From the President

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” - Indira Gandhi

Time flies when you are enjoying yourself and certainly this year has flown, and Congress – perhaps a highlight of the BOA year – is just around the corner. Congress provides us with the opportunity to catch up both socially and scientifically, to pick up some exciting new ideas and perhaps identify a few things that are now ‘old hat’ and which should be consigned to the bin of painful lessons learnt.

The Congress theme is Sustainable Systems and if we want to continue to attract and maintain the best talent to work with us in Trauma and Orthopaedics, if we want to train and educate using the best techniques available, if we want to protect our resources while we help our patients, then there is no doubt that the time for change is now. Someone once said that “in order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired”. I hope and believe that we are at that point. This edition of the JTO is full of questions and ideas that challenge us to change the way we think, that give us the power to question what we do, to challenge our attitudes to our work and perhaps the way we live to: ‘why do we work the way we do, should we not change?’

The BOA will be presenting some proposals to you at the AGM: proposals that recommend significant changes to our governance structure, which we believe will improve our diversity in terms of opinion and experience while ensuring high standards of professionalism and behaviour are maintained. The changes will encourage greater engagement with you, our membership. Please do take the time to read the information that will be sent to you and then vote online or come to the AGM to allow your voice to be heard.

Last month, BOTA and BOA hosted a Culture and Diversity Day at the Royal College of Surgeons with Neurodiversity and Disability as its theme. There were a number of stimulating and thought-provoking talks highlighting the differences that make us who we are – the different realities and perceptions that we experience. I know that each and every one of us found at least one aspect of a talk hit home with how we feel from time to time. We left feeling that people had been heard. We left with a better understanding of the breadth of abilities shown by our colleagues and a knowledge that inherently we are perhaps more similar than different. Certainly, aspects of our workplace culture and our attitudes to training and learning must allow all to flourish. As one of the speakers explained: “If a flower does not bloom, don’t blame the flower, look at the environment it’s in and fix that.”

This is my last message to you as BOA President – it has truly been a privilege to represent you and our patients over this year. Together we have faced many challenges and many are ongoing. I thank all of you, the BOA Executive and Council for all your support and hard work. My faith in our profession and my inherent optimism mean that I do believe that next year will be a better year and I know Simon will lead us well.

I also believe that, as my ‘Uncle Clint’ Eastwood suggested, “If you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands.” My challenge to you is to do just that.

I look forward to seeing you all in Liverpool!