January 2021 – Monthly BHS Update
Dear BHS Members
Welcome to the first monthly update of the new year in which I would like to highlight the following:
Looking Ahead to 2021
We are all acutely aware that COVID-19 continues to dominate the landscape for our patients, our practices and our communities, and there is every reason to expect that this will be the case for some time to come. Trauma and Orthopaedics faces particular challenges created by the suspension and compromise of elective practices in very many areas of the country, and of all specialties we have the largest number of patients waiting in excess of 52 weeks for their surgery. We fully expect that the delays in treatment will be one of the most pressing issues for us and our patients in 2021, and consequently Andrew Hamer and I are in close contact with leaders at the BOA, who are keen for the input and assistance provided by the Specialist Societies in what they agree will be a major focus of their work in this coming year. You may have seen the latest instalment of the “Coping with Covid” webinar series, on Supporting Surgeons Through the Challenges of the COVID Era,
which took place on 16th December. If you missed it, the recording can be accessed here and please do look out for announcements about the next webinar in the series, which will deal with the vital issue of how we can support our patients at this hugely difficult time.
Election of BHS Executive Officers in 2021
As I announced in my November monthly update, The British Hip Society Annual General Meeting this year will take place online and will be held on the evening of Thursday 4th March 2021, from 18:00 to 20:00. We will have professional support for the online AGM at which we will have full interactive and voting capabilities. The agenda for the AGM will be sent round in due course, but as always it will include the appointment of new officers to the BHS Executive and this year there are a number of posts that are up for election. This provides an excellent opportunity for anyone who wishes to help shape the future direction of the British Hip Society and I very much hope that there will be a lot of interest in these positions. The posts up for election are as follows:
| Position on the Executive | Term of the Position (Years) |
| Member at Large | 2 years |
| Webmaster | 3 years |
| Honorary Treasurer | 3 years |
| Honorary Editorial Secretary | 3 years |
| Chair of the Research Committee | 3 years |
| Vice President | 1 year (4 years in Presidential line) |
If you would like to apply for one of the posts, please could you send an expression of interest to Matt Wilson, our Honorary Secretary, at secretary@britishhipsociety.com
Please include a maximum 200-word statement and the names of a Proposer and a Seconder for your application.
BHS Revision Hip National Advisory Panel
As I announced last month, the BHS Executive is keen to establish a Revision Hip National Advisory Panel, which will lead on developing revision hip networks across the UK. We intend that the panel should have representatives from all parts of the UK, so we have divided the UK into ten different regions, each of which will be asked to elect their Regional Representatives. At this stage we’re asking BHS members to help with the selection of the Regional Representatives at a virtual meeting and so far we have a had a varied response from around the UK, as shown below:
In order to make this a valid democratic process we need participation from as many members as possible from each region, so if you’re interested in helping to elect your Regional Representatives, please follow the link here.
If you’ve already expressed an interest, please spread the word to other BHS members in your region. We will leave the link open until 31st January 2021.
The New BHS Website
Many of you will already be aware that the new BHS website has now launched, and we hope that you are enjoying what it has to offer. All members should have received an email inviting them to register on the new site and it’s great to see that so many of you have now done so. If you haven’t yet registered with the site, please complete the process to enjoy the full functionality of the members’ area, including access to the BHS Panopto account, our online educational platform. If you haven’t received your onboarding email, please check your spam folders for an email from the British Hip Society, and if you can’t find it feel free to email us at one of the following addresses:
webmaster@britishhipsociety.com
president@britishhipsociety.com
Changes to the BHS Charitable Status
Over the last few years, the Society has operated as a so-called restricted fund at the BOA, but our current levels of income and financial activity mean that our relationship with the BOA has had to be reviewed. I have discussed these arrangements with Justine Clarke, Chief Operating Officer at the BOA, who has recommended that the BHS should now move to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). This has a number of advantages, including the limitation of liability for our members and executive officers. At this point in time, we are exploring the process involved in becoming a CIO, which will include us making some changes to our constitution, and that is why I want to make you all aware that this is on our horizon. We will no doubt discuss this further at the AGM, when we will have more details on the process and the timescale.
I will write again in February but in the meantime, I wish you a successful return to work after the festive period, in the middle of what is undoubtedly a challenging winter for all.
With best wishes,
Jonathan
Jonathan Howell
President, British Hip Society
