Dave Bunting

The results of a YouGov survey of surgeons commissioned by the Royal College of Surgeons of England was published last week reporting that 68% surgeons are considering early retirement due to pensions tax regulations, 64% surgeons have been advised to work fewer hours in the NHS and 69% consultant surgeons have reduced the amount of time spent working in the NHS as a result of pension tax rules. Aa a result, NHS waiting lists will inevitable increase. It is vital therefore that day case surgery services - which account for the vast majority of procedures performed in the UK – are utilised effectively to maximise productivity within an environment of reduced operating sessions. In addition, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine recently published an analysis suggesting the NHS will require 4000 additional beds this winter to avoid ‘corridor care’ and keep bed occupancy at a safe level. It is well understood that effective use of day case surgery is one way of reducing the demand on inpatient beds, therefore, it is vital we prioritise and protect day surgery services.

BADS continues to work closely with a number of national organisations including the Royal Colleges, Getting it Right First Time (GiRFT), the Model Hospital. BADS also co-hosts a number of national and regional meetings in association with external organisations such as Health Care Conferences UK (HCUK). A conference on Developing Your Daycase General Surgery Service (BADS/HCC) is being held at the Studio Conference Centre, Birmingham on Tuesday 21^st January and a conference on Daycase hip replacement surgery is being held at the De Vere Conference Centre, London on Monday 27^th January. Further details can be found in this edition of JODS. BADS members are eligible for a 25% discount on registration fees for these events.

It is a pleasure of mine to be able to introduce several new members of the BADS Council. I welcome Mr Adam Kimble, Mrs Karen Harries, Mr Shaun Clee, Mr Edward Dunstan, Mr Stamatios Karavolos and Mr Richard Parkinson. Please take the time to find out more about them and the qualities they bring to BADS Council in the New Council Members section of this edition.

JODS has been working with the BADS legal advisers to strengthen its position with regards to copyright of published material to provide the necessary protection for the benefit of authors and the journal alike. All future submissions must now be accompanied by the copyright transfer agreements for each named author. Full details can be found in the guidelines for authors included in this publication and accessible via the BADS website here:

https://daysurgeryuk.net/en/resources/guidelines-for-authors/

This edition of JODS contains scientific articles on regional anaesthesia provided by Anaesthesia Associates in day case hysterectomy; a case report of a subcapsular liver haematoma following day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy together with review of differential diagnoses and a report of a completed audit cycle demonstrating improvement in the documentation of operation notes with the use of a dedicated operation note proforma.

Finally, preparations for the Annual Conference being held at the Cardiff City Hall on 25^th and 26^th June are progressing well. Please put the dates in your diary and book your study leave now! Abstract submissions will open on 1^st January so now is the time to think about getting your project data recorded and analysed in preparation to submit your work.