British Orthopaedic Association : April 2010

NHS Choices has circulated a letter inviting members and colleagues to join their newly launched Major Trauma Improvement Forum with the aim of engaging as many rehabilitation front-line staff, patients, carers and member groups as possible by encouraging them to register on the forum website and participate in discussions/surveys aimed at improving major trauma care at all stages.

The full letter is below:

Dear Colleague,

I would like to invite you and/or relevant staff to contribute to the newly launched Major Trauma Improvement Forum which can be found at www.majortrauma.net. The Office for Public Management (OPM) has been commissioned by the Department of Health to set up this forum to support the developments lead by Prof. Keith Willett to improve major trauma care.

As an NHS Trust working with people who may have experienced major trauma, you are mostly likely aware that major trauma is the leading cause of death among those aged between one and forty years and particularly affects younger people. As you may also know, a programme of work has been launched to encourage the development of Regional Trauma Networks for NHS England. As part of this, the Major Trauma Improvement Forum offers an opportunity for frontline workers; professional groups; patients, families and carers; and other professionals who have direct experience of or expertise on major trauma to contribute to this programme of work and help shape improvements in major trauma care.

Participating in the forum will involve responding to no more than four brief online surveys over April and May, though there are also other opportunities to take part including online discussion forums, if you or your contacts would like to be more involved. Please take a moment to visit and register with www.majortrauma.net. On doing this you'll be invited to take part in our first survey which will ask for your views and experience on what currently works well and what needs to be improved at the different stages of major trauma care - from initial contact with emergency services through to specialist and general rehabilitation.

The Lakeland Challenge - Fundraising Activity for World Orthopaedic Concern (UK)

16 April 2010

On the 7th & 8th May 2010 colleagues from all walks of life will be taking on the ‘LAKELAND 3000 FOOTER CHALLENGE'. They will be climbing FOUR 3000 foot peaks in two days! The reason for this arduous activity is to try and raise much needed funds for World Orthopaedic Concern (UK).

To sponsor this brave group please send anything you can spare to ‘World Orthopaedic Concern' c/o Spineworks, Hampshire Clinic, Basing Road, Old Basing, Basingstoke, RG24 7AL.

Also in aid of raising funds for the challenge there is a dinner dance to be held in Hartley Wintney, in Hampshire on the 24th April. Tickets are available from Debbie on 07515856384 or via debs@spine-works.com. They cost £25 each or £200 for a table of 10. There will be a raffle, bar and food with dancing to Red Zone Alley!

For further details on both the dinner dance and the Lakeland Challenge, please see the attached documents at the bottom of this page.

World Orthopaedic Concern sends volunteer surgeons and supporting medical teams to countries in the Third World to provide support in training and to carry out surgery.

These volunteers give up their time without payment. Orthopaedic trainees can spend considerable times abroad, which may place them at a disadvantage in their own training. They do benefit from their experiences abroad but all of this time is not necessarily recognised.

Those surgeons that go abroad assist the local clinicians mainly by training junior surgeons and by introducing modern techniques. They have been instrumental in organising the local Orthopaedic Associations and in helping run national meetings.

World Orthopaedic Concern is a charity and exists by charitable donations. Those donations go towards funding the airfares of the orthopaedic surgeons who go abroad and also towards funding orthopaedic meetings in the countries visited. Funds are also required for running a website and for projects in the future including distance learning.