The 2024 Spring conference took place on one of the year’s first truly sunny days. Delegates descended on Cambridge in good spirits and a colorful array of spring prints. The venue was Anglia Ruskin university and the whole day ran very smoothly thanks to the organisational efforts of the council and a legion of medical students from Cambridge’s MWF student wing.
The pre-conference workshop from Dr Heidi Mounsey of the Medical Protection Society was filled with useful advice for doctors at all stages of their career. It was a timely reminder of the work to do in the profession as she recounted some cases currently before the GMC; including doctors having sex with patients in the consulting room and the sexual harassment of colleagues.
The conference was opened by MWF patron, HRH the Duchess of Gloucester who encapsulated so many of the Federation’s aims when she said she hoped the conference would be of consequence to the attendants and their patients in the decades to come.
Dr Rashmi Matthew and Dr Angharad Ruttley, co-MWF treasurers chaired the next section. They discussed meeting through the MWF 6 years prior and how sharing the role had enabled them to take on a national leadership role alongside raising young families.
Professor Dame Lesley Regan gave a stellar talk, effortlessly transitioning between her work improving women’s health in the UK with anecdotes from working with those in government and how she has found her own style of leadership there.
Miss Samantha Tross recounted her journey to becoming a consultant orthopedic surgeon, discussing the barriers that she faced and that are faced by many other BAME doctors.
Both highlighted the need to show to policy makers that these drives make not only moral sense, but financial sense also. When women’s health improves, society benefits. When a workforce is inclusive, productivity increases.
Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, head of GMC outreach operations, spoke on anti-misogyny and the shift that has been reflected in the 2024 edition of the GMC’s Good Medical Practice.
Dr Rachel Morris addressed the more personal side of the conference title in her talk, discussing how to set boundaries and highlighting the multitude of reasons we feel we cannot say no and how only in a minority of situations, the reason is patient safety.
The Dame Hilda Rose memorial lecture was given by Dr Rosalind Ranson who recounted her experiences as medical director on the Isle of Mann, her introduction summarised by the phrase ‘I am a whistleblower’.
So many of the brilliant speakers encouraged talk amongst the different generations of medical women attending. The poster viewing and refreshment breaks were of a good length to enable meeting fellow federation members.
It was inspiring to hear many of the distinguished speakers talk openly about motherhood or the impact of their career on their ability to start a family. While it shouldn’t be so, it was refreshing to be in a room where no one must be apologetic about their dual roles as a mother and doctor.
Thank you to the council and all those involved in arranging such an educational, diverse and inspiring conference. I think all delegates would agree with HRH, the Duchess of Gloucester, that it will most certainly be of consequence to us, and we will strive to translate this into a tangible impact on our patients in the decades to come. I would add that I will aim to make it of consequence to my non-member colleagues also, to whom I will shamelessly recount the brilliance of the day, while my new MWF conference tote bag flies like a flag in the doctor’s office.
- Dr Millie Walker, MWF Postgraduate Representative and Recipient of the Lady Estelle Wolfson Bursary
