As youll hopefully already be well aware, this June we headed to the historic and vibrant city of Liverpool for our annual State of the Art Congress! We were joined by more than 1200 delegates in person and online, welcomed 45 industry partners, and had more than 350abstractsubmissions(ourmostever!)withfantasticworkpresentedfromallaround the country And to sweeten the success and we are proud that for the first time it was organisedbyanentirelyin-houseteamofSocietystaff
We started the Congress with a plenary on consciousness, with some of the leading experts in neurosciences, philosophy and AI covering everything from the definition of consciousness to its disorders and whether rocks and babies are conscious! We were then joined by Colin Melville, the Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the GMC, who spoke and answered our questions about the future of training and our ICU workforce and the constraints and complexities that impact future training the medicalworkforceandthecontroversialPAandAAposts
WecoveredsomanytopicsduringourtimeinLiverpool andhadsuchafantastictimecreatingadiverseandinterestingevenforallof you From Martha’s rule, to maternal ICU, neuroprognostication, decision making in the older patients (a collaboration with British Geriatric Society) and managing patients transitioning from paediatric to adult services we had a little something for everyone Some of our highlights were the live session on ultrasound guided nerve blocks to manage ICU patients (in collaboration with RA-UK), developmentintracheostomycare,ICNARC’spast,presentandfuture,andabrilliantrehabilitationsessionaptlynamedSex,Drugsand Fallswhichfeaturedasextherapistteachingusaboutsomeusuallyoverlookedtopics!Theabstractsessionsalsoshowcasedthebest submissionsfromacrossthecountryandwereallstimulatingandinnovative
We wrapped up the Congress with a engaging look at the birth of intensive care medicine during the Polio, followed by a panel of clinicians and researchers presenting and discussing their thoughts about whether ICU develops through revolution, or evolution and sharingtheirpredictionsforintensivecareinthenext5-10years
On behalf of the whole Intensive Care Society team, we want to thank all our delegates, speakers, chairs and industry partners who joined us in Liverpool – making SOA24 a resounding success Organising the event entirely in-house this year means the seamless execution and positive feedback from attendees was the result of the whole teams dedication, so we can only thank them for their efforts asSOA24setahighstandardforeventstocome!
We were thrilled to see so many of you joining us in Liverpool for our annual State of the Congress last month, it’s hard to believeit’sbeenfourweekssincewereturnedfromourfavouritetimeoftheyear SOAisalwaysahighlightofourcalendar, and we had such a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones too It was fantastic to see quite a few newfaces andwehopeyou’llbejoiningusattheCongressformanyyearstocome
We also really enjoyed catching up with our industry partners, starting new collaborations, and growing our networks We feel very glad to be supported by some excellent organisations who share our values and our passion for our multiprofessionalcommunity
Asyouwillhaveheardussaymanytimesduringtheevent,wewereparticularlyproudthisyeartohavedeliveredSOAwith anentirely in-houseteam This is thefirst year we ’vebeenabletodrawsolely ontheexpertiseof our staff team, andwere very pleased to say it was a resounding success We’ve had some fantastic feedback from delegates, speakers, and industry partners, and were already looking ahead and marking our calendars for 1-3 July 2025! We’ve very lucky to have developedsuchafantasticstaffteam andwe’relookingforwardtoanevenbetterSOA25
Alongside the preparation for, and recovery from, SOA, weve also had news of the COVID-19 Inquiry This month saw the release of the Inquiry’s first report and recommendations on Module 1 which centres on the UK’s Resilience and preparedness Youcanreviewashortvideohere
WealsoreceivedaformalRule9requestfromtheInquiryslegalteamonbehalfoftheChair,BaronessHallett Itinstructed us to provide a witness statement and evidence against the scope of Module 3: Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on healthcaresystemsinthe4nationsoftheUK We’vebeenbusyworkingwithourlegaladvisorstoprovideacomprehensive statementoutliningourroleduringthepandemic,thecrucialcontributionsofthemulti-professionalcriticalcarecommunity to the UKs response and underscoring learnings for responding to future pandemics We look forward to being able to sharethiswithyouandhopewehaverepresentedyouwellandcapturedyourexperiencesandlearning,particularlywhen Steveprovidesouroralevidenceaspartofmodule3
While we ’ ve been reflecting on the past few months we ’ ve also been looking to the future, and it is with both sadness and excitementthatwewanttosharewithyousomepersonalnewsfromSandy FollowingourverysuccessfuldeliveryofSOA24 last month, she informed Steve and the other members of our Council and Trustee Board that she has taken the difficult decisiontoretireattheendofthisyear
BeingChiefExecutiveoftheIntensiveCareSocietyhasbeenthehighlightofSandy’sprofessionallifeandshe’sdelightedto be able to finish her career here We’re both very proud of what we have achieved together over the last seven years with SandyatthehelmasChiefExecutive
Steve will work closely with Shond as President Elect and our staff team to begin the process to recruit her successor shortly We know they will find someone who shares our goals for the Society’s future, and who will drive forward our strategic vision Sandy is leaving the organisation in very capable hands and is looking forward to watching from afar as it continuestogrowovertheyearstocome
ShewillremaininherroleasChiefExecutiveuntiltheendofDecemberthisyear soislookingforwardtoallwehaveinstore forourmembersoverthenextsixmonths,likeourfantasticprogrammeofstudydays,electionstoourProfessionalAdvisory Groups announcingoursuccessfulapplicantsforRoadtoResearch andthereleaseofGPICSV3latethisyear
June is the busiest month in the intensive care calendar for us and before we met of you all at SOA, we kicked the month off with IntensiveCareWeek
Intensive Care week is our celebration of the work all intensive care teams put in around the country and our chance to connect with themandseeinsidetheirunits
We wanted to see you at work with your team telling us why you do what you do - taking a moment in between shifts, sharing coffee andcakeorevenoutinthepeaceofyourICUgarden,whatevercreativewayyoufoundtomark#ICW2024
Its nearly three months since our Zermatt to Verbier challenge I was excited to hear about the 2022 challenge at SOA 2022 Having always looked down with envy from ski lifts at those making their own tracks up the mountain, this challenge was what I needed to make the transition to skitouring/mountaineeringandwasinspiredbythestoriesfromthe2022 trailblazers
With bad weather and a high avalanche risk we set out a day later than planned, Walking through the streets of Zermatt with all of our gear and ready to go there was a sense of anticipation and excitement at our imminent adventure We crossed several avalanche debris fields and encountered an active avalanche on our final traverse across the mountaintotheSchönbeilHut ourhomeforthenightat2694melevation andwithdramaticviewsofthenorthfaceoftheMatterhorn
Daytwosawanearlystartinthedarkanticipatingwarmingtemperatures and persistent avalanche risks The blue skies and dreamy scenery later inthedayweresimplybreathtaking(notthatwehadmuchbreathtotake given the extreme physical effort level and altitude) Traversing under enormous seracs across glacial terrain and summiting the Tête Blanche at3710melevationprecededthelongdecenttoArolla
Day three saw beautiful skies and warm weather yet again and the long ascent out of Arolla certainly got our lungs burning After belayed downclimbing and long traverses around the mountain range we made ourfinalascenttotheCabanedesDix(2928melevation)andwereagain rewardedwithbeautifulweatherandextraordinaryviews
Our final and longest day saw another early start, skiing by headtorch before sunrise There was an urgency to reach our first summit by 1100hrs as the continued warm weather again held risk of avalanche The climb upwasbrutal,steepandwithsoftsnowunderourskis,wasextremelyhard work Once we’d summited this peak we just had one to go but despite the fatigue in our legs, it felt like we were floating! The final , long decent into Verbier was simply a joy! Excitement, elation, relief, achievement flooded the team and our afternoon spent sitting in the sun looking back up the mountain range with cold beers in hand felt like we had achieved somethingreallyspecial!
Looking back, this has to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life so far and raising a total of £33,536forthesocietyissimplytheicingonthecake!
With thanks to Gary and Debbie Pittaway for their hard work, passion and dedication in organising the challenge and thanks too to our mountain guides MarcoEydallinandWillEvans
Finally I would also like to give an enormous thank you to AJN SteelStock and all of our individual sponsors for their generosity and kind words of support and encouragement from the very beginning to the very end
The buildup to the assessment was successfully planned and competently managedbytheLearningTeamincludingtheHeadCPDMaryahTafri,myselfand the Digital Learning Manager Melvyn Quartey, with the guidance of ICS’s expert Team of FUSIC® HD Examiners comprising of Hannah Conway Marcus Peck PrashantParulekarandoverseenbyAshleyMillerastheFUSIC®HDlead
Candidates were assessed on a rotational system and the exam included logbook assessment, video case assessment with multiple choice questions and practical scanning on live models The day was filled with a buzz of activities as the team raced against time and candidates endeavoured to meet all requirementstopasstheexam Nonetheless,itwasoverallafruitfuleventandthe candidates who passed the assessment were awarded their certificates of accreditationontheday
Lessons were taken from the successes and challenges of the day to ensure betterplanningforfutureexams,withthenextassessmentplannedforNovember 2024
The Society would like to send a special thank you and congratulations to all our candidateswhoattendedthisinauguralexamandwisheveryonetheverybestin their future endeavours Finally, we all send a big thank you to our outstanding teamofexaminerswhomadethedaysuchasuccess TotheLearningTeamlet’s give ourselves a pat on the back as we look forward to even more successful assessmentdaysahead!
TheIntensiveCareSustainabilityRecipeBook
The Intensive Care Society, University of Brighton, Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine and UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance were thrilled this April to announce that our joint application for funding from SBRI Healthcare and theAcceleratedAccessCollaborativewassuccessful
Funding will support production of The Intensive Care Sustainability Recipe Book’ – a ‘how to’ manual of sustainable intensive care practice: the carbon footprint of all elements of our work, and how these can be reduced ItrepresentsabigsteptowardsgreenerICUpractice
The project will be hosted by the University of Brighton, with significant contribution from the Society the Faculty and the Alliance and support fromalargegroupofadvisorsworkingincriticalcareallovertheUK Itwill include supporting a Research Fellow in Sustainable Intensive Care in the developmentoftheRecipeBook
Intensive Care Society President Steve Mathieu and Chief Executive Sandy Mather said Were delighted to have received this funding from SBRI and Greener NHS to complete the Intensive Care Sustainability Recipe Book This collaborative project will provide much needed guidance and education tailored for intensive care for all our members across the multi professional team Wherever our members work we want them to have the tools and guidance this Sustainability Recipe Book will include to support them in making changes at a local level to enable them to continue providing quality patient care while reducing their carbon footprint
Wereproudoftheprogresswe’vealreadybeenableto makeregardingsustainability butweknowthereisstill much to be done Were looking forward to collaborating with the wider team on this project, and to helping our members make changes in their own hospitals which move us all closer to our goal of an environmentallysustainableintensivecare”
Work on the project began this April, with The Recipe Book planned for early in 2025 We look forward to sharing more information at various milestones throughout the next 12 months and to showcasing the finishedproductwhenitsreadyforyoutouse
In the meantime you can contact us with any questions, or if you’d like to get involved with the project at communicationsteam@icsacuk or check outourwebsite
MarcusPeck,AshleyMillerandPrashantParulekar
From L-R with their certificates: Ebrahim Ahmad PehWeeMing,MichaelEdwards,SamsonKendall
It is only open to UK Members of the Intensive Care Society who do not hold a postgraduate level (PhD MD) qualification and applicantsmustbeworkingwithinaUKHospitalTrust,highereducationinstitutionorequivalentinstitution
Proposals are scored against relevance to Intensive Care, importance of the research question, appropriateness of study design/methods,feasibilitywithintimescaleandbudgetandoverallcompliancewiththeaimsoftheRoadtoResearchAward
The Intensive Care Society requires short progress reports to be submitted every 6 months from the initial date of the award to completionandwillsubmittheirworkforpresentationatthe“Research"sessionoftheIntensiveCareSocietySOA
Findoutmoreatbitly/ICS Grants
Developmentofselfinleadershippre-Congressevent
As part of the pre-congress workshops, we combined our ongoing leadership Course LeaP3, with the opportunity for additional delegates to join via a precongressworkshop
Building throughout the day on the balance between task and people in leadership, he worked through several healthcare and industry examples of howto(andhownotto)workwellwithothersandgetthebestoutofthemas aleader
We had attendees highlighting mentioning highlights like the References and signpostingtoresourcesandparallelsfromthecorporateworld
One participant praised the speaker -”Really engaging speaker with nice balanceofnarrative,evidenceandcaseexamples”
Another found the collaborative atmosphere useful saying the best part was -”hearing other participants sharing their experiences and tactics they've usedtoovercomecertainchallengesthroughouttheircareer”
Finally, an attendee took an important lesson away” really liked the point about - how can you improve by 1% sometimes I feel I need to change my leadershipstyle,IworrythatIdon'thaveenoughtraitsofbeingagoodleader and wonder if I can change After the session I felt there were several small things I can do to change from being a ward manager to being a ward leader,whichiswhatIwanttobe
The Society represents all parts of the multi-professional team that deliver care for patients and we have been working closely with our ProfAdvisoryGroups–ourPAGs–particularlytheAHP,PTandAPCCPAGscollaboratingwithNHSElecttobuildonourAHPCriticalCare ProfessionalDevelopmentFrameworkfrom2018-andassociatedpillars
We worked with 6 independently appointed professional leads and over 65 clinical experts and advisors to develop a new AHP Critical CareCapabilityframework
The work was led by dietitians occupational therapists physiotherapists speech and language therapists and operating department practitioners Ithasbeendesignedincollaborationwith5professionalbodies,students,educationalists,andthosewithlivedexperience
Two surveys have been developed to review how the guidelines are being used in practice andtheirimpactonpatientcareandclinicalpractice-furtherdetailsarebelow GasEmbolism
In August 2019, we released our gas embolism guidance Led by Dr Pieter Bothma, this guidance supports ICU and resuscitation teams with detection, referral and treatment of air/gasembolism,anuncommonbutseriouscomplication
A summary flowchart was included in the document with the recommended approach to suspectedgasembolism
InNovember2019,newguidanceforPronePositioninginAdultCriticalCarewasreleased It aimed to improve patient safety and reduce complications associated with the prone positioningofmechanicallyventilatedpatients
Alongside our fantastic Zermatt to Verbier challengers this quarter, more fundraisingheroeshelpedustosupportintensivecare
Luke Allan who alongside Nicole LeRougetel ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Half MarathonfortheSocietytellshisstorybelow:
We were raising money for the Intensive Care Society, to celebrate and support the fantastic work of not just those at Lancaster ICU but key workers throughoutthecountry
In March 2023, my dad was admitted to Lancaster ICU with sepsis. Having undergone emergency surgery, he spent two weeks recovering there with the amazing staff who helped guide his recovery and support my family continuously
This was the first marathon Nicole and I had attempted, proving to be even more challenging that we imagined! In heat of 20+ degrees (something we haven’t been used to this year) and the 1325 feet of elevation, we completed therunin4hrs54and5hrs10minutes
Ontheday,theatmospherewasincrediblefromthethousandswhocameout to support and the residents’ helping runners cool off with hosepipes and feedingwithhomemadeenergysnacks
We work closely with UKCCNA and are proud to have been part of the Critical Care Nursing Workforce Optimisation Plan and Staffing Standards2024-2026whichyoucanfindathttps://wwwbaccnorg/mediacentre/news/ukccna-workforce-optimisation-plan-1/
GPICS is currently being revised and NPAG like our other PAG colleagues, have been involved and I am directly involved as one of the chaptereditors Itisagreatopportunitytocollaboratewiththeeditorialboardandchapterauthors
SOA has been a great success and behind the scenes one of our NPAG was on the planning committee ensuring we have a nursing voicetoinfluencetheprogrammeandpromotemulti-professionaltopics sessionsandspeakers
LukeAllanandNicoleLeRougetel
OurJICShighlight
The latest edition of JICS contains end of life care at home, the role of critical care transfer services; written by Varun Sudunagunta, NeerajSingh,PervezKhanandPeterOBeaumont
Mostpeoplewouldratherdieathomethaninhospitalbutonly18%ofpatientsdoso Palliativecarefocusesonthephysical,spiritualand psychosocial wellbeing of patients and their families which should include facilitating transfers home when possible Patients can have moreautonomyovertheircareandbesurroundedbylovedoneswhichcanhaveasignificantimpactontheirqualityoflife
We should aim to fulfil these wishes at the end of life as it can greatly improve the patients and their family’s physical and emotional wellbeingduringthisdifficulttime
Don’t forget you still have time to fill out our membershipsurvey.
We want to hear from you about your membership so makesuretocheckyourinboxandtellusyourthoughts before30July2024!
ThankyoufromallofusattheSociety
Thank you for joining us for our mid year check in- this edition has been a massive celebration of what we achieved together at SOA24andwhatintensivecarelookslikeforstaffforIntensiveCareWeek2024
Please do get in touch if you have something you would like to contribute to our newsletter You can contact us at communicationsteam@icsacukatanytime
