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It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month since The Faculty of Perioperative Care (FPC) hosted their 7th Annual Conference. Held online for the second year running, the conference offered a diverse programme focusing on the topics of education, research and governance relating to the extended surgical team. The event attracted over 300 delegates who not only heard from experts within the field but had the opportunity to view and listen to informative poster and oral presentations from their peers.
Susan Hall, a Senior Lecturer in Surgical Care Practice at Anglia Ruskin University and one of the Co-Convenors of the conference shares what she most enjoyed about the day and the areas she believes will require more focus in the future.
Q - In three words, how would you sum up the FPC 7th Annual Conference?
SH Energising / informative / humbling
Q - What were the key takeaways from the conference and what did we learn?
SH The conference themes were education, governance and research. What we gained from the conference was that these areas are considered fundamental to practice, and this was immensely positive. There are on-going initiatives to improve patient care being undertaken by non-medical members of the extended surgical team and the consultant led teams within which they work. Some of these are local, others have wider implications.
[We also learnt that] the Bi-Collegiate initiative to revise the SCP curriculum framework and establish a managed voluntary register for SCPs is progressing well and will benefit practitioners and, by extension, their patients.
Q - What was your favourite moment?
SH There were many special moments, and it is difficult to select any one in particular. The achievements of the practitioners who contributed to the poster competition and the work that had been put into both the oral presentations and posters were a particular moment of pleasure and demonstrated where we as a faculty can focus some of our educational efforts over the next year.
Q - Looking towards the future, what are the main areas you feel needs more focus for the extended surgical team?
SH Greater education is needed in the workplace to ensure that all trainees, both surgical and non-medical are able to make the best possible contribution to safe and effective patient care by gaining the experience that they need in an equitable way.
Surgical First Assistants are key members of the extended surgical team in many parts of the United Kingdom and occupy a challenging position due to the way in which they are employed (partly as scrub practitioners and partly as non-medical assistants). More work needs to be undertaken to help practitioners to gain greater access to educational resources beyond their initial education for their role and to identify methods of assessment of their surgical skills.
A recording of the conference is available to watch exclusively for RCSEd members and affiliates.
If you are not yet a member of the Faculty of Perioperative Care, click here to find out how to join and for all the other rewarding membership benefits.
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