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New RCEM Scotland Vice President begins term

1 October 2020

Dr John Thomson has officially taken up the post of Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (Scotland).

Dr Thomson, an Emergency Medicine Consultant and Divisional Clinical Director at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian, officially takes up the role today, after winning the ballot held in 2017. He has previously served as Vice Chair of the RCEM Scotland Board and replaces outgoing Vice President Dr David Chung, who completed a highly successful three-year term.

Dr John-Paul Loughrey, Emergency Medicine Consultant at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, succeeds Dr Thomson as the Scottish Board’s new Vice Chair after successfully winning a ballot held this month.

Dr Thomson said “As I start my tenure as Vice President (Scotland) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, I would firstly like to record my thanks to my predecessor, David Chung, for all his hard work and tireless promotion of our specialty. In this ‘Living with COVID-19’ era, and particularly as we are seeing an increase in infections once again, it is more important than ever that we do not allow our Emergency Departments to become crowded once again, increasing the risks to both patients and staff. It has never been acceptable for patients to wait in corridors, and with a real focus on infection prevention & control measures, this is now better understood by other parts of the system.”

“We must continue to focus on the detrimental impact of “exit block” on our ability to deliver high quality and timely care to all our patients, and ensure that sustainable solutions are found to retain capacity in our healthcare system such that Emergency Departments are no longer the safety net for the system but remain the safety net for our patients. I look forward to listening to, and working with colleagues in Emergency Departments across the country to continue to improve the experience of our patients and staff working in our world-class Emergency Departments”

The College is pleased to welcome Dr Thomson and Dr Loughrey and wishes them every success in their new roles.

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