ROYAL COLLEGE OF RADIOLOGISTS BREAST GROUP
MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Edinburgh Conference Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
Monday 6 November 2006
Chair: Dr Erika Denton
Approximately 84 members in attendance
Apologies.
None received.
Minutes of 2005 meeting
2003 in item 2 should read 2004.
£2500 in Item 13 should read £1500. Sue Barter apologised for some confusion which had arisen as a result of this.
Matters arising – not on agenda
Devon and Exeter breast screening service
Update given by Erika Denton with comments from audience members. Lister InHealth has taken over the running of the Devon and Exeter breast screening service. It is mostly staffed by the previous screening staff. The majority of the radiographers and A&C staff have moved to the new company, having their contracts transferred. It is understood that their terms and conditions (including pension arrangements) are largely unchanged, although new staff will not be on a final salary pension scheme. The programme remains subject to the QA requirements of the NHSBSP. Managerially there has been substantial change, and new facilities and equipment have been provided. The programme operates to diagnosis only.
Officers
Sue Barter gave an update. She has now served two full terms of office (six years) as secretary, and will be succeeded by Tony Maxwell (Bolton) who was successful in the recent ballot. Simon Daniell has decided to step down from the treasurer role early, and will be succeeded by Nicholas Ridley (Swindon).
Next year Erika Denton will complete her term of office as Chair, and will be succeeded by Mike Michell, and Janet Litherland will complete her second term of office as meetings secretary. There will therefore be vacancies for vice chair and meetings secretary. Individuals interested in either of these posts are encouraged to speak informally to the current post holders. Formal nominations will be invited in the spring.
Treasurer’s report
Simon Daniell presented a summary of the accounts. 2005 income was £19,798 and expenditure £10,096. The group has a financial balance of £39,792. Investment advice has been sought, and as a result a proportion will be invested in a longer-term account in order to optimise interest. The option of seeking charitable status for the group was not considered worthwhile.
Breast Group Promotion
UKRC
Erika Denton reminded the meeting that the RCRBG has had a breast radiology slot at UKRC for many years. Hilary Dobson and several other excellent speakers spoke this year, but there was a poor attendance (possibly due to radiographers with their limited availability of funding for training having attended Symposium Mammographicum this year). The next UKRC meeting is in Manchester, with the breast session now on the Monday morning 11 June 2007. This is being organised by Mike Michell and will include a mock MDT meeting. Erika made a plea for people to attend, especially trainees, and warned of the risk of the breast radiology slot being dropped if attendance was low. It was noted that there was no breast radiology slot at the recent RCR meeting in September.
BIG Professorship
This is currently Hilary Dobson who gave a presentation the following day. Erika Denton encouraged members of the group to consider applying for the post in 2007.
E-contact
Erika Denton requested that members let the executive have their current email addresses to facilitate electronic communication within the group. Mike Michell’s secretary will telephone members for whom an email address is not known.
Some members received an email containing errors recently from Mike Michell’s temporary secretary. He apologised for this and asked members to disregard it.
Clinical Excellence Awards
Erika Denton described the initial arrangement whereby SIGs were allowed to invite applications from members and put forward citations for individuals directly to the ACCEA. This has been changed and is now done through the RCR who require copies of applications by the strict deadline of 13 November. Members wishing to ensure that citations are requested by the college from the RCRBG must ensure that they declare breast imaging as their subspecialty interest on the CEA application form.
Website
A brief update was given by Chris Flowers in the scientific meeting the following day.
Critical incidents
These had been discussed in the scientific meeting earlier in the day. It was agreed that Sue Barter would continue to co-ordinate the critical incident reporting system.
Honorary membership
Erika Denton proposed honorary membership for James Brenner and Sue Astley. This was agreed by a majority on a show of hands.
RCRBG bursary / Pump priming grants
RCRBG bursary
As noted above, it was pointed out that this is for a maximum allowance of £1500. Applications are invited for this.
Pump priming grants
These are affiliated to the RCR pump priming process, and thus hitherto have been restricted to trainees or those consultants within 2 years of having taken up their consultant post. This has now changed, the stipulation being that they are for those ‘new to research’. Applications are encouraged.
Meeting 2007
Janet Litherland requested members to fill in feedback forms on this year’s meeting, and particularly requested members’ opinions on the question time session. Janet asked for suggestions for topics for sessions for 2007, when the meeting will be held in Bristol.
Any other business
A member stated that she preferred not to pay her subscription by direct debit. Erika Denton replied that it was difficult chasing late payers by cheque and that direct debits were therefore greatly preferred. New members will not have the option of paying by cheque after the first year. It was pointed out that the executive are volunteers, and that their available time is limited.
Fiona Gilbert (Aberdeen) who sits on the NCRI breast subgroup with Robin Wilson and Lindsay Turnbull raised the issue of breast imaging research. She asked the executive to consider imaging research under the RCRBG umbrella. There was support for this idea. Erika Denton and Fiona Gilbert are to correspond via email and this matter will be discussed at the executive meeting in January 2007.
A member raised a question about governance of breast imaging in the private sector. Erika Denton replied that NHS breast screening provided by private companies is under the scrutiny of Julietta Patnick. Peter Britton commented that the RCR guidelines state that radiologists in private practice should work to the same standards as the NHS. Mike Michell pointed out that a private sector representative sits on the Radiology Big 18.
Erika Denton described developments regarding breast physicians. John Fielding has been in discussion with the RCR, RCS and Association of Breast Physicians. A new specialty has emerged, that of ‘Breast Disease Management’. This gives those currently working as non-consultant breast physicians the possibility of becoming consultants. A training curriculum is under development, and this will go to stakeholder review. Training will be overseen by the RCR. Up to two years’ credit will be given for previous experience. There will be no centrally funded NTNs, and funding will need to be provided by host trusts. There will be an optional operative surgical component to the training.
Date of next meeting
Monday 5 November 2007 in Bristol.