President's Address - Aims in Office

It is an enormous privilege to take over from Alfred Cutner as your President as the Society enters its twenty first year. During that time it has evolved from a club of visionary enthusiasts into a mature Society with an ever increasing membership. In the past two years Alfred has brought to fruition a number of initiatives that reflect that maturity, notably the BSGE endometriosis centres, the ATSM in advanced laparoscopic surgery for benign conditions, this website and the changes to our constitution and Trustees which were approved at the 2010 ASM. With our permanent secretariat now established at the RCOG the Society is well placed for the next twenty one years.
 
My job in the next two years is to build on those strengths and to address the challenges in a number of key areas:
  • Training
  • Research
  • Health policy
  • Membership
 Training
 
Teaching and training has always been one of my passions. Working closely with the RCOG, BSGE has been instrumental in developing the ATSMs in hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.
 
The need now is to establish endoscopic skills training from the very beginning of ST training, as an integrated part of the curriculum. I shall be working closely with our partners at RCOG and the European Academy of ESGE to achieve it.
 
Research
 
Our new Vice President Kevin Philips who has a distinguished research record of his own, has taken on the role of overseeing BSGE research projects, including involvement with initiatives such as the National Reproductive Health Research Network of the RCOG. This is a vital area of interest for the Society helping to strengthen our voice as advocates of the benefits of endoscopy, not only for our patients but for the overall health economy.
 
Health Policy
 
As we enter an era of financial stringency, health care providers, both government and independent, are looking for innovative ways of providing care more efficiently without sacrificing quality. The endoscopic approach “fits the bill”, both by reducing the need for hospital admission and also by integrating the transition between primary and secondary care, exemplified by Sian Jones’s innovative programme for managing HMB in Bradford. The BSGE is ideally placed to promote what we already know is the future, and will continue to press the case with enthusiasm and determination.
 
Membership
 
The strength of any Society is its members, and we are now well over five hundred strong. To our great advantage, we have a wide base encompassing the whole spectrum of gynaecological endoscopy from nurse hysteroscopists to advanced laparoscopic surgeons. We can only continue to achieve our charitable aims by increasing our membership, which is a goal I know we can achieve. Many trainees in particular are keen to improve their endoscopic skills, and membership of the BSGE with all its benefits is an obvious starting point. 
 
This website will certainly help raise our profile, but word of mouth and personal invitations are often the best way to encourage colleagues to sign up – so, lets all go to it!   
 
I am very fortunate to have a strong team of Officers and Council Members, and we look forward to working with you and on your behalf in the years ahead.
 
Jonathan M Frappell
President