The BOA has three core objectives and the first of these is Excellence in Professional Practice.Our members cannot join us unless they are certified by two of our Fellows as surgeons ‘of good standing’ who follow the duties of a doctor registered with the
General Medical Council.
Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust you must show respect for human life and you must:
Make the care of your patient your first concern Protect and promote the health of patients and the public
Provide a good standard of practice and care
Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date
Recognise and work within the limits of your competence
Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients' interests
Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity
Treat patients politely and considerately
Respect patients' right to confidentiality
Work in partnership with patients
Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences
Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand
Respect patients' right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care
Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
Be honest and open and act with integrity
Act without delay if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may be putting patients at risk
Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues
Never abuse your patients' trust in you or the public's trust in the profession.
You are personally accountable for your professional practice and must always be prepared to justify your decisions and actions.
We produce good practice guides for T&O surgeons. Some of these are openly available to the public, others are member benefits that require a log in to access. The full list is overseen, reviewed and updated by our Professional Practice Committee.
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BOA Standards for Trauma (BOASTs)
Professional Standards of Patient Care
Standards of patient care were set out by the Department of Health in 2004 and updated in 2006 in a document entitled Standards for Better Health, which can be found here.
The BOA continues to develop good practice care standards through its Blue Book guides and Standards for Trauma (BOASTs).
Professional Skills and Behaviour
The following is an extract from the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme syllabus dealing with professionalism:
“Good doctors make the care of their patients their first concern: they are competent, keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Establish and maintain good relationships with patients and colleagues are honest and trustworthy and act with integrity,” Good Medical Practice 2006, published by the General Medical Council - http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp
back to top Surgeons require more than technical expertise. The surgical curriculum is based on the CanMEDS framework (first championed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1996) for defining the different domains of surgical practice, and Good Medical Practice which sets out the principles and values upon which good practice is founded.
The roles defined in CanMEDS are complementary and encompass the defining characteristics of a surgeon:
Medical (Surgical) Expert is the central role, integrating all the CanMEDS roles so that surgeons provide effective patient centred care by applying knowledge, clinical skills, technical skills and professional attitudes.
Communicator - Surgeons facilitate the doctor-patient relationship throughout the course of the patient journey by communicating effectively with patients, families, care givers and other professionals. This includes establishing rapport and trust, formulating a diagnosis, delivering information, striving for mutual understanding and facilitating a shared plan of care.
Collaborator - Surgeons effectively work within a healthcare team to achieve the best patient care possible. As the nature of healthcare delivery changes, surgeons will not only be working in teams comprising the group of professionals working closely together at one site but will also be working in extended teams in multiple locations. Specifically, at CCT surgeons should be competent to supervise the care of patients admitted into an institution under their name, and to lead the surgical team delivering that care.
Manager - Surgeons work as individuals and members of teams or groups at trust level with many participating at local, regional and national levels. They have to prioritise, effectively perform tasks collaboratively with colleagues and make decisions about allocating resources.
Health Advocate - Surgeons use their expertise and influence to advance the health and well-being of individual patients, communities and populations. They strive to improve the overall health of their patients and the society they serve.
Scholar - Surgeons will have a lifelong commitment to reflective learning and will contribute to the creation, dissemination, application and translation of medical knowledge.
Professional - Surgeons are committed to clinical competence and will practice in an ethical manner and will have high personal standards of behaviour.
Good Medical Practice identifies seven key principles and values on which good practice is founded:
Good clinical care
Maintaining good medical practice
Teaching and training, appraising and assessing,
Relationships with patients
Working with colleagues
Probity
Health
These principles and values are also encompassed within the CanMEDS roles, which have been used to structure the content of the specialty syllabuses.
As a professional body we set great store by the highest standards of professional skills and behaviour.
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