BAUS 2010 Manchester

On behalf of the Council of The British Association of Urological Surgeons, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our Annual Scientific Meeting.

As always the programme features leaders in Urology from the UK and around the world and will provide you with invaluable opportunities to update your knowledge of Urology. Revalidation is nearly on us and the need for high quality CME has never been greater.

We have an address by the Medical Director of the NHS, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh on the move from Quantity to measurable Quality in the NHS, a session on circumcision, the WHO and HIV prophylaxis and a debate on the future of service delivery in Urology. Is there a need for a qualified Urologist other than a Consultant? Is it time for a CCT-holding specialist grade? How do we maintain and improve the quality of Urological services? Interactive and thought provoking, this debate is timely in anticipation of the forthcoming financial crisis in the NHS from 2011 onwards.

Due to their success in 2009, we are again delighted that the Sections of Academic Urology, Andrology & Genito-Urethral Surgery and Female, Neurological & Urodynamic Urology will be holding their respective Annual Meetings at BAUS on Monday 21 June. The Sections have also supported the Organising Committee in developing the scientific sessions during the rest of the week. I am also pleased that, on Wednesday 23 June, Professor John Fitzpatrick (Editor-in-Chief, BJU International) has, once again, agreed to lead the teaching course "How to Write a Successful Paper" which was so popular last year. The course will be free of charge to registered delegates thanks to an educational grant being made available by the BJU International to sponsor the course.

We have excellent paper and poster sessions as part of this year’s programme - printed posters will be on display in the Exhibition Hall as well as in the poster rooms where there will be the opportunity to view them for 30 minutes before the presentations begin. The unmoderated poster sessions will run at lunchtimes on Tuesday and Wednesday and will once again focus on the History of Urology. Presenters will stand beside their posters for half an hour from 13:15hr to 13:45hr so you can ask questions.

The Welcome Reception will be held in the Exhibition Hall at 18:00hr on Monday 21 June, and will provide an additional opportunity to visit the exhibition stands as well as catching up with friends and colleagues. On Wednesday 23 June BAUS will be holding a conference dinner at the spectacular Manchester Town Hall (pictured right). Please contact the registration desk about purchasing tickets (£50 each).

I would also particularly like to express our appreciation for the very generous support the Association receives for the Annual Meeting (as well as our activities more widely) from the pharmaceutical and equipment industries. I hope you will show your appreciation by visiting the stands in the Exhibition Hall during the week. We have, once again, scheduled times in to the programme to allow you to spend time visiting the exhibition.

In closing I would like to thank the Organising Committee, the BAUS Section Chairmen, Secretaries and Committee Members, our Abstract Reviewers and, in particular, our Honorary Secretary, Tim Terry, the staff in the BAUS Office – especially Joanna Woods (Events Manager) and Hannah Doyle (Events Assistant), Jill Field (Office of Education) and Bob Tolley (Exhibition Manager) for the enormous amount of work that has gone into planning this meeting.

We hope you enjoy the meeting ...