Chair's Report - February 2024
Dear Colleagues
As we start the hospital new year in NSW, our capacity is reduced by 30% of those required at the SRMO / unaccredited registrar level. These are the individuals who keep our wards and theatres functioning and ease the burden on the SET trainees. Without data that could be obtained by NSW Health in the form of exit interviews we remain unclear as to where the doctors are working and why. NSW Health is yet to develop a CMO-in-hospital pathway to utilise those who do not gain a place in training and yet have spent 3-5 years accruing skills useful for managing surgical cases in the emergency department, outpatient clinics and operating theatres.
Across the state over the holiday period, post-operative complications of public-in-private surgery were erupting without surgeons being aware and available in rural areas to manage the life-threatening issues. The system needs to change to ensure the safety of the patients and we have requested the attention of Minister Ryan Park.
RACS NSW International Women’s Day celebrations is open to all surgeons and promises to be a lively discussion of Dr Danette Wright's research in to the wicked and persistent problem of the unprofessional and disruptive health professional.
RACS NSW’s Beyond Science program, developed by A/Prof Payal Mukherjee, is growing in strength and has joined forces with several health organisations to host “Deployable Technologies for Surgery in Space” with Prof’s Fiona Wood, Peter Choong and Gerard Sutton on Friday, 8 March.
The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) announced last week that the call for submissions to the 2024 Australasian Road Safety Conference is open from 1 February - 17 March 2024. The conference is in Hobart from 30 September to 3 October. A range of clinical material relevant to eScooter injuries / road trauma / cyclist injury would be of great interest to the wider pool of non-medical road safety experts and government officials who attend the conference. Note that Senator Pocock has achieved release of secret road crash data which is vital for research and improvements.
The troubling issue of medical indemnity has been raised to RACS Council and the Health Policy Advisory Committee as it is a national problem and we await further news.
ASMOF are currently addressing the Staff Specialist contract for surgeons with NSW Health which lags significantly behind that in Victoria and Queensland and is responsible for seepage of talent and experience over the borders.
The Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding in NSW continues until August 2024 and many rural colleagues have given evidence to date. We look forward to the government addressing the funding issues to improve access and equity for patients and employees.
RACS ASC 6-10 May 2024 in AoNZ “Responsibility of a Surgeon” will see us exploring the critical role that surgeons play in not only the surgical system, but in the broader healthcare community and discussing how this responsibility defines our profession and empowers us to elevate the standards of our surgical practice.
Upcoming events
• 8 March 2024 - Deployable Technologies for Surgery in Space Workshop
• 10 March 2024 - International Women’s Day - an event for all genders
• 16 May 2024 - Tri State Webinar Series
