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British Orthopaedic Directors Society (BODS) network: Reporting the state of the nation Mike Reed
What is the function of BODS?
Mike Reed is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust He is President of the British Orthopaedic Directors and sits on Council of the British Orthopaedic Association.
In 2004 the original constitution named the group British Association of Clinical Directors and Lead Clinicians in Trauma and Orthopaedics. This was then shortened to the British Orthopaedic Directors Society or BODS. The initial objective of the Association was to provide a forum for discussion of the issues facing Clinical Directors and Lead Clinicians in Trauma and Orthopaedics across the United Kingdom. The society was seeking to support the BOA in influencing government health policy in a process of dialogue and engagement. Over the years, key topics have been discussed and debated via e-mail and in face-to-face meetings. The current medium is WhatsApp and Zoom – in an ‘open mike’ format rather than a webinar. All are encouraged to join in.
Who is able to join and how can they join? Clinical Directors or Lead Clinicians may join. There are some exceptions, for instance the BOA Executive are keen to hear what’s happening on the ground. Julian Owens was president of BODS as COVID hit and he led at a vital time as Clinical Directors grappled for information on how to reconfigure. It was a crucial lifeline with live discussions every day on WhatsApp and regular briefings from senior NHS leaders, with mutual feedback to them about what it was like on the ground. Clinical Directors or Lead Clinicians can join by e-mailing mike.reed@nhs.net, or ask another Clinical Director to propose them.
24 | JTO | Volume 10 | Issue 02 | June 2022 | boa.ac.uk
What is the BODS network meeting and what are the current issues being discussed? Posts on WhatsApp are wide and varied. There is normally someone in the UK having a problem and usually someone within the network to propose a solution or at least offer a show of support. Examples in recent months have been job plans, medical teams moving into our beds, the Emergency Department, pension tax, COVID rules and science, virtual fracture clinics, trauma waits, NHS payment structures for Trusts and Health Boards, leave rules. The list goes on...
Are there challenges in trauma delivery? The pandemic appears to have hit trauma hard although it is less well publicised. Theatres are less efficient and have been undermined by COVID rules and inefficiencies. Staff have been absent and have been moved to support other teams in the hospital. According to the National Hip Fracture Database, prompt surgery rates (within 36 hours) are the lowest they have been in the last 10 years. Teams have reported long waits for ‘cold’ trauma that is waiting at home.
What are the reported challenges from your members regarding elective restart? There is a mountain to climb. Orthopaedic patients in England have fared badly from the pandemic, and the devolved nations have arguably fared even worse. As clinical leaders of their respective departments the members are well placed to plan and deliver the elective recovery plans from the various governments that oversee the NHS in the UK. At the
