Chair's Update February 2024

Dear members,

I hope this month’s ebulletin finds you well. We have started the year by inviting you to comment on the Recommended Procedure: Pure-tone air-conduction and bone conduction threshold audiometry with and without masking prior to its revision. This is not a step we usually take but given the importance of this document and how frequently we all apply it in practice we want to ensure that the revisions get off to the right start! Please do take the time to submit your comments by 11^th March. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Priya Carling to the BSA team after her successful application to the position of PGG chair, she will now work with Richard and the PGG team on our documentation.

At the AGM this June, I will be handing over to our current Vice Chair Siobhan Brennan. Therefore, we are now recruiting for a new Vice Chair to join the team. Could you or someone you know be the ideal person for the role? Specific tasks in this role involve overseeing our fabulous Special Interest Groups and managing our awards! The closing date is the 23^rd February. For those colleagues in academia it’s around that time of year where students are finalising their dissertations and projects. Could one of those be worthy of an award?  The Ruth Spencer Prize is a monetary award (£250) given to recognise an undergraduate piece of work, who is worthy of this award in 2024?

We have recently been finalising the budget for 2024/25. This year we have set funds aside for small research grants, project funds for SIGs and are reviewing costings for a new approach to Special interest group events. We look forward to sharing all our finances with you at the AGM in June.

More widely in the sector, we have continued to work with colleagues relating to wax removal and was pleased to recently share the work and report from the RNID; “blocked ears, blocked access”. We are also nearing a final draft of the Minimum Training Guidelines for Aural Care which hopefully will be available for Public Consultation soon. Members of BSA Council have been meeting with colleagues at BAA, BSHAA and AIHHP,  revisiting previous conversations about a ‘College of Audiology’. The group are exploring how our organisations could work together and collaborate most effectively. The discussions are at an early stage and are ongoing but we will keep you informed.

Kind Regards

Donna Corrigan

BSA Chair

To review this month’s e-Update in full please click here – February 2024 e-Update

For access to a copy of a previous month’s e-Update, please contact bsa@thebsa.org.uk