Multi-Professional Healthcare… It’s In The Name!

Cliff Kilgore is a Consultant Nurse for Intermediate Care and Older People within Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust and he is also a Visiting Fellow to Bournemouth University. He is Chair of the BGS Nurses and Allied Healthcare Professionals Council. He also is a member of the BGS Clinical Quality Steering Group. He tweets @kilgore_cliff

As the BGS celebrates 70 years of improving health care for older people, I thought it would be helpful to consider one of the reasons it has been so successful…

There are many of course that have had influence on older people’s wellbeing. I don’t claim that the BGS is the only organisation that is striving to bring excellence to older peoples’ health care, but I do feel that by its nature, the BGS does capture something of the real life working of a multi-professional team, which is the spine of caring for any older person. I have always been a strong advocate for ‘real world’ practice, whether considering research or organisational structure. Real world practice is how many front-line clinicians describe what happens when they see patients.

Who knows what the next 70 years will bring?

Liz Charalambous is a nurse and PhD student. She tweets at @lizcharalambou and is a regular guest blogger for the BGS.

This year heralds the 70th anniversary of the British Geriatrics Society. Founded in 1947, the society sought to alleviate suffering and improve standards in the care of older people.

It seems almost impossible to imagine the world back then: a clunky analogue era of post-war rationing, George VI, the dawn of comprehensive schools, and of course a Labour government planning the inception of our beloved NHS. The future social determinants of health were given a nod to by Beveridge’s post war ‘giants on the road to reconstruction’, namely poverty, disease, ignorance, squalor, and idleness, by the undertaking of a newly introduced welfare state. The grimness of post-war Britain held the promise of a brighter future for all, with government commitment to better access to social housing, employment, social security, education and health.

The Prince of Wales meets doctors, nurses and patients to mark the British Geriatrics Society’s 70th anniversary at St Thomas’ Hospital, London

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, met with patients and members of the British Geriatrics Society to mark the 70^th anniversary of the Society and to celebrate the vital work of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers in caring for older people with complex healthcare needs. The celebration was held at St Thomas’ Hospital last night (Monday 6 March).

The Prince of Wales has been Patron of the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) for more than 20 years, having taken up the role in July 1993. His Royal Highness extended his patronage for a further five years in 2016. The BGS is the multi-disciplinary membership organisation bringing together all healthcare professionals engaged in the specialist treatment and care of older people across the UK. Founded in 1947, the society’s membership has grown considerably in recent years and now has over 3,600 members.