Chairman’s introduction

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the conference website and the 2010 conference of the College of Emergency Medicine, which is themed to encourage exchanges of advances in emergency care from military experience with civilian best practice.

We have selected a world class venue, the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, which has additional resonance with the military as the city is the focus for the definitive care of sick and injured Service personnel brought home from overseas duty.

In 2009 the Healthcare Commission published an evaluation of the UK’s Defence Medical Services and identified the care of the injured Serviceman as “exemplary”. This conference is a key event in response to the Commission’s challenge to share clinical experience from the deployed environment and is well positioned to help shape the national imperative to develop our major trauma systems.

We have a diverse programme to accommodate a wide range of emergency care topical issues, together with a series of innovative clinical simulations to stretch your abilities in the most challenging of situations. There is also a military theme to the social programme, with entertainment from a marching military band (“Beating the Retreat”), a cocktail party and a regimental-style dinner.

You can register your interest on the attached form so we can keep you informed as the programme matures. If you have good practice to share we will welcome an abstract—the initial call for abstracts will be in November 2009. 

Yours sincerely,

Tim

Colonel TJ Hodgetts CBE QHP
Defence Professor of Emergency Medicine, College of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Organising Committee