The theme of ‘Achieving Balance’ has been chosen to follow on from our 2021 theme, ‘Adapting to the Seasons’.  The discussion from PIHC21 led us to realise that we were moving into the post-pandemic era, but with many unanswered questions. For many, the shift out of the pandemic has changed our lives and professional practice beyond measure and probably irreversibly. There is greater focus on how one might ‘achieve balance’ in work and in life, and a heightened awareness of how easily this balance can be altered. How might we achieve balance as healthcare professionals?

• From our working lives to our personal lives – which have become so integrated with work;
• Thinking about students whose training has been disrupted, whose educational and clinical opportunities have been different and potentially limited, and whose personal lives and milestones have been quite strange in comparison with their near-peers;
• Considering juniors and trainees who have experienced disruption to standard training pathways, to exams and their day-to-day experiences of coming to work;
• As senior clinicians and decision makers with staffing issues, pension concerns and perhaps more intense family and personal health worries than before;
• For our patients who are experiencing long waits, perceived difficulty in accessing healthcare, and who may now present later than ideal with significant clinical pathology;
• For families who are reaching for new ways to educate themselves and support their loved ones when healthcare is not as it used to be
• Advocating for our rights as employees whilst maintaining our responsibilities for our patients
• As ‘people’ with our own lives and interests and hobbies – in an era where more healthcare professionals than ever before are moving abroad, seeking portfolio careers, or leaving their posts altogether.

In all of this, are we getting the balance right? How do we know? And how can we redress the balance if that is needed?

We would love to hear about your ideas, works in progress and completed projects that relate to any of the above issues. And we continue to be interested in all aspects of Professionalism in Healthcare: what it means, how it’s learnt, taught and assessed. The abstract submission deadline is midnight Sunday 21st May 2023.

Please get in touch if you have questions or would like to discuss your ideas.