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National Pathology Week

by Katy Cooper, Joe O’Meara, Gilbert Wieringa

National Pathology week is about publicising laboratory medicine’s contribution to health and healthcare delivery. The focus is on people and patients not ourselves. It is about us coming together as one voice, helping to unravel some of the mysteries behind the services we provide. ACB Executive asked Gilbert Wieringa, Joe O’Meara (ACB Government Affairs Officer), and Katy Cooper (Chairman of the ACB Trainees Committee) to ensure our members get involved in this valuable project which has been initiated by the Royal College of Pathologists. The enthusiasm from the membership has been fantastic and as we go towards Autumn the number of events and level of support is increasing at a high pace.

Events during the week

Over Spring the College and ACB have been gathering ideas from you on events to hold during the week. The NPW website shows a list of the events registered with the college (weblink www.rcpath.org/index.asp) and our own web site shows the latest updates. If you are organising an event please share this on the ACB mail base or let the trainees committee know (trainees-webmaster@ACB.org.uk). All planned events will be publicised in regular updates on the ACB web site.

Events can be as grand or as simple as you like. Ideas already being put into action include:
• A promotional afternoon at the House of Commons offering MPs access to front line services, posters and displays of laboratory medicine in action
• Interviews on local radio stations and local news papers.
• Promotional/demonstration stands at schools/university careers fairs, shopping centres that include visual displays/posters/videos, case studies, access to LabTests Online.
• Talks/ workshops held in key locations such as SHAs, PCT offices
• Hosting interactive clinical case discussions (in the lab, if possible) that include e.g. use of microscopes, examples of latest advances in technology,
• Tours of laboratories for general public, university/medical students, school children, GPs/consultants, nurses, allied health professionals, other healthcare scientists. This could take the form of following a sample (e.g. blood, tissue) through the laboratory promoting the roles of the staff before, during and after analysis.
• Publicity material in GP waiting rooms, out patients clinics, pharmacies, diagnostics centers in primary care with, for example with a ‘What happens to my sample?’ theme with lab staff in attendance.

ACB trainees have been key in coming forward with ideas, all together they provide platforms for local instigation. Regional representatives are organising public stand events across UK. The locations and details of these events will be widely publicised during August.

Information requests

If you would like more information please go to the NPW website at www.nationalpathologyweek.org. Or you can contact the RCPath organisers caroline.shaw@rcpath.org and ruth.semple@rcpath.org, or the ACB’s team - Joe O’Meara Government.Officer@acb.org.uk, Katy Cooper chair.traineecom@acb.org.uk and Gilbert Wieringa Gilbert.Wieringa@christie.nhs.uk