In her first blog as RCOG President, Dr Alison Wright sets out her priorities to support doctors, modernise services and build partnerships, with a focus on training, innovation, and collaboration to improve care for women.
Happy New Year!
I do hope you managed some time off over the festive period, despite the demands on us all.
I’m delighted to be working together with all of you, as President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
As a frontline clinician, I know first-hand, that the challenges currently facing our speciality are huge; a burnt-out workforce, rota gaps, increasing pressures on maternity services, and nearly three quarters of a million women waiting for gynaecological care.
These issues matter deeply to me and to the College, and together we can, and must do better.
My presidency over the next three years will focus on: supporting our doctors, modernising maternity and gynaecology, and building partnerships and collaboration, nationally and internationally.
Supporting our doctors to improve care for women will be my primary focus for the next three years.
I strongly believe that the best way to improve maternity safety and women’s health, is to support you, the Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, providing that care, wherever you are in the world, and at every stage of your career.
This will be through training, innovation, collaboration and care.
A crucial part of supporting our doctors is to improve training, so that all our members are provided with the appropriate tools and confidence to deliver safe, high-quality care.
Scanning will be one of my key priorities, delivering the ultrasound training that trainees are asking for, and providing high quality ultrasound scans for women, to improve diagnoses and outcomes.
Our brilliant O&G Surgical Training programme will continue in 2026, which you can read about here.
Our trainees want more training in gynaecological surgery; too many women wait too long for gynaecological surgery; so improving surgical skills and providing surgery to more women will be a ‘win-win’.
I want our College to be a significant supporter of the NHS’s ambitions to modernise over the coming years. Equally we want to support you as front line clinicians to get the most from innovations such as AI in ultrasound scanning, robotics and surgical training. AI is already democratising women’s access to resources to support their informed choices, and we must ensure that these innovations are evidence based and clinically-led.
Building national and international partnerships will also be at the heart of my Presidency. Through collaboration, we can drive improvements and further our objectives, including working with key players in government, the RCM, FIGO and others, including all the amazing women’s health organisations based in our Union Street building.
But of course, by far, the most important partnership is the one between the College and you, our Fellows and Members.
Along with my team of Vice Presidents, I am absolutely committed to working with you, and for you, making sure your College listens to you, and supports you to deliver the best possible care for women.
I am extremely lucky to be serving alongside Sherif Abdel-Fattah, Jenny Barber, Sujeewa Fernando, Andrew Leather and Melanie Tipples, each of whom bring expertise, passion and commitment to their roles and to driving progress over the next three years.
I am genuinely optimistic about the future of our specialty, partly because I am an optimist by nature, but more importantly because I see the energy, commitment, and dedication of you all, our incredible membership, every day.
Please know that that your College cares about you and will provide you with the support you need to make a positive difference.
Through training, innovation, collaboration and care, we will support each other to improve outcomes for women.
- Find out more about Dr Alison Wright here.