the president writes
David Tolley provides his first update as the College’s President
"At a time when the raison d’etre of the Surgical Colleges is coming under increasing pressure, our priority is to work closely with the Specialty Associations... for the benefit of surgery as a whole"
My first and most pleasant task as your new President is to acknowledge the considerable efforts of my predecessor, John Orr, and his team in skillfully steering the College through some occasionally stormy waters during the past three years. It was a privilege to have been part of his administration and the College owes a great deal to his untiring commitment and skill, ably and willingly supported by Wilson Hendry, John Logie and John Duncan. We have emerged from the storms created by MTAS and MMC, and squalls over the merits of run-through versus core training, ready to face the challenges of recertification, alongside the continuing problems with standards and training related to the implementation of EWTD.
Given the real politik, it would be foolish to commit the College at such an early stage to a list of time-bound deliverables but there are many elements of our strategy which are imperative; equal access to international standards of assessment for those overseas and the best possible professional support for our Fellows and Members at home are two very clear examples of where our efforts must lie in the immediate future. Beyond the shifting UK political agenda, there is significant work for the new Office Bearers and Council if we are to deliver the key elements of our strategic plan, as well as identifying opportunities where we can and must develop this strategy in order to strengthen our position as a relevant, responsive and canny surgical organisation within the UK and overseas.
At a time when the raison d’etre of the Surgical Colleges is coming under increasing pressure, our priority is to work closely with the Specialty Associations, to help them realise aspirations for the benefit of surgery as a whole. To this end, we must also play a full part in the work of the UK Surgical Forum in collaboration with all of our sister colleges. We have been working for some time to develop a revalidation portfolio; an electronic system founded on the principles of the e-logbook developed by this College and widely used by surgical trainees and trainers throughout the world: we must now reach agreement to develop a single surgical e-portfolio for the benefit of all surgeons within the UK and work effectively together to tackle other issues which face surgeons working throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles irrespective of specialty or location.
I also want to emphasise the considerable challenge which we face in ensuring that we are relevant to you, our Members and Fellows. This is the top priority for us to address in the coming months through our newly combined membership and communications department. I especially want to engage our younger Members and Fellows in the future of the College by inviting you to help us shape our future direction through greater contact with Office Bearers and Council. We shall also, as a UK and International College based in Scotland, try to ensure that we truly understand the needs of our many Members and Fellows throughout the United Kingdom as well as those overseas, without whom we would have little purpose.
This is a considerable agenda and one which will require significant effort to deliver. I am, however, in no doubt that with the backing of a talented and enthusiastic Council, which is as always widely representative of the surgical specialties and surgeons throughout Great Britain, and with the support of an experienced team of Office Bearers – Vice Presidents, George Youngson and Ian Ritchie, John Duncan, who becomes the Honorary Treasurer, and our new Honorary Secretary – that we shall serve your needs to best effect in the next three years. I am confident that, with their combined wisdom and the support of you, the fellowship, we can meet the challenge.