AfPP annual residential conference

At this year’s AfPP event, choices could be made between leadership, emotional intelligence, human factors, pre-assessment, anaesthetics, theatre utilisation, surgical site infection, patient warming, recovery and never events. It was an excellent programme over two days with inspiring speakers and high value content to suit all levels of knowledge and experience. There was a small exhibition which ran alongside the education and added value to all the proceedings. The exhibition included many medical device companies and also publishers, organisations who were recruiting - such as the Royal Navy, charities and the three main sponsors, Unisurge, 3M and Distinctive Medical. 

The conference has grown out of the small lecture theatre and now takes more space with access to larger auditoriums, where the keynote speakers and plenary sessions were held.  A few of the plenary sessions will be highlighted, among many others available on the programme. Delegates learnt how to takes charge of their own health, both mental and physical in order to stay on top of the complexities of modern healthcare delivery. 

There was a keynote session designed by former BBC presenter, Penny Haslam, to enable greater self-confidence, which was a good opening session. She encouraged us by showing different techniques to combat anxiety, kick imposter syndrome into touch and to manage tricky interpersonal dynamics within our teams. There can be few delegates who would not need some aspect of this presentation at some time in their career! Penny shared her own personal methods of building self confidence in a most engaging way and got conference off to a great beginning.