Dave Bunting

This edition of JODS brings you a detailed report of the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) held in June at the Sheffield City Hall. The meeting was a great success attracting many more delegates than in recent years and with generally very positive feedback. I would like to thank all those delegates who provided online feedback from the conference. As always BADS are always looking to improve the experience offered at our annual signature event and as we plan for and look forward to next year’s 30^th Annual Conference, we have taken on board feedback regarding timing of sessions and sizing of rooms. In many ways the parallel sessions were victims of their own success with standing room only at the back for some of the most popular sessions. Our chosen venue for the ASM next year, the Royal Society of Medicine in London promises a fantastic conference experience and I am sure it will attract a large number of high-quality scientific abstracts in addition to an impressive line-up of invited speakers.

I hope that JODS readers have been able to enjoy being able to download articles in PDF format, directly from the JODS app and JODS section of the BADS website. Please explore this functionality in this edition of the Journal if you have not already.

This edition’s scientific articles include an audit of complications from intrathecal pumps used in the treatment of spasticity; a pre-operative testing quality improvement write-up; a report from the introduction of a day-case uterine fibroid embolization pathway; an audit into complications of laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery; a service improvement project in theatre utilisation/efficiency;  an audit of readmissions and complications following cholecystectomy and a case series review of green light XPS prostatectomy.

The announcement earlier this month from the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the NHS is to receive an increase in its budget of £7.2 billion is welcome news indeed, however, we will need to wait before understanding the impact this will have on day case surgery.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England has urged NHS England to reconsider its inclusion of operations for common hand conditions in the list of clinically ineffective operations. If commissioning guidance were to go ahead as planned, patient access to treatments for carpel tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren’s contracture, trigger finger and wrist ganglion would be withdrawn or severely restricted.

Finally, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of Dr Peter Simpson, one of the founding members of our Society 1989 and his obituary is included in this edition of the Journal.