An update on the relationship between the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and its network of specialists

A fundamental principle of all NICE guidance is that it is based on the best available evidence. Whatever the amount and quality of published evidence (which is often limited) there is always a need for contributions from stakeholders. Clinical specialists are particularly important and NICE relies heavily on them for knowledge and advice.

Roger Currie looks at the College’s growing Regional Surgical Adviser programme

The Regional Surgical Adviser (RSA) programme is continuing to expand and be a voice for the College, representing Fellows and Members in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. At present we have 36 RSAs throughout the UK, covering all surgical specialties with the exception of neurosurgery.

I am hopeful that by the Council meeting in May we will have reached 40, with all the SAC-recognised specialties represented. We are fortunate to have a diverse range of talent and experience within the RSA group, which includes a Postgraduate Dean and a number of Training programme and Foundation directors as well as many senior examiners.

The College has awarded a Fellowship ad hominem to Dr James Peter Robson, head doctor of the Scottish Rugby Union

Dr James Robson qualified as a physiotherapist at Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh and gained his medical degree from Dundee. From 1983, he was the North and Midlands rugby teams physiotherapist, a post he held throughout his medical training. He subsequently became the team doctor until 1991.

After qualification and house jobs he trained as a general practitioner. He became a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and became a principal at Dundee’s Westgate Health Centre in 1992.

A collaboration with Edinburgh University is combining state-of-the-art educational technologies with practical skills in the teaching of anatomy

The development of medicine has gone hand-in-hand with advances in the ways in which anatomy is taught. The application of modern imaging techniques requires that anatomy is viewed quite literally from new perspectives. Linking the application of anatomy to diagnosis and treatment demands that we prioritise not only how much we learn but also how we learn, to take advantage of modern technology.