ABC Newsletter April 2024

Updates for upcoming events for the diary

Dear Members,

I hope this finds you all thriving and looking forward to those longer days after what feels like a relentless wet winter. Talking to colleagues from around the country I am hearing of absolutely relentless demand for breast services which seems to have rebounded after the pandemic and is higher than ever. Managing demand with the challenges of dwindling staff numbers across all professional groups brings considerable pressures and I frequently hear of colleagues working additional sessions in evenings and weekends to meet targets. The ABC exec committee are very aware of these difficulties our members are dealing with.

Updating knowledge, learning new skills and exchanging experiences with peers in the process of acquiring CPD can be a rewarding way to step away from the front line. To that end, I want to encourage you all to book our excellent ABC Study Days on 6th and 7th June that the exec committee have been busy finalising. Why not learn a new skill and challenge yourself by attending our Fast MRI study day at the same venue on Thursday 6th June? This is followed by a stimulating varied update programme on 7th June with many fantastic speakers, which will cover a broad range of current hot topics and delivers great value.

Equally importantly your study day provides that valuable opportunity for networking with breast clinician colleagues and understand the work of the committee at the AGM. It’s a unique forum which brings that sense of community that has been such a great hallmark of the ABC. Please see the website for more details and get your study leave applications in. We are planning a social event in London on the evening of the 6th June – details will follow shortly. There will also be a separate informal networking session on Thursday afternoon for trainee BCs. Do make time for this important self-development and networking opportunity and please spread the word to your colleagues and local networks.

In other news, the Credential training programme is continuing to expand both in England and we have our first trainee in Wales. There is new funding from NHSE to support training of 5 additional trainees which will form a third cohort. Applications are currently being considered for 5 centres and it is planned to have training of a third cohort of trainees initiated later in 2024. The ABC and NBIA are looking to secure more sustained future funding for the credential training and this remains a focus going forwards. Any enquiries regarding credential training can be made to breastacademy@mft.nhs.uk.

Look out for further information regarding the study day and the executive committee annual reports which will be available from mid-May for review ahead of the AGM on 7th June in the member’s area of the website.

I really look forward to welcoming you to London in June.

You may be aware of the SAS engagement day which was arranged by RCR on 29th January 24 and highlighted the role of SAS doctors in the NHS. Insisting that on a national level there is a need to recognise what are SAS adding to the NHS and building professional networks to support and create strategies that help SAS doctors to get more involved in Leadership, mentoring role through (mentoring Programme), ES,CS special courses.

For more information, please visit the RCR website.

The ABC is in the process of updating the members work platform, it is much appreciated for colleagues who no longer wish to receive global emails from the ABC to send a notification to secretary@abcuk.org

Best wishes,

Sally

President ABC