NSW Chair's Newsletter May 2024

Chair's Report - May 2024

Dear Colleagues

I am honoured to be the new Chair of RACS NSW. It has been a trying time for the College with its financial difficulties and there has been a lot of discontent from Fellows wondering what the College offers them.

First of all, we (you, I and all our colleagues) are the College. I firmly believe that as individuals we must be involved to ensure that we are happy with the College’s direction and that is why I would be more than happy to be contacted as needed. While the Council has to represent the views from an Australasian point of view, RACS NSW deals with our state health department.

As a profession we are certainly stronger when it comes to advocacy when we represent all surgeons. I will continue to work on advocacy with NSW Health in regard to elective waiting lists, rural and metropolitan workforce shortages and all the other issues that affect us in our professional lives within NSW.

I also look forward to increasing engagement with our Fellows through the number of events that we run. We are running a “Private Practice Success” evening to try and help our Fellows look at financial sustainability in their private practices. We are restarting the RACS NSW Papers Day for our registrars on 2 November. This would be followed by the RACS NSW Surgeons' Evening where the Graham Coupland Lecture and Medal will be presented.

The RACS ASC will be held in NSW next year from 3-5 May under the capable guidance of Prof Henry Woo. As you can see, it is a 3-day program from Saturday to Monday which will hopefully allow for more surgeons to attend. Prof Woo has promised us a disruptive and exciting program that will cater to all surgeons. I am certainly looking forward to it!

I would also like to recognise Dr Andrew Bean and A/Prof Payal Mukherjee who have both retired after 9 years of service on the RACS NSW State Committee. I welcome in their place our new Committee members Dr Michelle Chen, a colorectal surgeon from Newcastle and Dr Grahame Smith, a paediatric urologist, practicing in Sydney. Lastly, I want to thank Dr Michelle Atkinson for all her hard work as the past Chair of RACS NSW.

Upcoming events

• 21 June 2024 - Private Practice Success: Transition and Financial Insights

• 10 August 2024 - Preparation for SET

• 7 September 2024 - Preparation for Practice

• 2 November 2024 - Papers Day & Surgeons' Evening

Dr Pecky (Upeksha) De Silva

Chair, RACS NSW State Committee

NSW Medical Student Award

Entries for the 2024 NSW State Committee Annual Essay Competition are now open. The topic this year is: "Is it fair for junior doctors to be disproportionately burdened with service provision with no guarantee of obtaining a surgical training position in the future?". The competition is open to final year medical students in NSW. The winner will be awarded the RACS NSW State Committee Medical Student Medal and Certificate, and have their essay published on the RACS website. The maximum word count is 3,000 words including headings. Entries close on Friday, 26 July 2024.

For more information about the competition, please see our flyer.

Agency for Clinical Innovation

The Agency for Clinical Innovation is pleased to report the revised Operating Theatre Efficiency clinical practice guide is now available.

The Guide provides advice, strategies and tools to streamline the efficiency of surgical care systems, reduce waste, improve service delivery, translate evidence and technology into practice and enhance clinical leadership in surgery.

New reforms help ensure medical device safety

The Clinical Excellence Commission is helping to ensure medical device reforms introduced through the TGA are part of local safety and quality processes.

Under the reforms, it is mandatory for health professionals to give patients information on their implantable medical device, and this must be documented in the patient's medical record.

From 2025, healthcare professionals must report medical device adverse events to the TGA. This information will help rapidly identify and respond to any issues.

Learn more about the Medical Device Governance Program

Professional development

Face-to-face course

Operating with Respect:
27 July, Sydney

Online courses

Foundation Skills for Surgical Educators:
24 June – 4 August
29 July – 8 September
16 September – 27 October

Induction for Surgical Supervisors and Trainers:
29 July – 22 August
4 – 27 November

Keeping Trainees on Track:
1 – 30 May
1 – 30 June

Futile surgery lessons released

The Clinical Excellence Commission has released the Futile Surgery in NSW Lessons from SCIDUA 2010-2020

The publication aims to outline issues and principles related to peri-operative decision-making and lessons that can be learned.

Clinical Excellence Commission Chief Executive Prof Michael Nicholl said he hoped the four fictitious case examples in this publication would encourage meaningful conversations and reflective behaviour about professional practice.

Your donation, your difference

The Foundation for Surgery's 2024 Pledge-a-Procedure Appeal is underway. This year the Foundation for Surgery is raising funds to support the paediatric projects undertaken by RACS Global Health.

These visits provide much needed surgical and specialised medical care to children with a variety of conditions in a number of countries in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated and ensures that RACS can keep sending visiting medical teams to help these children in need. Please make a donation today.

Seeking members for Advisory Committees

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is seeking applications from experts in medicine, science and consumer perspectives and issues, to fill upcoming vacancies across seven statutory advisory committees. Further information about the roles of the committees is available.

To apply, and find out more about the appointment process, please visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website. The deadline for applications is 11.30pm on Sunday, 26 May 2024.

Enquiries can be made by email.

Younger Fellows ASC Program Convener(s) Role

The Younger Fellows Committee is calling for nominations for a convener/s for the 2025 ASC, preferably based in NSW, who would be willing to coordinate the Younger Fellows scientific program.

The ASC is the major annual educational activity for the College. The ASC Convener/s develop and manage the scientific program, which complements the overall Congress theme.

If you are interested in volunteering for this rewarding role, or have any questions, please email the Secretariat.

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

Suite 1, Level 26, 201 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000

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