GIRSIG 2004

NATIONAL EVENTS

GIRSIG 2004 – Conference Organiser’s Report

Conference Organiser’s report
The Role of Barium Enema in the Diagnosis of Colo-Rectal Cancer
Borders Colon Service – Triage of Referrals
Collaborative Practice – working together to feed the growth of the future
Radiographer Managed Paediatric Micturating Cystography
Poster Abstracts

  • To show that an increase in radiographer involvement in the barium service reduced waiting times at Sunderland NHS Trust
  • Use of a tin filter for lateral decubitus projections in double contrast barium enema: image Quality and potential dose reduction Compared to use of secondary radiation grids
  • Citramag bowel preparation for double contrast barium enema: A 5 year audit cycle
  • Towards a Radiographer led Gastro-Intestinal Radiology Service in York
  • Development of a Low Dose Fluoroscopy Technique to Image the Paediatric Pelvis

Presenters Profiles

  • Dr Kay East. Chief Health Professions Officer, Department of Health
  • Ingrid Walker, Radiology Divisional Manager, South Tees NHS Trust
  • Nick Clarke / Gill Gibbard / Tia Hollis
  • Andrea Owen
  • Rob Law
  • GI / Fluoroscopy Consultant Radiographer – Frenchay Hospital, Bristol
  • Dr Maxine Power
  • Professor Peter Hogg
  • Professor M G Bramble MD FRCP
  • Dr Geoff Naisby

Conference Organiser’s Report

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This year the conference was held at the Blackwell Grange Hotel, Darlington on 11 – 12 September. Hosting the conference does rely on willing volunteers to organise the event in their own time, and I certainly had a lot of help from colleagues in my own department and from other radiographers within the Northern Region, with particular thanks to Liz Judson, Pat Conlon and Faye Bibbings. Thanks also to the following companies who sponsored the conference E-Z-EM, Guerbet, Sanochemia, Agfa, Siemens and Philips.

On the weekend of the conference I was so grateful for all of those people who pitched in sorting out programmes, all the freebies and any of the problems that arose. My particular thanks goes to Gary Culpan, who came to the rescue with the audio-visual equipment. To cap it all on that Saturday, I just could not believe when the fire bell went off just as we sat down to dinner! I was sure that someone was just playing a joke. The food and hotel staff came in for very high praise, and I must say the food throughout the whole weekend was excellent both in quality and quantity.

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The committee had decided that the conference themes should reflect, the 4- tier structure in Fluoroscopy and GI radiology, GI radiographer role development, and the influence of the Government’s modernising agenda. Major conferences are the ideal opportunity to debate the wider picture, as we are only able to get together in such large numbers at these events. It was felt that with Agenda for Change looming it was important to debate a number of issues that may influence the progression of radiographers with GI / Fluoroscopy. For example, how will we compare with other radiographers involved in role development and advance practice? Will radiographers who perform enemas be recognised for their skills? What will the future hold for GI radiographers in the face of developments such as CT Colonography? Will the barium enema become redundant? Are there new fields of role development which GI / Fluoroscopy radiographers move into? Will the position of radiographers within Fluoroscopy be threatened with the introduction of Assistant Practitioners?

Agenda For Change can be downloaded as a PDF file.

However, we have taken note from the delegates that perhaps there is a need to provide more clinically based study days. This may be because some GI radiographers are not able to access clinical training and education as easily as others.

We were delighted to have as our keynote speaker Kay East, the Chief Health Professions Officer. Her presentation was centred on the national agenda and modernisation of the NHS, and Allied Health Professionals role development.

We certainly now have a champion in Kay, as she has demonstrated by including two short articles on GIRSIG in the October and November issues of the Allied Health Professions Bulletin. You can access the bulletin via the Department of Health Website.

The programme contained a good level of clinical content with four GI / Fluoroscopy radiographers presenting their work to a national audience, either in presentation or poster format. On the Saturday, the successful candidates presented their case studies on audit of practice and service developments within their respective Trusts. The case studies were not just barium enemas, and this emphasizes the diversity of roles that GI radiographers are involved in. GI radiographer role development has evolved rapidly over the last ten years, and the opportunities that the four presenters have grasped may have seemed to have had little in common with the some of the delegates who were at the early stages of GI role development. But it will probably be the future for some of those delegates, especially if the numbers of enemas performed falls due the use of CT Colonography.

There was a good entry for the poster section. Dr East and Gary Culpan judged the poster submissions, with prizes being awarded for 1st and 2nd places to Liz Judson and Sue Rimes. Well done.

The four workshops, with delegates being able to attend two, were very successful. The people who kindly ran the workshops had, in some cases, stipulated maximum numbers in order for delegates to get the best out of the sessions. So, unfortunately the numbers had to be restricted.

The swallowing workshop by Maxine Power dealt with normal and abnormal swallowing, and was extremely interesting and informative not only for those GI radiographers already involved in videofluoroscopy swallows, but also those contemplating moving into this area of role development.

Research and publishing is something that most of are not as involved as we should be. Peter Hogg provided the delegates with an insight into the importance of publishing our work in that it adds value to our work and that we have a responsibility to share our practice. Those of us who attended his workshop felt it was extremely valuable and helped allay some of the fears that we have towards publishing.

The feedback overall from the delegates was that they thought the conference was a success. Once again, all my thanks to everyone involved in organising the conference, to those who presented and to all the delegates who attended for making it such a successful event.

Rosalind Waugh
GIRSIG Conference 2004 Organiser.

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