A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:

Progress in surgery

On the 75th year of the NHS, Roger Currie celebrates our royal Patron, College achievements and a new Dental Dean

As I sat down to write this welcome, I looked back at what I had written last September. Of course, I had not written the welcome, as that was the edition celebrating 40 years of the Dental Faculty and the Dental Editor, Carole Boyle, had written the welcome. This edition sees the handover between the Dental Deans, and it is my pleasure to welcome Grant McIntyre as the new Dental Dean. Grant and I have known each other since our trainee days in the west of Scotland, and others may know him from his well-documented COVID-19 journey and recovery. Grant will bring his energy to the College and the Dental Faculty and I look forward to his tenure.

Also in this issue we celebrate a number of different events and themes, including the 75th birthday of the NHS, the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for our Patron, HRH King Charles III, in July in Edinburgh, and the ground-breaking Women in Leadership Conference held in late April jointly with our sister college, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, here in Scotland’s capital. We also examine the important role of surgery and dentistry in the support of athletes from elite to recreational, with recognition of how health and sport co-exist and what the unique surgical challenges can be when the elite or recreational athlete encounters an injury.

The multi-consultant report was introduced in the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme last year. It is fair to say it has caused some anxiety among both trainees and trainers. Maria Bussey, Head of the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme, charts the progress made and provides some reassurance that it is a useful tool that is providing good-quality evidence of trainees’ progress.

Looking at progress in surgery, it seems that services throughout the country have reached a new norm, with headway being made into the long backlog of elective waiting lists. It has been good to see mainstream media providing coverage of surgical innovations, with high-intensity lists both in London and Croydon being reported in the national press. Such lists take time, commitment and significant staffing to achieve, but the results and feel-good factor after completion do appear to be worth the effort.

The medical workforce is still in a state of flux: industrial action with both juniors and consultants is ongoing in England, while in Scotland junior colleagues reached a deal with the Scottish Government in July. Having been closely involved in the response planning at my own Trust, it brought into sharp focus how much we rely on these colleagues to support the work of the service. We must recognise that we must re-double our efforts to provide good quality education and training so we have a sustainable surgical workforce for the future.

Hopefully, when you read this, you will have had a well-deserved summer break and be rested and refreshed for the upcoming challenges of what may well be a very difficult winter in the NHS.

Roger Currie

press@rcsed.ac.uk