Independence
As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.
- Abraham Lincoln, 1862
Reflection at this time of the year is a time-honoured tradition and again, there is much to reflect upon in FMLM. It is often hard to pick the primus inter pares of FMLM activities but this year, our move to independence has to be ‘the tops’. There has been a huge effort behind the scenes to secure everything from new IT, finance and HR systems to new articles of association and so much more. The FMLM team, supported by the board steering group, has delivered the whole project within budget and, short of an unforeseen catastrophe next week, spot on time. On top of that we also move home this week and are looking forward to setting-up in our larger office space in the Royal College of Anaesthetists. It is therefore time to say thank you and farewell to our current host, RCP London.
Beyond the complex processes, this milestone reflects confidence in FMLM by the Board and of course the Charity Commission. It is timely to remind us all that, together we have built a strong and sustainable FMLM in a prolonged period of economic austerity and in the wake of a predecessor organisation which went ‘out of business’ in 2010. Thank you for your support through that and for believing in the organisation in the early days when the membership offer was mostly a vision for the future. We were grateful for a couple of ‘start-up’ grants, but confidence in our financial future is built on the strong performance of the past five years in the absence of external support. And on the topic of performance, Dame Clare and I had the recent privilege of presenting our plans to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which had been instrumental in our formation, and report that we had delivered everything asked of us (and much more) in the paper which all the colleges ratified in 2011.
In the midst of all the preparations towards independence, I am pleased to report that we also delivered our most successful conference yet, in Birmingham last month, with our BMJ partners. The senior medical leadership of all four home nations were at Leaders in Healthcare and were generous in their praise and encouraging about the future. Their pragmatism in the conference opening debate, with a focus on Brexit, was a demonstration of great leadership and positivity, while staying within the bounds of realism. We were also delighted to welcome Professor Stephen Powis for the first time in his role as National Medical Director of NHS England, who gave an inspirational look into the future and with it a clear endorsement of FMLM.
Thank you to the 803 people, who attended, spoke, presented excellent posters, were awarded FMLM fellowships, networked and contributed to making Leaders in Healthcare 2018 so vital and engaging. For the first time, we welcomed the Secretary of State to conference on a seismic day of political activity in Westminster and he launched the FMLM report on the barriers and enablers for clinicians moving into senior leadership roles. We are delighted that Matt Hancock is supporting this issue, which was originally raised by Jeremy Hunt.
So, with a strong sense of achievement for 2018, we look forward to an equally prosperous 2019 with a major commitment to the FMLM mapping project, which we consulted on at the conference. It is our aim to produce a comprehensive guide, with a CPD recording tool, to support doctors at all levels to navigate their leadership careers with all the essential information at their fingertips – literally, if we can secure the funding to build the first FMLM app!
I have not been hands-on clinically for quite a while, but I have not forgotten the many, many Christmases spent away from the family and seeing the New Year in, ‘scalpel in hand’. At FMLM, we do not forget that many of you will be hard at it on the front-line, while the rest of us relax and celebrate. Thank you for your professionalism and dedication and to everyone, season’s greetings and a very happy New Year.