Well the barmy days of summer now seem so long ago. The world moves forward, and we are heading into the second wave of COVID-19. We do not know how long this will last but it could be 3-6 months. What must be a priority is non-COVID patients must be seen and treated in a safe way and without delay. We have updated our recovery guidelines with some ideas how out-patient therapies can be done safely within nuclear medicine and we hope this is useful. We in the NHS will need to learn how to live in a COVID world. We may not be able to do everything, but we need to do everything we can.

Due to COVID the government is planning to extend professional registration through the HCPC to more health professionals. The BNMS believe this should include nuclear medicine technologists. We have secured support from various professional bodies, but an Act of Parliament is needed. This is planned but we need to ensure Nuclear Medicine Technologists are included. Here I need the help of every BNMS member and every colleague who works in nuclear medicine who is not a member. This is an issue that affects all of us not just technologists. By now you may have received a letter from me asking you to write to your MP. This is now an essential step and Jilly Croasdale has kindly provided an outline letter you can personalise. Without your support nothing will happen.

It is October so it must be Brexit time again. At the present time it looks as though we are heading into a no deal scenario. We hope this is not the case, but we foresee an extra issue we did not have in 2019.  At that time, it was possible for companies to fly radiopharmaceuticals into a variety of regional airports within the UK using the cargo capacity in passenger aircraft. However, due to COVID-19 the situation is now very different. Most UK commercial airliners are either in a field in Gloucestershire or have been sent to Arizona to be broken up. The pilots have been sacked and pilot Sainsbury delivery vans around Berkshire and Surrey and not Airbus A320s. This could lead to potential delivery issues. We will continue to monitor the situation.

At the AGM last month those present voted that I should continue as President till the next AGM in May 2021 but there will be elections for the next President-Elect in early 2021. You need to think whether you or someone you know would be the correct person. There are a few requirements listed on the BNMS website but remember our President does not need to be medically qualified, but they do need to have a passion for nuclear medicine.

Dr John Buscombe

BNMS President