The winter seems to have come early in the NHS this year. Last weekend may have been the busiest in NHS history! What we see in acute and emergency care is mirrored in elective care. More patients are waiting than ever and since GPs are still using a high proportion of non-face-to-face appointments imaging demand is climbing disproportionately as we are being used as a surrogate for clinical examination. The ‘so what?’ for us is we will have even more work to do than ever in nuclear medicine. This on a background of tired and exhausted NHS staff is a real issue. Normally as we go into winter we know it will be tough but we are ready for it having had a decent summer break and recharge. This year is different given the last 18 months of the pandemic.
 
We need to support each other and be particularly compassionate to any people we lead. We need to guard against cracking the productivity whip or coercing people in to working lots of extra shifts. All this will do is produce burnout and people in turn leaving our community. Instead we must focus on each other’s welling being as well as the wellbeing of our patients. Fundamentally be kind. Embrace any technology that can help us deliver our jobs more effectively and be realistic in what can be achieved.  
 
The BNMS survey will be landing in your inboxes soon. This collects vital data about the state of nuclear medicine in the UK. Please take the time to complete it as we use these data for many purposes including advocating for you and our patients. The results of the survey will be published so you can reflect on it too.
 
We are making progress on technologist’s professional registration. DHSC have employed KPMG to do a review which includes professional registration so we shall make sure our voice is heard in this. Finally, thank you for all you doing for each other and our patients and I look forward to seeing you virtually at our forthcoming Autumn meeting.

Prof Richard Graham

BNMS President