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Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Annual Review 2009/10 Contents CONTENTS President’s Review .................................................................................. 2 Looking Back, Going Forward ................................................................ 5 Chief Operating Officer Registrar’s Review .................................................................................. 6 Treasurer’s Report .................................................................................. 8 COLLEGE UNITS Delivering Excellence ............................................................................ 10 Education and Professional Development Setting Standards ................................................................................. 12 Examinations and Assessment Quality Services .................................................................................... 14 Membership Services SPECIAL FOCUS Changing Lives ..................................................................................... 21 SUPPORTING DISCIPLINES Physicians ............................................................................................ 22 Surgeons .............................................................................................. 23 Dental ................................................................................................... 24 Travel Medicine ..................................................................................... 26 WORKING TOGETHER 28 Intercollegiate Involvement LEADING HEALTHCARE 33 COLLEGE FOCUS College Council .................................................................................... 36 Organisational Structure ....................................................................... 36 Produced by the Office of the Chief Operating Officer and Membership Services Editor Elaine Mulcahy Design Shaw Marketing and Design Print David Winter & Sons Copyright 2010 The text and images in this document may not be reproduced without permission from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. To request permission, please contact the Publications and Communications Coordinator at the College. RCPSG Annual Review 2009/10 1 President’s “College must remain an open, welcoming and engaging institution for all, thereby Review ensuring that as an organisation we do Mr Ian WR Anderson everything we can for the betterment of our patients, for our professions and for society at large, both at home and overseas” It is a challenge for any President to draft an end of his first year’s Review in autumn. Such is the pace of change nowadays that any message delivered may Mr Ian WR Anderson be rendered redundant by winter. Nor is it reasonable to be candid and say it President has been a very busy job in a very busy post because, after all, that should have been obvious to the incumbent. Equally, the fact that College life has had its ups and downs should have been easily predicted by someone who has been round the block for some time. In terms of the highlights, we have welcomed consensus that any form of revalidation has to Fellows and Members can be assured that, some new faces to College, which is always be cheap and cheerful but also fit for purpose. despite a healthy degree of intercollegiate co- a healthy development, and they have made It is regrettable that the change of heart needed operation, particularly among the three Scottish valuable contributions. Our new Chief Operating the interaction of others, including politicians, to Colleges, your College will continue to adopt an Officer, Mr John Cooper, clearly relishes his bring about such a sea change. independent position and robust engagement new civilian role with its many challenges, only in all Collegiate matters both in the UK and some of which have been as exciting and At a recent meeting I attended, I was amused overseas. I see no reason for either our College unpredictable as those he found in his previous when a former high ranking official in the or sister Colleges’ positions to be subsumed military life. He remains remarkably resilient and General Medical Council commented that in by any other organisation, including the UK measured dealing with everyone both within the past he doubted that revalidation would Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. and outwith our College. come in during his professional lifetime. He has now amended that prediction to doubting I would like to pay tribute to the Council, Office There have been disappointments. Our joint whether revalidation would ever come in during Bearers and staff of our College for the energy, venture with Glasgow School of Art and its his time on earth. I can report that the individual dedication and support during this first year of Digital Design Studio has proved to be an remains a very sprightly physical and mental my post as your President. Above all, I wish to increasing and unsustainable pressure on specimen to date. formally thank Dr Frank Dunn, who retires as our ability to single-handedly fund such an Vice-President at the AGM. Frank has been a ambitious project to its full conclusion. We have The new Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine is reliable anchor in difficult times and I have both reached an amicable agreement to cease the about to become a reality and, as a sponsored relied on and respected his wise counsel. I wish funding stream whilst retaining our share of the supporter of that project, we wish it every him every happiness in retirement. Professor joint intellectual property in the project so far. success. I would, however, urge caution about Mike Lewis completed his term as Vice- I must pay tribute to the enormous hard work the scale, size and number of proliferating President (Dental) in October and I am deeply and dedication of Mr George Gray who was Colleges and Faculties within the UK. I doubt indebted for all his hard work towards the our Clinical Lead in the project. We have offered whether such a development will add to the continuing success of the Dental Faculty. the Glasgow School of Art continued clinical strength of the profession and indeed, may input if their efforts to find an alternative funding have the reverse effect of giving rise to a My final remarks remain a rallying call to all source bear fruit. We wish them every success divided weakness. Other countries have Fellows and Members to each play a part in the in that venture. retained a smaller number of Colleges but life of College in all its activities. College must incorporated in-house Chapters encompassing remain an open, welcoming and engaging Our College did not jump headlong into what Specialties without any apparent loss or institution for all, thereby ensuring that as an can only be described as a revalidation circus. strength of each Specialty’s individual voice and organisation we do everything we can for the Many Colleges did not share our caution and representation. I rather doubt that all current betterment of our patients, for our professions are now beginning to regret the time, effort and and prospective Colleges and Faculties can and for society at large, both at home and expense involved in setting up what became be assured of long term viability as individual overseas. Everyone deserves a basic human a bewilderingly complex, expensive and time- organisations, particularly during the current, right of physical, mental and social wellbeing. consuming solution to what would seem to be a and likely to be continuing, period of austerity fairly straightforward task. There is now general which is obvious to all. 2 RCPSG Annual Review 2009/10 RCPSG Annual Review 2009/10 3 “We shall place our membership Looking Back, at the centre of our activities, because we are above all, a Going Forward membership organisation” John Cooper, Chief Operating Officer John Cooper Chief Operating Officer The theme of this Annual Review is ‘Looking Back, Going Forward’ and I see real potential for the future for our great College. I assumed the post of Chief Operating Officer We have redefined our mission as: in May 2010 and I find the College in rude good health. We made an operating surplus and all “To provide career support to the membership of the various elements of College performed above expectations to contribute to the by delivering education, training, CPD, success of this year. We increased the number examination and assessment, whilst acting of educational, training and professional development events, while the Examinations as a charity and leading voice on health issues and Assessment Unit continued to generate in order to set the highest possible standards significant activity for the College; the details of these uplifts are given elsewhere in this Review. of health care.” We have continued to act at international, UK, Scottish and local levels across our range of of our activities, because we are above all, a with this, a comprehensive survey of members’ operations. We have sustained our involvement membership organisation. We shall continue to website requirements is currently being in local charities through our contribution to carry out the core functions of career support, undertaken. This project will be useful in and public lectures, both within and outwith the education and professional development and of itself to improve outputs and process, but College building; we have also continued examinations and assessment for members. the real benefit will be to make contact with the our involvement in the Men’s Health Initiative. We