Dr Eddie Morris writes to the membership
I hope very much that over the holiday period you were able to get some downtime and were able to be with your family and friends.
For me, this Christmas was a strange mix of work, covering colleagues and limited social engagements (all, as with other households, doing lateral flow tests daily). While it definitely felt better than last year, it has been overshadowed by the looming prospect of a huge wave of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Something that we are now deeply in.
Presidents communicated most days over the Christmas period, sharing their insights and experiences, and making sure that we are as prepared as possible for what is coming. We have also continued to meet with Steve Powis, Medical Director of NHSE/I, Chris Whitty, our CMO, and Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser for DHSC, where we are afforded the opportunity to directly discuss the main issues facing all our specialties. We also get valuable epidemiological and operational insights that help us plan our functions as Colleges in the ways we support you and those that you care for.
A good example is the joint RCOG/DHSC vaccination in pregnancy campaign, launched this week. As President, supported by CMO, CSA and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, I have been reinforcing the message to the system that O&G are front door specialties and this has been instrumental in increasing support and resources to our speciality for the coming months.
Here is a letter written by myself, Professor Chris Whitty and Professor Lucy Chappell who wish to demonstrate their full support to the profession during this time and to thank you for all you are doing.
If you have suggestions about ways to alleviate the pressures, please contact us. We would be happy to listen and feed these back to our colleagues in government and the NHS.