From the President
Working together – the way forward Don McBride
As we left Australia and New Zealand in October 2019 I said to my better half – “this is only the start of an exciting year ahead”. Little did I know how right I was but clearly not in the way I expected. The latter part of 2019 and early 2020 were completed in a fairly straightforward manner and even a few murmurings about Wuhan in China from December onwards did not initially, at least, register that a potentially catastrophic global event was about to ensue.
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hen writing my last JTO Presidential article for the March edition, plans were coming along very nicely for the Annual Congress in Birmingham and the visits to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Canadian Orthopaedic Association, American Orthopaedic Association and South African Orthopaedic Association meetings were all organised. The February Council and Executive meetings had been completed fairly uneventfully and then ‘all hell let loose’. COVID-19 arrived in Europe catastrophically affecting Italy and Spain then sweeping towards the UK. Lockdown ensued with variable political responses across the globe. Gradually, all meetings were initially postponed but then cancelled including, unfortunately, our own in its normal form. However, a number of societies have organised alternatives including webinars, instructional lectures and educational events. We are currently looking at these alternatives both before and at the time of the proposed Congress in September. Keep those dates free and watch out for updates. My theme for this year’s Congress was ’Working Together – the Way Forward’. In the wake of the pandemic I do not believe that you could find a better term for the incredible response of the Trauma and Orthopaedic community in the UK. From the very outset the BOA have provided regularly updated information online on a wide range of topics with support and input from many specialist societies and individuals across the membership. (This work has been very well received by our members and links to the various resources can be found on page 08). The BOA has worked with NHS England, the Royal Colleges, Public Health England and other groups including GIRFT contributing to and assisting with their own updates, for example, on PPE. However, what has been most evident is our members’ fantastic efforts, resilience and ability to adapt to the necessary changes in our working environment to ultimately protect the welfare of our patients. This shall, I am sure, be maintained throughout the pandemic and when it ends whenever exactly that might be. I should like to finish by thanking the BOA staff who have responded magnificently to the difficulties, which have occurred during this time. Their hard work and flexibility have been exemplary. n JTO | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | June 2020 | boa.ac.uk | 05
