Elizabeth Love, England Mr Sidney Lubert , England Mr Charles James Macaulay, Republic of Ireland Dr Thomas Scott MacDonald, Canada http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-10405-dr-thomas-scott-macdonald-m-rc-o-g-f-r-c-o-g.html Dr Duncan Henry Walker Mackay, Scotland Dr Anthony John McCartney, Australia http://www.mccartneytube.com/dr-anthonymccartney/ Dr James Comrie McCawley , USA

Dr John Henry Maloney, Canada http://catherinehennessey.com/onestory.php 3?number=121 Dr Robert Baikie Meiklejohn, Canada http://www.maautoronto.ca/AboutUs/Lives WellLived/Alumni/tabid/158/Default.aspx Mr Gareth deBohun Mitford-Barberton , England Miss Isabella Ross Napier, Scotland Dr Natalayil Kesavan Renga Rajan, USA Dr Indira Ramamurthi, India South http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/08/stories/200 9110854720400.htm Dr Denzil Mervyn Reader , Australia Mr David William Robinson, England Dr Faragalla Sayed Soliman Shaheen, Egypt Dr Barbara Jean Simpson , England Dr Michael Graham Smedley, New Zealand Miss Agnes Macfarlane Stark, England http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d5969. full Dr Radhay Shyam Sungkur , Mauritius Dr Denis Mbong Umoren, England Mr Neville Colin Wathen, England Mr Geraint Llwyd Williams, Wales Dr Herbert Marx Wolff, USA http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.obits/10588 9/mb.ashx Dr William David Young, England http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/ob ituaries/dr-william-david-young-1.1110221 MEMBERS Dr David Keith Arey, England Dr Bernard Kirsch, USA

RCOG and BJOG at FIGO 2012 The RCOG are pleased to announce our sessions in the FIGO Congress programme on Wednesday 10 October BJOG are also hosting a special session on Thursday 11 October Book these as part of your congress registration at figo2012.org Join us at the RCOG Welcome Reception on the evening of Wednesday 10 October 2012, free to all fellows and members.

Booking in advance will be essential, please visit the RCOG website for more information www.rcog.org.uk/events

Organised by

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS

Wednesday 10 October 1330–1500: The Future of the RCOG – Views from the RCOG Officers ● ● ● ●

Overview of RCOG Policy and Relationships Dr Anthony Falconer FRCOG, President International Perspective Professor James Walker FRCOG, Senior Vice President, International Standards and Quality of Care Influencing Practice Dr David Richmond FRCOG,Vice President, Standards ‘Education and Training - Developing the Future Workforce for Care of Women, UK and Internationally’ Professor Wendy Reid FRCOG,Vice President, Education

1530–1700: The RCOG – New Developments, Raising Clinical Standards (Title TBC) ● Electronic Fetal Monitoring – the e-learning for Health Initiative Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran FRCOG, President Elect, ● ● ● ●

FIGO, Immediate Past President, RCOG Developments in the MRCOG Examination Dr Michael Murphy, Executive Director, Global Education, RCOG Women’s Advocacy Professor Lesley Regan FRCOG, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London Partnerships to Improve Obstetric Care Professor Tim Draycott FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Simulation in Training Mr Jonathan Frappell FRCOG, RCOG Gynaecological Simulation Lead, Plymouth

Thursday 11 October BJOG: How to Get Your Paper Published ● Advice on how to prepare your submission, structure and enhance your paper ● Hear from the publisher Wiley-Blackwell about impact factors, the H-index and how widely your article would be distributed and accessed ● Find out how to give your paper the best chance of being accepted and discuss common reasons for rejection ● Understand the initial checks, editorial and peer review processes ● Improve your understanding of publication ethics, good reporting guidelines and registering clinical trials

BOOK NOW! You can book the RCOG or BJOG programme sessions as part of your FIGO registration when you register online at www.figo2012.org.

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Membership Matters | Volume 2 Issue 1

Update from the Retired Fellows and Members Society HARVEY WAGMAN CHAIR OF THE RETIRED FELLOWS AND MEMBERS SOCIETY A meeting of the Retired Fellows and Members Society took place on Friday 11 November 2011. Professor Jim Drife spoke first, about obstetrics and gynaecology in the north. Initially, he defined the geographical area as being south of Hadrian’s Wall and north of the Midlands, indicating an area which includes Yorkshire and Lancashire. The history of hospitals and medical schools in the region was discussed and some notable northern contributors to obstetrics and gynaecology were described. Among the personalities mentioned were Charles White (1728–1823), Andrew Clay (who carried out the first hysterectomy in the UK in Manchester in 1863), Blair-Bell, Marie Stopes, Krebs, Smithells, and Edwards and Steptoe.

Mr Leonard Harvey then gave us the benefit of his experience as Honorary President of the European Union of Medical Specialists. There are 1.6 million specialists in the European Union (EU) in virtually every conceivable specialty – not all instantly recognisable. He stressed that the EU was essentially a ‘talking shop’ rather than producing any action.

This is understandable in that 27 nations are involved, and they advise on subjects as wide-ranging as the Working Time Regulations, health and safety, and the recognition of professional qualifications across Europe. However, the need for linguistic competence included in the professional qualifications recognition process is a mechanism that some countries are using to reduce the haphazard mobility of health professionals. It was an interesting insight into the EU. Our next meeting will be held on Friday 30 March 2012 at the RCOG. Please put this in your diary.

BJOG simulation supplement The BJOG Editorial Office still has some copies of the supplement Simulation training in women’s health care available on a first come, first served basis.

This special supplement, guest edited

by Mr Tim Draycott, Dr Robert Fox and Professor James Walker, summarises the current evidence base for the use of simulation across women’s health care. It examines in depth several paradigms of medical simulation within maternity care and gynaecology, in different settings, looking at what can be achieved and how.

Mr Draycott says: “[This supplement] will provide practical advice and help to enable trainers to implement simulation locally in their own units at all levels of care in both the developed and developing world settings”.

To request your copy, please contact Lizzy Hay at ehay@ rcog.org.uk The supplement is also free to download from www.bjog.org

Contributions to Membership Matters If you have any interesting news items or ideas for articles, please let us know. We would also be delighted to hear of any awards or honours you have received and share the news with the membership. Please email your suggestions to Luke Stevens-Burt, Director, Membership Relations: lstevens-burt@rcog.org.uk.

We would also like to encourage the membership to submit letters to the College which can be answered and published in Membership Matters.

These letters can take the form of a question or feelings on a particular professional topic. Please send any letters to Luke Stevens-Burt at the email address above.