The latest Annual Report for the Critically Ill (published 26th August, Welsh Government) provides indicators of the progress being made in the provision of critical care across Wales, but also some of the challenges we face.

Survival to ICU discharge (83%) , readmission rates (<1%) and transfer for non-clinical reasons (83 pa) have improved compared with earlier reports.

However, Wales has among the very lowest number of critical care beds per capita in Europe (5.9 per 100,000) and use of those beds is compromised by an inability within Health Boards to move recovered patients on to the general ward in a timely way: 66% patients were discharged more than 4 hours after decision to discharge and nearly 150,000 critical care bed hours lost through delayed transfer of care (equivalent to nearly 17 critical care beds).

The report also highlights concerns over workforce deficiencies and the challenge of meeting a rising demand for critical care services.

Identification of episodes of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in Wales is the subject of a paper published in Frontiers in Microbiology this month.

The work, a collaboration between WICS members and the Welsh Healthcare Associated Infection Programme (hosted by Public Health Wales), describes the clinical, microbiological and radiological evidence of infection present when ICU clinicians commence antibiotic therapy in invasively ventilated patients for suspected respiratory infection. The paper highlights that variability in chest x-ray performance appears to be an important limitation of current European surveillance methods for identifying VAP.

We are extremely grateful for the support of our ICU colleagues in conducting this work.

This year’s WITS Annual Meeting will be held at the SWALEC stadium, Cardiff on 30th September

The theme will be Neurosurgery and ICU with presentations by expert local and national speakers. There will also be prizes for best two trainee presentations.

WITS programme details here

Attendance fee £25 for WICS members and £35 for non-members (current annual membership for trainees only £10!)

To reserve your place and for more details please contact Caz Burford (cazburford5@hotmail.com).

The next WICS sponsored study day is being held on the 20th July at 9am at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital postgrad center. Attendance is free.  Program / details below.

If you wish to attend please contact the organisers directly:

BethanGibson@doctors.org.uk

Eloise.Dawe@wales.nhs.uk

POP Programme

poster

The final version of this year’s WICS Summer Meeting Programme is available to view here.

If you are still planning to attend, please make sure to register as soon as possible!!

The WICS AGM for 2016 will be held at the St Brides Spa Hotel in Saundersfoot, West Wales at 3:30pm on Thursday the 23rd of June.

All members of the society “in good standing” are welcome to attend even if they are not attending the Summer Scientific Meeting.

At the meeting we will be seeking to elect up to 2 new members of WICS council and to ratify an updated constitution for the society.

Council would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Dr Paul Morgan (the previous chair of the society) who is stepping down from council at the meeting following the end of his “ex-offico” year.

Unfortunately there are no minutes from the 2015 AGM as these were lost in an IT failure, but agenda and other supporting documents will be posted below for members information before the meeting.

If you also wish to attend the Summer Scientific Meeting it is still not too late – full details can be found further down the website page.

WICS AGM Agenda 2016

DRAFT WICS Constitution May 2016 version

This year’s WICS Summer Meeting Programme is available to view  here.

If you are planning to attend, please make sure to register as soon as possible.

With the changing times it has been necessary to re-draft the WICS Constitution to more accurately reflect the Society’s aims and how it is run. Attached below is the latest draft version of the proposed new constitution.

If any WICS members have any comments or suggestions for council to consider then please email these to the Chair or Secretary as soon as possible.

There will be a vote of members present at the AGM in June on the adoption of the finalised new constitution.

DRAFT WICS Constitution May 2016 version

The deadline for abstract submission for this year’s Ed Major prize has been extended.

If you would like your project to be considered for oral presentation at this year’s WICS Summer Meeting, please ensure your abstract is submitted to: wicsarg@gmail.com by 5pm, Friday 3rd June.

The Ed Major Prize is open to all trainee, nursing and AHP members of WICS and WITS. Further information regarding participation available here: Ed Major Prize Rules

AWAG Annual Meeting 13th May 2016

Registration is now open for the AWAG Annual Meeting on Friday 13th May 2016, at Chepstow Racecourse. This year it is a one-day joint meeting with the South West Airway Management Society (SWAMS). There will be lectures from regional and national experts, in addition to trainee presentations, posters and trade exhibitions. The list of speakers include Dr David Ball (consultant anaesthetist with ‘Facing Africa’), Dr Mark Stacey (consultant anaesthetist Cardiff), Dr Andrey Varvinksiy (consultant anaesthetist, Torbay and chairman of DAS 2016 Local Organising Committee) and Mr Jonathan Cracknell (vet and Director of Animal Operations, Longleat Safari Park).

Cost is £50 per delegate. Awaiting approval for 6 CPD points. Registration is through the AWAG website (www.allwalesairwaygroup.co.uk)

We also invite the submission of abstracts via the website, relating to case reviews, surveys, audit or research relevant to airway management. Successful abstract authors will be invited to present the work as an oral or poster presentation at the meeting. Presenters of oral presentations will have their delegate registration fee reimbursed.

AWAG CICO Instructors’ Course 6th June 2016

AWAG is hosting the third UK CICO Instructors’ Course on 6th June 2016, at the Holiday Inn, The Coldra, Newport.

This one-day train-the-trainers course will cover the management of the Can’t Intubate, Can’t Oxygenate (CICO) scenario, and is aimed at consultants and senior trainees who wish to set up or contribute to CICO training in their hospital.

We are privileged to again welcome Dr Andy Heard from Perth, Australia. The algorithm and techniques he developed in the ‘Wet Lab’, are now the default strategy in Australia for dealing with the CICO scenario, and several hospitals in Wales have followed suit. This course will follow the standardised format of his train-the-trainers course in Australia. The Difficult Airway Society has suggested that hospitals wishing to use this algorithm and techniques to manage the CICO scenario should have training and equipment in place. This course covers these aspects in detail.

Spaces are strictly limited to 12 delegates, to allow a high ratio of faculty to delegates. This is an intensive course: there will be pre-course reading and assessment, and the course will conclude with summative written and practical assessment.

The cost is £300 per delegate. This price includes a meal for delegates and faculty the night before the course, and lunch and refreshments on the day. The course will run from 08:00 to 17:30. We are awaiting approval for 5 CPD points.

A limited number of rooms are available at the Holiday Inn at a conference rate of £79/night including breakfast. Delegates will need to book the room directly with Holiday Inn (01633 412777 and remain on hold to get through to the hotel reception) and quote ‘All Wales’ to obtain the conference rate.

Please visit www.allwalesairwaygroup.co.uk to register for the course