The ReCaP Study is an ACPGBI endorsed sub-study of the IMPACT Audit. IMPACT aims to improve standards in MDT management of patients with locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer in the UK.

ReCaP will study decision-making and strategy for patients with rectal cancer, which will progress to a formal longitudinal cohort study to assess both the long term oncological and patient centred effects of the pandemic. There will be four phases:

1. UK multi-centre audit of MDT decision-making
2. Short-term outcomes and patient experience
3. Three-year QoL
4. Data linkage

Register your interest here

Further details: IMPACT.ReCaP1@gmail.com

Follow the study on Twitter: @IMPACT_ReCaP

The RCSEng COVID Research Group has been set up to share ideas, collaborate and support research activity being carried out. The group aims to assist in study design and recruitment, and the identification of funding opportunities. If you have ideas for new studies the group would like to hear from you.

More information and research projects are here

This broadcast from the ICENI Centre is presented by Fraser Smith, Consultant surgeon at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital. It also includes: an MDT case discussion of a near complete clinical response and how to deal with uncertainty; and critical comment by Tan Arulampalam and Greg Wynn.

There is a feedback form for viewers to post questions relating to the content of this series. Answers from the key speaker and/or consultant Greg Wynn are uploaded to the website on the final day of each month.

View the broadcast here

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every surgical trainee in some way whether that be in a professional or personal manner. There have been significant changes to surgical services and the clinical working environment, and many trainees have been redeployed and required to work outside their usual scope of practice.

The joint letter from ASiT and the 15 surgical trainee speciality associations regarding COVID-19 vowed to closely monitor its impact on surgical trainees and their training. During and after the pandemic has settled, real-world data will be a powerful and essential tool to advocate for trainees and influence training during the recovery phase.

So ASiT have collaborated with The Dukes’ Club, BSoT, PLASTA, AOT, Herrick Society, Roux Group, SCTS, BNTA, Mammary Fold, TriPS, BAPS, OMFS FiT and Rouleaux Club to design this survey to measure the impact of the COVID-19 situation on UK surgical training.

The survey is quick and important task to do – please take part!

Complete the survey here

CovidSurg Steering Group would like to invite you to join CovidSurg, an international collaboration of surgeons and anesthetists. CovidSurg is an observational study of patients who undergo surgery with either suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection (either before or after surgery). Cases can be entered either prospectively or retrospectively. Authorship will follow the GlobalSurg/ ESCP Cohort Studies model, with all collaborators will be recognised with PubMed-indexed collaborative co-authorship on any resulting papers (example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29452941). In addition, CovidSurg will run a series of further studies, including global hospital-level surveys to track the impact of COVID-19 on patients, hospitals, and healthcare staff.

In the 48 hours since registration opened there have been 450 registrations from across 55 countries. One centre (Massachusetts General Hospital) has already received Institutional Review Board approval! In view of the urgency of the pandemic we anticipate many review boards/ ethics committees may be able to expedite approvals.

To get involved, please register here

A draft protocol and case report form is available from https://globalsurg.org/covidsurg/. Regular updates will be posted on this website.

The GI COS study aims to produce an agreed core outcome set for the recovery of bowel function after gastrointestinal surgery and surgical disease.  We hope this will help standardise the design and reporting of studies in these important areas.

They are inviting surgeons and healthcare professionals around the world to take part and ask you to complete three short surveys over the next 6 months to explore your opinions of outcomes used in research of ileus and small bowel obstruction. The surveys are simple to navigate and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete online. They offer collaborator status to anybody who completes all three surveys.

If you are interested, please follow this link to access some further information about the study and the people who are organising it. You will also find directions on how to provide consent and complete the first survey.

We have supported junior members against the invocation of desirable criteria in ST3 applications for general surgery and having discussions with specialty trainee organisations regarding the impact of COVID-19 on peri-CCT trainees. A statement regarding this will follow shortly.

Should you have some downtime, please consider participating in the ASiT Robotic Surgery and Surgical Training Survey.

The Dukes’ Club advocates for colorectal trainees through ASiT’s seat on various national bodies and committees and we will continue to do so through these uncertain times.

The Dukes’ Club Weekend 2020

We have provisionally rearranged the Annual Dukes’ Club Weekend to the 27-29th November 2020 at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel. All refunds for the April weekend have been processed through Eventbrite.

We will continue to monitor the evolving situation with regards to Coronavirus COVID-19 and will continue to work with and seek guidance from the ACPGBI council.

We have decided to permanently move the Annual Dukes’ Weekend to a winter event to better align ourselves strategically with other courses and conferences which may be of value and interest to our members.

The Dukes’ Club Executive Committee

The tenure of the current committee will be extended by 6 months to November 2020. Miss Deena Harji will formally hand over to Mr Peter Vaughan-Shaw in November 2020. A new committee will be elected in keeping with our constitution in November 2020 and will be in post till November 2021.

Dukes/Intuitive Robotic Travelling Fellowships

Given the recent limitations on international travel we will not be offering the Dukes/Intuitive Robotic Travelling Fellowships until the restrictions on travel are lifted.

The Dukes’ Club Virtual Educational Strategy

The Dukes’ Club is committed to delivering high quality educational content to all its members. We will be launching our virtual educational strategy in June 2020 to deliver high quality, online, interactive educational content to our members.

We would like to thank the ACPGBI, our sponsors, faculty members for The Dukes’ Club weekend and The Dukes’ Club 2019/20 executive committee for their support and commitment during these uncertain times. We would encourage our trainees to stand together in our collective response to this unprecedented situation. We will continue to work with our collaborative partners, including ACPGBI and ASiT on ensuring the most up to date information is available to our trainees.

Miss Deena Harji, President
Mr Peter Vaughan-Shaw, Vice President
Mr Henry Ferguson, Past President

This episode features Professor Gina Brown’ lecture on MRI assessment of the mesorectum: What are the factors that change outcome? With an MDT discussion and presentation from Professor Crafa of the General & Oncologic Surgery Unit, San Giuseppe Moscati National Hospital, Avellino and expert comment from Consultant Greg Wynn and Professor Tan Arulampalam.

Please follow the link to view for FREE now:

https://icenicentre.org/courses/controversies-in-rectal-cancer-series/online-broadcast-2/

Note: After the success of Broadcast 1 and the feedback received, we have added a section on the feedback form for viewers to post questions relating to the content of this series. Answers from the key speaker and/or Consultant Greg Wynn can be viewed on The ICENI Centre’s website, to be uploaded on the final day of each month.

During the course, delegates including medical students, foundation year doctors and core surgical trainees practised basic surgical and laparoscopic skills.

We would like to thank Ethicon, the clinical skills centre and the postgraduate medical centre at Addenbrookes Hospital for their support in running this course.