It comes to this time of the year when people give each other presents. Sometimes these are good for example I myself never decry a pair of socks without holes! Some promise a lot but by the time you can liberate it from its packaging it turns out to be a disappointment. This year we have all been promised everything we could possibly want, trains that run on time and are almost free, free ultrafast broadband and of course more Police and Nurses though strangely some of them are working at present which does push the definition of “more” somewhat. All this will be paid for from some moneys which seems to have been stuffed down the back of the government’s sofa or just borrowed. Maybe government ministers will busk on the tube to raise money. I can imagine the Secretary of State for Health in Piccadilly tube station playing a violin with a hat and a cardboard sign on which is written “Please give, 40 new hospitals to build” though of course the number 40 has been crossed out and the number 6 added in pencil. When asked why the difference the minister will say that it was an insignificant accounting error.

Of course what ever happens on general election day (I am writing this on December 11^th) by the time you will be reading this all those promises will have evaporated. So what can we look forward to in the world of nuclear medicine. There are a few things, we would be looking for more patients to have Ga-68 PSMA or F-18 PSMA scans paid for by NHS England, we should have the results of the EPOCH trial using SIRT in metastatic colon cancer. Assuming whoever wins the election does not tank the economy some of you will get to work with new gamma cameras, SPECT-CT and PET-CT. Some of you who have dedicated your working life to delivering nuclear medicine services to your patients will decide it is time to retire and we thank you all for your service. New blood will come into the profession in all craft groups bring new ideas and enthusiasm.

After the traditional over eating binge there needs to be some serious abstract writing so you share your research and audits with your colleagues in Liverpool. The deadline for sending that abstract is the end of January so make sure you do not miss the deadline.

On a different note the RNT group is one of the livelier groups in the BNMS and has lots of Rs and lots of Ts but very few Ns. Therefore if you have a nurse working in your department please encourage them to join we need more nursing import especially as the therapy work becomes more important and we really need there views in our Society.

If you celebrate Christmas may it be joyous. If you do not celebrate Christmas I hope you get some days off to be with your loved ones and for all of you I wish you a very happy 2020.

Dr John Buscombe

BNMS President