Chair's Update November 2021

Dear Members,

I hope you are all safe and well. This is my last update to you as Chair as I will be standing down after the next Council meeting on December 7^th.  It has been an honour to serve as Chair these past 2 years, and I equally look forward to serving as immediate past chair and supporting incoming Chair Donna Corrigan as she takes the helm. It has been a challenging 2 years for us all of course, we’ve had to change how we live and work. I certainly never imagined I would be doing most of my time as Chair from the confines of my home office. It was a joy therefore to return to face-to-face conferencing and welcoming you to Sheffield last month. Our conference lead Gemma Crundwell, Fitwise, and all the conference team put together a fantastic line up of talks and posters highlighting some of the fantastic work that has happened during, despite, or because of the COVID pandemic. I would like to thank again the conference sponsors Natus, MEDEL, and Signia, our exhibitors and the conference delegates who all made it such a positive interactive day.

Otherwise, a couple of things to flag. First, the joint COVID-19 guidance was updated last month. The main update was under vaccination and amendment to the Health and Social Care Act which come into force this month. The next planned update to the joint guidance is not until April 2022 unless there are any significant changes in evidence or regulation.

Second, there is still time to nominate individuals for (1) The Thomas Simm Littler Prize, in recognition of an academic contribution to the discipline of audiology, and (2) The Ruth Spencer Prize, in recognition of a notable contribution to clinical services by a practitioner. Please submit your nominations to bsa@thebsa.org.uk by the 30^th November.

Finally, as I sign off as Chair, I would like to thank all members for all their many and varied contributions to making the BSA the rich multi-disciplinary society it is.