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Stop Press 830 Delegates now confirmed. Book you ticket at http://www.scpconference.com

 

Lectures at Harrogate conference

Adam,

Thank you for posting this information. I have been to the 2003 conference at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London, Brighton conference, Harrogate 2007, Bournemouth conference 2008. With the exception of 3 (off the top of my head)lectures, the lectures this year simply do not appeal to me at all, and I have decided not to go. I know of people who are going there for CPD points only! Yes, you do get CPD points but it would be nicer if we felt that we were attending lectures that we could well and truly benefit from!

Off the top of my head, using tax to survive the recession, litigation and the diabetic foot, look like excellent lectures.

Only my thoughts. It would be very interesting to see what others viewpoints on the conference are! It would be a good idea to ask members in private practise what they would like to see in the PP lectures next year.

Neil Baker's lectures, and Andrew Boulton/Mike Edmunds on diabetes are nothing short of exellent.

One thing that I am going to miss is the "eat as much as you want" in the chinese we went to in Harrogate back in 2007. Had a very nice meal with my 14 year old niece!

 

Thank you for your comments on the programme, I am attending a conference committee meeting tomorrow and will feed your comments to the Conference Chair Simon Otter.

This is the first time we have been told that members purely go to conference for the CPD points, from feedback forms from previous years we have found that the conference has scored very well on quality of the lectures and the lecturers presenting them. This year with over 40 lectures and 80 lecturers we feel the conference is catering for the ever increasing range of disciplines that podiatrists work in. For instance if you have a look at the programme on www.scpconfrence.org and then at the list below you will see some of the sessions we recommend depending on your area interest:

• Orthotic technician or Footcare Assistant: Thursday plenary 11.30am, D4, Parallel session 2 A6, B5
  
• Podiatry Manager: B6,
  
• Podiatric Surgeon: A4, B2, B7, C2, D2, Plenary Saturday 1.45pm
  
• Private Practitioner: A3, B3, D3 Motivational Speaker, Plenary Thursday 12.20pm, Private Practice Networks, Fringe meeting Friday 5.00pm
  
• Dermatology: C3, D1 B8?
  
• Footwear: A7,C7, Plenary Friday 9.30
  
• Diabetes: Plenary Thursday 11.30, Plenary Friday 9.30, B1
  
• General: All plenary, A2, A6, A9, B4, B5, B7, C4
  
• Student: A6, D5

This is not an exhaustive list and does not include the papers submitted by members and their abstracts which will have a wide appeal.

Whilst we strive to produce the best possible programme we have not neglected the other reasons members attend conference; the Podiatry Exhibition is Europe's largest Podiatry Exhibition with over 80 Exhibition stands and we are running a full social programme at the conference with plenty of opportunities for members to catch up with colleagues and network with like minded podiatrists. There will be, a wine reception, formal dinner, quiz night, main conference party and an awards lunch.

In response to you comment on asking Private Practitioners, what they want from the programme we have been working with the Society's Private Practice Committee to produce the programme since the committee was formed two years ago, I will forward your comments on to the committee.

I would like to thank you for your time in posting this thread, it is essential for us to know what members feel about the programme so we can continue to improve it. I hope that you will like next year's programme and that we will see you in Bournemouth 21-23rd October 2010.

Finally I would just like to mention that we have over 830 confirmed delegates and have nearly sold out of Exhibition space at this year's conference in Harrogate 19th-21st November. http://www.scpconference.com

 

"This is the first time we have been told that members purely go to conference for the CPD points" seriously, Adam, that is what lots of people say!

Anyway, seeing as you have very kindly had the courtesy to reply to my message, let me reply in a bit more detail:

Thursday

“State of the art lecture” Yes, but what is the subject of the state of the art lecture, you have not exactly sold yourselves very well there have you?!

Motivational speaker: it does not convince me to go.

Fellowship awards: no thanks!

Concurrent session A3 looks good.

Plenary session looks OK.

Friday:

Pain and disability in chronic gout: interesting.

Current concepts in managing diabetic foot infections: is this not a repeat from last year at Bournemouth. Surely things could not have advanced that much in 1 year!

Diabetes: B1 looks excellent.

B£ Wilde pedique looks good and (in some ways) a repeat!

C3 nails and nail tumours look good!

16.10 Plennary session: a 25 year look at sagittal plane function: is this just regurgitating theory, or any practical applications for when we go back to surgery on Monday morning?

Saturday: pp in the media. Emma Supple, lovely lady, don’t get me wrong, but how will that lecture affect how I run my business, improve clinical skills?

Adam, there are several other repeats. Homeopathy evidence base for example.

 

I will feed back to the programming committee your observations and comments regarding this year's programme.

We would appreciate your suggestions of speakers/topics which you think would be more attractive for next year's conference in Bournemouth.

Regards Adam

 

Disgruntled Pod you really are disgruntled and definitely time to give the conference a miss!

I am stunned that you can't find anything much amongst that varied programme to tickle your fancy but then again one can overdose on almost anything and perhaps this is what has happened. A year off and I bet you will be back.

I have to agree that the PP track has not lit my fuse either but I tend to find that the conference is the only place where our Pod surgeons get together and talk to the clansmen. This is where I'll be headed. I am not sure that the conference is the best place for business learning anyway but that is my opinion based on the local learning we regional SCP PP's have engaged in over recent years.

Missing a lecture or two does not harm and gives you an opportunity to view the trade show without competing with several hundred other colleagues! For a PP I would have thought this to be the most valuable part of the conference anyway. That and the networking and the guaranteed 2 day hangover.

CPD points? Whose counting?

GB

 

George,

“I am stunned that you can't find anything much amongst that varied programme to tickle your fancy”
Yes, I agree with you there, the programme is varied, but I honestly cannot see them benefiting me, a PP, on the next Monday morning after the conference! Some of them are repeats! Perhaps I have overdosed!

“A year off and I bet you will be back.” I probably will be, but if it does not appeal to me I won’t be!

I have benefitted HUGELY from previous years conferences. I have learnt small but highly significant things from Neil Baker, Louise Stuart, Michael Bennett the accountant, Chris Swaffin-Smith, and the lady who gave a talk last year on how to make your website better!

I feel that others should contribute to this debate. Adam Thomas should be highly congratulated for his efforts in organising the conferences. Maybe SCP membership should have a stronger voice on what is put into the PP track of the conference (as well as the other sessions!) and not just people who sit on committees. Then again, how many people would make their voices known? Is it the hardcore minority (sounds like hooligans!!) speaking for the complacent others (“we don’t care!”). SCP provide the annual conference as a service to members, but unless SCP management are told what we want, how can they prepare in advance?

Perhaps all SCP branches, PP network facilitators should be asking local members in September, what they would like to see for the Bournemouth 2010 conference! This would give plenty of time for feedback to go to the society and planning started on topics so delegates felt that they were well and truly benefitting!

Just my viewpoint!!

 

Re: Lectures at Harrogate conference

Hi
Many thanks for your comments, the organising committee work hard to try and get as broad an appeal as possible and some responses to your message suggest we have succeeded in this. It would however be much more useful to know what type of topics you feel are missing so we can look to include them in future events
Kind Regards
Simon Otter (Conference Chair)

 

Adam/George/Simon,

My 9.30 patient yesterday was a diabetic lady, and I was gobsmacked at the "limited" medication that she was on, considering her age and diabetic status. Following Louise Stuart's EXCELLENT lecture at Bournemouth last year, I had the confidence to ask the patient and her daughter if she is allergic to a drug group called statins. They were not aware that that has cropped up in the past. I then said that in my viewpoint, the next time that they see the GP, they ask if she could be put on BP tablets and statins, and if not, a reasonable explanation as to why not!

That was a small but highly significant thing that I learnt from Bournemouth 2008! Not just CPD points but I learnt something that I could apply. I have applied this several times since then!

 

I'm certainly looking forward to going! Apart from the speakers its always nice to see old friends and new ones. The trade exhibition is usually interesting as well. I'm hoping to see alex Catto do his sales pitch (as made famous by Dave smith in the best post ever)!

Regards
Robert

 

Rob,

Hopefully I can avoid you in Harrogate as I may owe you a crate of real ale by then...

Ian

 

Mead, Ian, Mead. I'm not a fan of real ale!

Won't be in time anyway. Next month will be post modernist biomechanics. Month after will be the one on "overpronation" and we won't get the outraged letters til the month after that.

Regards
Robert

 

Dear George
Thank you for your response. However, it would be even more helpful for us to know what you would like to see at future conferences (planning for 2010 is already underway!!!) rather than simply a critique of this year's program. Even though the conference committee fully engages with all the specialist interest groups and Faculties within the Society, we do like to have as clearer idea as possible of what is most attractive about the conference to the wider membership.

If I may I would like to take this opportunity to respond to some of your questions.

We have only just received the full title for the State of the Art lecture. Prof Jeffcoate will discuss:
"Can we really halve the number of major amputations in diabetes by 2012?"

You may wish to look up Adrian Webster on the internet & see if his website provides you with a better flavour

Regarding Dr Lipsky, his session is not a repeat of last year. My understanding having spoken with him is that he hopes to present new international guidelines for infection management in the diabetic foot.

You should also be assured that we do ask our plenary speakers to include practical applications that members can utilise in their clinics as we recognice this is a key reason why so many members attend.

Finally, some of the 'repeats' have been requested by various special interest groups, as with so much going on not all delegates could get to see everything they wanted to last year - particularly in the more practically orientated workshops.

I hope this additional information is helpful for all

Best Wishes
Simon Otter (Conference Chair)

 

Hi Simon

George is not in the least bit disgruntled; I think it is Disgruntled Pod you want.

As I stated earlier, in the conference organisers defence, that the lectures perhaps are not the priority for many private practitioners anyway. Each delegate who attends the conference has an entirely different agenda. Perhaps a question on the feedback sheet if its not already there - "why did you attend the 2009 Conference?" I bet a handful will state CPD points but not many.

My priorities lie (as stated before) in catching up with the world of Pod Surgery, updating the tools of the trade and having a few beers with mates I haven't seen in years. Anything else is a bonus.

Where else in the UK can you cost and quality compare at least 8 different company's nail clippers, tungsten carbide drill heads and disposable tools all under one roof?

One of Disgruntled's problems was the PP track. Now how on earth do you satisfy a group of people whose work and practices are as varied as they are? Who will not share "trade secrets" and seldom cooperate as a whole to identify trends and market opportunities? And have it all organised to pinpoint lecture content at point of marketing.

If you can do that you are one helluva a conference organiser.

Hopefully Disgruntled Pod may appreciate what an uphill struggle it is to organise a conference?

GB

 

“Each delegate who attends the conference has an entirely different agenda.” True!
“Where else in the UK can you cost and quality compare at least 8 different company's nail clippers, tungsten carbide drill heads and disposable tools all under one roof?” Excellent point!
“Now how on earth do you satisfy a group of people whose work and practices are as varied as they are? Who will not share "trade secrets" and seldom cooperate as a whole to identify trends and market opportunities? And have it all organised to pinpoint lecture content at point of marketing.” True!

“If you can do that you are one helluva a conference organiser.
Hopefully Disgruntled Pod may appreciate what an uphill struggle it is to organise a conference?”

True!

George you make excellent, highly valid points! Simon, you have sold yourselves better now!