January 2025

20 January 2025 (Last updated 20 Jan 2025)

A belated Happy New Year to all ACPGBI members.

It has been an exciting start to the year, with NHS England announcing the reduction to age 50 for bowel cancer screening, and with the State of The Nation Report published by the National Bowel Cancer Audit (NBOCA) team. It is 25 years since ACPGBI conceived and presented the very first National Bowel Cancer Audit Project findings, and we remain very grateful to continue to work closely and collaborate with NBOCA on this important work. Whilst we have seen improvement in many areas over time, seeing over 1 in 3 people still with their ileostomy unclosed 18 months or more after their rectal cancer surgery is a major cause for concern. Whilst the causes will be multifactorial, we look forward to working with NBOCA on Quality Improvement measures to address this, and other areas.

Our journal, Colorectal Disease, continues to go from strength to strength. Our Editor in Chief, Neil Smart, has been supported wonderfully well by Sue Clark, who has stepped up to work as Co-Editor in Chief over recent months. For those who have not yet seen the recent podcast of Surgeons Lives, hosted by John Monson and available on YouTube, I would recommend that you watch this one hour episode where Neil is interviewed. It is an eye-opening account of being a patient as a surgeon- and explores some of the human aspects of our surgical lives. I urge you to watch this.

Finally, from an educational perspective, please remember to register for the Advanced Coloproctology Course in March  as the programme is now complete, and also don’t forget to submit your abstracts for the Annual Meeting in Harrogate from 30 June to 2 July- abstract closing date is 10 February.

Justin Davies
President
ACPGBI

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