Annual conference
The ACPGBI 2012 annual conference will be held at the Convention Centre Dublin, Dublin, Ireland from Sunday, 1 - Tuesday, 3 July 2012.
Message from the President
Welcome to the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland website. Our group is the 1000 plus surgeons, nurses, and allied professionals who advance the knowledge and treatment of bowel diseases in Britain and Ireland.
If you have just found this website then maybe you or someone close to you has a bowel problem. And that is difficult because bottoms and bowels are the ultimate taboo. People find these things embarrassing and private; there is a reason for that bathroom door. But things can go wrong and early diagnosis is an important step to effective treatment of conditions like colon polyps, bowel cancer, civerticular disease, Crohn's Disease and colitis as well as haemorrhoids and other bottom complaints. So if you have a problem tell your GP today and come to see us. Don’t lock you and your worry behind the bathroom door – the NHS has specialist Association of Coloproctology surgeons, doctors and nurses who are trained and equipped to sort out bowel and bottom problems.
If you are a member I just wish to say the Association continues to build our specialty on the work of past Councils and Presidents, the most recent being Najib Haboubi and Mike Parker. Strengths of our Association include both the close collegiate working of the incoming Presidents– Graham Williams next and then Karen Nugent – and the grassroots common sense and dedication of the Executive and Council.
Some things I need your help with:
• In the wider world it is our professional outcomes that will dominate all health care agendas. We need better quality data for NBOCAP; so get personally involved in the data that your hospital is sending to NBOCAP. At the same time check what the data clerks are sending to HES. Get your Colorectal Cancer MDT colleagues to join the Association.
• Progressing improvements in the multi-professional care of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Promoting awareness and access for patients with incontinence and functional bowel disease.
• Advancing GMC recognition of specialised Colorectal Surgeons.
Recognition of the specialty of Colorectal Surgery is well overdue. The published evidence that Colorectal surgery carried out by Colorectal Surgeons gives better patient outcomes is lucid and compelling. We train or are trained in Colorectal Surgery, the FRCS Exit examination examines and passes candidates in Colorectal Surgery. We advertise and appoint NHS surgeons as Colorectal Surgeons. To date none of this “specialty” information is available to the public through the GMC register - a lack of transparency which seems to fly in the face of all public interest arguments. Recognition of the specialty of Colorectal Surgery will be pursued with vigour by this Association, as this recognition is central to fulfilling the key objective of the Association – the prevention of suffering from lower gastrointestinal disease.
Nigel Scott
President
This page was last updated on 25-07-2011