Ms Bridget Egan has been appointed co-lead of the RCSI National Clinical Programme for Surgery (NCPS). She follows Mr Ken Mealy, past-President of RCSI, who held the role until his appointment to the Board of the HSE.

Ms Egan is an RCSI Council member and Consultant Surgeon (Vascular) in Tallaght University Hospital. She also serves as Perioperative Clinical Director at TUH and Chair of the National Elective Care Clinical Guidance Group (NECCGG).

The aim of RCSI’s National Clinical Programme for Surgery is to provide a framework for the delivery of safer, timely, accessible, more cost-effective and efficient care for all surgical patients.

The key focus for this programme in the coming years will be:

• Supporting the effective implementation of the new surgical hubs and elective hospitals nationally.
• Supporting and leading out on the implementation of the models of care in development and recently published in the areas of OMFS, plastic and reconstructive surgery, vascular surgery, urology and otolaryngology head and neck surgery.
• Leading out on the effective implementation of effective modernised care pathways.
• Developing a resource plan and associated business cases to support surgery’s future needs particularly in model 2 and 3 hospitals.
• Supporting and implement workforce planning and education needs across consultants, nursing and health and social care professionals.

The RCSI National Clinical Programme in Surgery is a very important part of how RCSI collaborates with and supports the HSE to improve patient care and access to care. The programme works closely with the other clinical programmes, notably the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and Anaesthesia, but also the Acute, Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Programme. It also works with other clinical programmes, hospitals, health regions, specialty bodies, patient advocacy groups and all relevant stakeholders across the health system.

“I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Ms Bridget Egan as co-lead of the National Clinical Programme for Surgery. Bridget brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable for the programme in its goal of developing standardised care pathways that call for more timely, accessible, more cost-effective and efficient care for all surgical patients,” said Professor Deborah McNamara, President of RCSI.

Find out more about the work of the National Clinical Programme in Surgery here.