ACPGBI President's Message
October 2025
15 October 2025
(Last updated 15 Oct 2025)
Dear colleagues,
As we move into the final quarter of 2025, I am delighted to share some exciting updates from the Association.
Our flagship educational event returns this spring as a fully online meeting on 24th and 25th Of March 2026. The Advanced Coloproctology Course (ACC) offers two days of rich, curriculum-mapped content delivered by a superb multidisciplinary faculty. The sessions will cover key areas across colorectal practice. This meeting continues to be a practical and accessible way for trainees and consultants alike to stay at the forefront of our specialty.
We will shortly open submissions for the ACPGBI Annual Meeting to be held in Belfast from the 6th to the 8th of July 2026. I encourage colleagues to share their latest work—this year’s programme introduces several new categories reflecting the broadening scope of colorectal surgery like simulation, coaching, digital surgery and artificial intelligence. We look forward to receiving your abstracts and showcasing the academic activity across our membership.
The 2025 State of the Nation (SOTN) report, published earlier this week in conjunction with NBOCA, provides a timely overview of outcomes in colorectal cancer care across the UK. Encouragingly, the data show continued improvement in 90-day mortality and a further rise in minimally invasive resections. However, variation persists in stoma formation rates and the timing of recovery pathways. The report also highlights progress in prehabilitation uptake and early cancer diagnosis initiatives, alongside persistent inequities in access to optimal rectal cancer imaging and multidisciplinary input. These findings will guide new quality improvement priorities over the coming year.
The “Close it Quick” initiative represents a national, data-driven quality improvement collaborative to standardise and expedite ileostomy closure, improve surgical pathways, and deliver tangible patient and system benefits. The membership is encouraged to consider signing up for this structured programme.
Finally, congratulations to Lilian Reza on being chosen as the 2026 ASCRS Travelling Fellow amid strong competition.
Thank you for your continued commitment to ACPGBI and to advancing care for our patients.
Athur Harikrishnan
ACPGBI President
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