Dr John-Paul (JP) Loughrey’s term as RCEM Vice President Scotland concludes in Spring 2025. At this point the current Vice Chair Scotland Dr Fiona Hunter take over. Which means her role as Vice Chair becomes vacant.
The Vice Chair is a vital role, and the successful candidate will support Dr Hunter in her work representing members in Scotland and the EM specialty.
Having sought nominations, we have two candidates vying for the position.
Dr Jayne McLaren, EM Consultant NHS Ayrshire and Arran and RCEM Scotland Board Rep for the West of Scotland
And
Dr Krishna Murthy, EM Consultant NHS Lothian and RCEM Scotland Board Rep for the South East of Scotland.
They were each asked to provide a statement of no more than 300 words which can be read below.
The result will be decided via an election which is being hosted by Civica on behalf of the College.
The vote will open on Wednesday 4 December 2024 and will run until 18 December 2024.
Members who qualify to vote in this election will receive an email from Civica on Wednesday 4 December with details on the candidates and instructions on the voting process.
Emergency Medicine in recent years has been extremely challenging. It feels we are currently in the most difficult circumstances we have ever faced. Having trained in Scotland, I have worked as an EM consultant in a busy DGH in Ayrshire since 2016. In Ayrshire we have focussed on staff wellbeing, working to improve working patterns and the staff environment, something which I am keen to support nationally. As Clinical Lead for our ED I have navigated through the tricky and ever changing world of the last four years. Communication, listening and relationship building, while still taking decisive action have been key and these are some of the skills I would bring to the Vice Chair role.
We must prioritise staff wellbeing, then patient safety, quality of care and education. Despite all the challenges there is numerous examples of excellent care in all of our EDs and I would look to find and share these, promoting connections between staff groups and departments. I would advocate for increased EM training numbers to alleviate gaps from LTFT training, something our Paediatric colleagues have already achieved.
I would welcome the opportunity to continue serving on the Scottish Board of the College as Vice Chair, having been the regional representative for South East Scotland for the last 5 years. During that time, our specialty has been under extraordinary strain with Emergency Departments across Scotland experiencing long waiting times for assessment, stacked ambulances and exit block. Despite continued pressure from the current VP, Chair and Board members, there is still a lot of work to be done in making work within our specialty sustainable in the long term for our members, fellows, staff, and patients. My clinical practice in Edinburgh covers both the adult and paediatric services, so I am aware of the challenges faced in delivering care across the age spectrum.
If I were to be successful in becoming Vice Chair, I would look to support the Vice President in demanding change at the highest level, with improved resources for both our own departments, and those services that impact our ability to deliver excellent care. I have seen that the role provides a platform to deliver members’ views and concerns to the general public through various forms of media as well as to those with the power to affect change in government. I would be an advocate for excellence in training in Emergency Medicine throughout Scotland, as well as supporting the ability of our departments to conduct world standard research despite the current pressures.
