12 March 2020

The meeting was held at the Chiltern Postgraduate Centre in Wycombe Hospital, High Wycombe. 62 registrations were received for this meeting, with slightly less attending the actual event. A good number of specialist nurses and gastroenterologists also attended.

The programme for the day, organised by Chapter Representative Arnold Goede, included a section for education and training, and we had an all-day simulation skills competition room hosted by Inovus and Buckinghamshire Healthcare’s Simulation Skills team. Mr David James presented a wonderful presentation on his experience as a fellow in the USA at the Mayo Clinic, and then a second year in Australia. A debate on fellowship training in the UK concluded the wish from trainees to see improved training in the new curriculum in the last two ‘specialist years’ (ST7 and ST8), so as to embed some aspects of fellowship training in the UK 6-year training programme. The next session focused on advanced colorectal cancer. Mr Michael Silva Consultant Hepatobiliary Surgeon summarised the complexities of decision-making on selection and timing of resection of liver metastases, and Dr Andrew Weaver Consultant Oncologist delivered an important update on the outcomes of the Foxtrot Trial and the implications of adopting this in practice (neoadjuvant chemotherapy for T3N1 or more advanced colorectal cancers). The afternoon session included an excellent presentation on the options in early rectal cancer by Professor Chris Cunningham, and an update on advanced colonoscopy and understanding the rationale and evidence base for the new colonoscopy BSG guidelines delivered by Professor James East. This session was rounded off by Mr Phil Tozer discussing anal fistulas and perianal Crohns’ disease. Both sessions ended with an interactive mock MDT on some really challenging but real life cases on the topics discussed, with the support from one of our consultant Radiologists, with input from the excellent faculty and all participants. Finally, we had a few short papers presented by CTs from the Oxford region. All in all, a great programme with excellent feedback. The meeting was sponsored by industry and the ACPGBI for which we are very grateful.   Arnold Goede Oxford Chapter

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