August 2020
Moving forward, the SCTS is developing guidance to help the cardiothoracic surgical community restore services to care for many patients that have not been able to receive care over the past few months and often whose clinical condition may have deteriorated during the pandemic. The SCTS have developed these guidelines with other national bodies, such as NHS England, Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care, British & Irish Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, British Cardiovascular Society and Society for Clinical Perfusion Scientists, to name a few. It is this collaboration, which has shown the true community spirt and sense of working together for the greater good that has been gratifying to observe. It is ironic that the coronavirus pandemic was able to break down barriers to bring professionals from many different disciplines together, while obviously maintaining social distancing. Whilst understanding the importance of continuing to collect data to get a greater appreciation of the impact that COVID-19 has had on patients who underwent or did not undergo surgery during the period, the Society are in negotiations with NICOR to ensure that cases operated on during the coronavirus pandemic are not included in surgeon specific mortality. It maybe that this can be used as a step towards moving away from the publication of outcome measures attributable to an individual and recognising that the care of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery is a delivered by a team. Moving forward, the resilience and flexibility of staff has brought with it a great cause for optimism. The ability of the cardiothoracic surgical community to adapt, plan, organise and deliver care during a period of crisis are invaluable skills that will hold us in great stead in the future, especially if we had to deal with a crisis of such magnitude again, or even a second wave of COVID-19. It has also taught us or accelerated us into new ways of working, such as virtual clinics & MDTs. We have all suddenly become masters of this evolving technology, which should make our lives easier.
“The resilience and flexibility of staff has brought with it a great cause for optimism. The ability of the cardiothoracic surgical community to adapt, plan, organise and deliver care during a period of crisis are invaluable skills that will hold us in great stead in the future, especially if we had to deal with a crisis of such magnitude again, or even a second wave of COVID-19.� The ability to use private sector facilities for care of NHS patients has always existed and yet it seems that the coronavirus has had the ability again to break down barriers to facilitate this to a greater extent. The Society would like to express its sincere gratitude to all cardiothoracic surgical practitioners for
their professionalism, resilience and commitment during these challenging times. It is a real privilege to be working with such colleagues and is a true testament to the strength of the cardiothoracic surgical community that has been united by a common goal in supporting the global effort to combat the pandemic. n
15