British Thoracic Society BTS

NHS Health and Social Care Bill

BTS is a signatory on the Coalition of UK Medical Specialty Societies' briefing about the NHS Health and Social Care Bill prepared for members of the House of Lords. 

22 February 2012

Chair and members: British Thoracic Society Public Liaison Committee

The British Thoracic Society is a registered charity and membership organisation, whose members work in respiratory medicine and health care in the UK. We exist to improve standards of care for people with respiratory conditions, and to raise awareness of lung health matters. In recent years the Society has gone some way towards involving patients and citizens in our work. In 2009 we established a Public Liaison Committee which now plays a full part in ensuring that our strategy and activities continue to be relevant and effective. 

The current Chair of the Committee will stand down towards the end of 2012, and we are keen to identify a successor to shadow him for a period of time. The Chair is a Trustee of the Society, serving on the Executive Committee. This will require attendance at between 10–12 meetings per year (at the Executive Committee and Council, and chairing the PLC which will meet 3 times a year, and possible participation in a range of other activities).

The post is honorary but reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed. The Society’s offices are in central London.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, informed individual who is able to appreciate the full range of the Society’s activities and the UK healthcare environment and who wish to contribute to what we do. You can expect to be involved in wide-ranging discussions in Committee and workshop settings. Please browse our website for more information about what we do.

To be considered please send a letter of application by post to the Chief Executive, Sheila Edwards, or to sheila.edwards@brit-thoracic.org.uk.  Let us know something about your background and life experience, and how you feel you can make a contribution. If you wish to be considered to serve as Chair of the Committee, then please let us know at this stage.

Closing date for applications:  29th February 2012.  PLC membership and constitution is available here

The Trustees of the British Thoracic Society and the BTS Education & Training Committee are pleased to announce three new Awards for 2012.  Abstracts (350 words max) are now being invited for consideration.  Read on for more details.

The Awards are open to ALL members of the healthcare team.  The deadline for submission of abstracts is FRIDAY 30th MARCH 2012.  The abstracts will be refereed by a panel of 6 judges in each category, and the best 3 in each category will be asked to present their work during a session in the 2012 BTS SUMMER MEETING programme – held next year in York on 5th & 6th July.  The shortlisted abstracts will be published in the conference programme and on the BTS website.

The 3 categories are:-

INTEGRATION OF RESPIRATORY SERVICES

This Award recognises that those involved in providing respiratory health care are required to think smarter and develop services closer to the patient and in collaboration with others.  We wish to hear from teams who can demonstrate that they have improved care by service re-design and collaboration across boundaries.  This may mean integration within healthcare settings as well as with social care.  The abstract should provide evidence of the aims of the project, how it developed, and the outcome- results should demonstrate the effective integration of care across traditional boundaries in a patient-centred and effective manner.  Evidence submitted may include, for example, impact on outcomes such as length of stay, proportion of patients receiving specialist care and so on.

INNOVATION IN THE DELIVERY OF RESPIRATORY CARE

Have you and your team developed something that has revolutionised the care that you are able to give to your respiratory patients?  Are you working with patients and carers in a new way to transform respiratory care for patients?   Were they involved in the service re-design – and if so, how?  Is the innovation sustainable and reproducible (i.e. was it more than a pilot that failed because of resource implications)?   Can you demonstrate this?   If so, this Award should attract your attention.

EXCELLENCE /INNOVATION IN DELIVERY OF EDUCATION

This Award will recognise the work that is being done by teams or individuals throughout the UK to bring improvements in care via educational initiatives.  If you have a programme that has been designed for your peers, for other health care professionals and /or patient and their carers, and feel that this is innovative and you can demonstrate how the educational initiative has developed services, then we want to hear from you.
 

• To submit an abstract for these awards click here.