Reflections from My First Week as SCTS President
From the President
24 March 2025
I am writing at the close of my first week as President of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, and what a remarkable start it has been. Our Annual Meeting was a celebration of clinical excellence, educational innovation, and a vibrant, joyful atmosphere. I’d like to extend my thanks once again to all past Presidents, our dedicated meeting team, faculty, patients, industry partners, and everyone who contributed to such a successful and inspiring event.
Throughout the conference, I made it a priority to engage with as many areas of the Society as possible, meeting delegates, members of the public, students, and sponsors, while also spending valuable time with colleagues I’ll be working closely with. It was a fantastic opportunity not only to share ideas but to listen, and to ask people directly what they want from SCTS as we look to the future.
There were many highlights. I was particularly inspired by our invited speakers and the breadth of impressive work on display. Sir Clive Woodward’s reflections on “Teamship”, time-keeping, and the winning behaviours that build high-performing teams resonated strongly. I was also energised by the NAHP group, whose sessions I don’t often attend but found rich with insight, energy, and ambition.
At the University Day, we explored areas for improvement — including the international progress in lung transplantation. Despite reasonable funding, UK services continue to lag. The barriers are undoubtedly complex, but it seems that factors such as limited super-specialisation, cultural attitudes, and the direction of resources are at play.
The following day, I returned to my hospital to reconnect with my team, review patients, and take part in our excellent weekly teaching session, before heading to London.
Within the SCTS Leadership Team, there is a shared sense of urgency to push our specialty forward. With the forthcoming restructuring of NHS England, we have a real opportunity to provide strong clinical leadership, setting out care pathways that a leaner, more agile administration can support, free from excessive bureaucracy.
At the Royal College of Surgeons of England, I met with leaders from other surgical specialties to better understand how their associations are structured and resourced. I also had the pleasure of meeting Tim Mitchell, President of the RCS England. We ended the day with a walk through Holborn, past Covent Garden and into the West End, where we each met our daughters for different plays — a fitting and personal end to a day centred on collaboration and shared purpose.
I chaired my first SCTS Leadership Team meeting, a weekly fixture addressing a wide range of issues, from urgent concerns such as supply chain challenges to medium and long term planning around practice, education, engagement, and funding.
My first practical change was to move this meeting into the working day. This small but important step respects modern working lives supports work–life balance, and encourages broader participation, especially from colleagues with family or caring responsibilities. I made the same change during my time leading the Thoracic Surgery Committee, and with the support of colleagues, it proved to improve engagement, effectiveness, and energy.
During the meeting, joined by our lay representative Sarah Murray, I gave my first presentation as President. I outlined our aspirations for the next two years: to further professionalise the Society’s operations, now that we are a significantly larger charity, thereby freeing clinical leaders to focus on what we do better, such as guideline development; to strengthen patient involvement; to increase fundraising; and to significantly enhance our digital presence and engagement.
These priorities all serve one purpose: to improve patient outcomes and enhance the working lives of our members.
We will now begin broader discussions with our Trustees, membership, and the public as we shape a clear and deliverable implementation plan.
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