In September last year, the Scottish Cardiac Society (SCS) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a two-day symposium held in Crieff – the same venue where the inaugural meeting took place in 1992.
On a personal level, this was a very special event. As a trainee, I was lucky enough to present at the very first meeting, and now, a quarter century later, I am honoured that Professor Stuart Pringle has handed over the chain of office to me as President of the SCS. The trust and recognition by my peers is a huge responsibility and I will certainly endeavour, during my three-year term as president, to identify the success and build on achievement made by my predecessors.
SCS represents the voice of the cardiovascular community in Scotland. This creates an excellent opportunity for us to be at the forefront of shaping cardiovascular strategy and healthcare in Scotland. By directly engaging with the Scottish Government, as partners, we can actively contribute to the strategic planning of cardiac services, and help address healthcare challenges in Scotland.
Multi-professional approach
A unique feature of the SCS has always been its ability to attract members from all over Scotland and the UK, captivating multi-professionals such as doctors and allied health professionals from wide-ranging backgrounds. Over the past 25 years, the SCS has collectively demonstrated the value of displaying the strong impact of unity of a multi-professional approach to healthcare delivery by sharing the evidence, best practice, and, importantly, how to practically implement it in our daily life.
Learning through open and constructive debate, and giving the opportunity and forum to reflect on diverse views, a key success factor has also been connecting the generations. Instilling a bond between the pioneers who gathered the evidence shaping modern medical practice and the current generation delivering this high-quality service, provides a model that inspires the budding talents and rising stars of the future.
Aims
Our aim is to ensure the SCS remains a leading cardiovascular professional organisation in the UK – and worldwide – by building a sustained international collaborative network in cardiovascular medicine. I have been privileged to contribute to a number of European and international conferences by leading a SCS team. I am very keen that we reach out to countries across Europe and worldwide, and engage with new educational activities in partnership with both national and international professional organisations, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow (RCPSG), British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), and EuroPCR (The official annual meeting of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions [EAPCI]).
I am proud to say we have internationally renowned Scottish academic centres leading in cardiovascular research worldwide. It has been a wonderful experience to witness the huge growth of quality research in Scotland, leading to steady growth in high-powered and practice-changing publications.
But of course our priority is people. We should always ensure that we translate our scientific knowledge and evidence into our daily clinical practice. Our SCS objectives are well aligned with our values as healthcare professionals to deliver quality care, tailored for each individual patient, making sure we combine the skills of cure with the passion of care.
Conflict of interest
None declared.
