South West, March 2023

James Gagg, RCEM South West Regional Board Chair, March 20, 2023

It was in 1971 that the Joint Consultants’ Committee published the Bruce report which recommended the experimental appointment of 32 consultants in Accident & Emergency to work full time in major departments¹, a step away from the model of leadership under surgical consultants (who were rarely present and had no sessional time for this role). The South West had five consultants in this pilot, in Truro, Plymouth, Taunton, Bristol and Gloucester. As they say, the rest is history.

From these early times of our specialty, the South West has grown in its delivery of Emergency Medicine, accounting for 8-9% of ED attendances in England, and also as a region with a powerful voice for our profession. Mr Chris Cutting, the first consultant appointed in Taunton became the president of the British Association of Emergency Medicine (BAEM) from 1995-1998 and of course the late Dr Cliff Mann the president of RCEM from 2013-2016².

So, as we move to the present, we stand on the shoulders of giants as we develop the RCEM South West Regional Board. As faced by those who grew our specialty before us, there is much that needs to be done to ensure the delivery of safe and effective emergency care to our patients. This is no better demonstrated that the fact that 1 in 6 patients in the region waited more than twelve hours for a bed after a decision to admit in February this year.

In the last year, we have developed a board of 12 members, representing EDs across the region, trainee & SAS doctors, ACPs, paediatric EM and research. One of the most amazing facts about our specialty is how it has grown from those early days into something so diverse, both in terms of our team and what we can deliver, as reflected by the board membership.

We strive to be a voice for the region, to ensure the challenges and achievements in emergency care are known. We have already made good progress with various press releases³, media appearances on TV, radio and online news platformsand are now working on a strategy for engaging with MPs in the region. It is also vital that the board is seen as a place where members and fellows can turn to for advice and guidance. We are a two-way conduit between the college and the region for all the areas of the specialty. Please do contact me as needed at SWChair@rcem.ac.uk and either myself or the most appropriate member of the board will be more than happy to help.

1. The First Consultants | SpringerLink
2. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2021-212085
3. RCEM calls for support from Members of Parliament in the South West as it warns ‘we are still in the depths of crisis’ | RCEM