Chair's Update Autumn 2017

Were you at the BSA’s annual conference in Harrogate at the end of June?  If you were I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  If you weren’t you missed a treat of scientific talks, posters, commercial exhibitors, Special Interest Group sessions, networking, friendship and our 50^th anniversary celebrations with Prosecco!  We were particularly delighted and honoured that one of our founding fathers, Arthur Boothroyd , was able to join us virtually with a pre-recorded message and interview. When asked what he thought  were the most significant developments in audiology in the last 50 years he said oto-acoustic emissions and  immittance measurements.  Can you imagine our clinical practice without these inventions?  I wonder what the next 50 years has in store for the BSA and the wider audiology community?

I really want to thank all our exhibitors and particularly our gold sponsors, Oticon and Otometrics without whom the conference wouldn’t be possible.  Thank you also to the sponsors of the 50^th anniversary celebration evening, ENT and Audiology News, Phonak, and Amplifon.  Thank you too for the organising committee and all the hard work they put in under the leadership of Siobhan Brennan.  The success of the conference was largely due to your excellent planning and choice of speakers.

Planning has already started for the next BSA annual conference which next year will be in Brighton.  Please consider presenting your research as a poster or as an aural presentation.  Certainly please plan to attend the meeting as we hope to build on the success of the conference in Harrogate.  It really is an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues and learn from each other.

At the conference in Harrogate we held our Annual General Meeting( AGM).  This had been brought forward to June from September so that we can hold the AGM at our annual conference.  This has also meant that our financial year has been changed so that accounts can be presented at the AGM.  At the AGM we reviewed the past year (well past 10 months actually) and were pleased to learn that due to the diligence and control of expenditure from our Treasurer the BSA found itself in a stronger and more secure financial position than last year.

I believe that the BSA has had a good year and is well placed to take our work forward to improve the lives of people with hearing and balance problems.  To help us to focus our activities we have devised a three year Strategic Plan with an action plan for this year.  These are published on our website.  Please familiarise yourself with these plans and offer to help where you can.  The only people who are paid employees of the BSA are our indefatigable  Operations Manager and the team at Fitwise, our administration  management team.  Everyone else who works on behalf of BSA is a volunteer and everyone has busy day jobs.  Help from all members of BSA would ensure our plans were realised and that we move forward.  Don’t hesitate to contact any member of the BSA council if you wish to become more involved.

At the AGM Nicci Campbell came to end of her term as Trustee.  Thank you to Nicci for all the work she has done for the BSA.  She has rejuvenated the website and been the lead on our communication strategy.  She will remain connected with the BSA as incoming chair of the APD SIG.  We welcomed Carolyn Dando as a new Trustee who will lead our events and publicity strand of the action plan.  We said goodbye and another large thank you to Huw Cooper for his work over the last few years as Trustee, vice-chair, chair and immediate past chair of BSA.

In our 50^th Anniversary year it was fitting to honour someone whose vision has shaped, changed and modernised the BSA over the last few years.  This is Kevin Munro and he received honorary life membership of the BSA.

On 4^th and 5^th of September our research scientist colleagues are organising a conference in Nottingham.  This will be an amazing opportunity for researchers and clinicians to meet and share ideas.

Watch out for information about the latest BSA member’s benefit, BSA Grow.  This is an on line platform for learning and CPD.   It is vital that we all keep up to date with the latest developments to inform our research interests and/or clinical practice.  The BSA has invested in this platform as a way of supporting learning for members in a cash and time restricted climate.

This is the first edition of Audacity that has been produced by Jane Wild and her team in majestic North Wales.  I’m really looking forward to reading it.   Please submit copy to her to share your ideas, innovations and practice with all members.