Future Surgery 2024 is just around the corner – with 2500+ people signed up, attendees can expect a buzzing atmosphere both on the show floor and in our content theatres.

The cutting-edge programme has been meticulously researched and shaped by Future Surgery’s advisory board of experts from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Tailored to explore the ever-evolving world of surgery, the programme will provide attendees with updated skills and knowledge essential for navigating the future of surgery and advancing within the profession.

With registration still open, let’s take a look at what to expect from the 2024 programme…

Technology

Many sessions will emphasise the pivotal role of technology in shaping the future of surgery. Topics range from RAS and AI to the applications of data in operating rooms and the utilization of XR in surgical training. As well as the upcoming talks, the exhibition floor will be showcasing new products, devices and disruptive technologies that are revolutionising patient experience and care.

AI hype or hope? Getting real about the current and future role of AI in surgery | 1 October | 9:25 – 10:10 | Theatre 2

• Ronan Cahill, Professor of Surgery, University College Dublin

AMA: Everything you want to know about Robotics and Digital Technology but were too afraid to ask | 1 October | 15:00 – 15:45 | Keynote Theatre

• Nuha Yassin, Council Lead for the Future of Surgery and Robotics, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Dr Kalpana Ragupathy, Scotland Representative, Chair of Colposcopy Training Committee, BSCCP
• Ralph Tomlinson, Director of Quality Improvement, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Deena Harji, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Shakil Ahmed, Robotics lead, ASGBI     

Development of multispecialty robotic surgical services – journey from start to expansion, lessons learnt and future development | 2 October |12:50 – 13:35| Theatre 2

• Siong Liau, Hon Treasurer, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Chelliah Selvasekar, Council Member, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

• Christopher Gee, Associate Medical Director for National Elective Services, NHS Golden Jubilee
• Nashreen Oozeer, Trans Oral Robotic Surgery Lead, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Working Better Together

Discussing new ways of working, teamworking, and the future workforce as a whole is central to the upcoming event. The wellbeing and training of the surgical workforce are key themes, with sessions focusing on strategies to improve mental health, address workforce challenges, and foster an inclusive culture, including discussions on mentoring.

Working better together: mentoring and leadership in the future of surgery | 1 October | 15:45 – 16:15 | Theatre 1

• Chris Caddy, Council Member, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Claire Edwards, Council Member, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Simple revolution in behaviours and team-working in surgery | 2 October | 10:45 – 11:15 | Theatre 1        

• Scarlett McNally, Surgeon, Deputy Director, Centre for Perioperative Care
• Clare McNaught, Vice President, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Alice Hartley, Chair of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Anti-Bullying Campaign, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• David Riding, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Safety

As we stive to optimise all aspects of surgery while techniques and technologies evolve it is fundamental to ensure that both patients and clinicians are protected. The Future Surgery programme sets out the pragmatic steps that teams need to take to enhance patient outcomes and ensure the safety of the entire multidisciplinary team.

Failure to rescue: a multidisciplinary approach to improved outcomes for patients and clinicians | 1 October | 16:40 – 17:25| Keynote Theatre

• Josh Burke, Director of Education, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Harriet Corbet, Chair, CORESS
• Alex Almoudaris, Founder, TouchPoints.health         

How to halve complications through effective perioperative care | 1 October | 15:15 – 15:45 | Theatre 2      

• Scarlett McNally, Surgeon, Deputy Director, Centre for Perioperative Care

Safety of medical technology - are we making data driven choices? | 1 October |12:45 – 13:15 | Theatre 1        

• Arkeliana Tase, Surgical Registrar/ Research Fellow, Imperial College London

BOA/UKHSA studies into occupational radiation exposure: improving safety for all the surgical workforce | 2 October |13:10 – 13:45 | Theatre 1

• Deborah Eastwood, Immediate Past President, British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) | Council Member, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Sustainability

The climate and ecological crisis is rapidly unfolding across the Earth with devastating consequences. Healthcare professionals are having to deal with the outcomes from this, but are also responsible for almost 5% CO2e, and significant resources use, notably single-use items. Our talks on sustainability work towards finding more sustainable ways of delivering care and focus on those interventions that are of high quality in terms of patient outcome.

Sustainable solutions | 1 October | 11:45 – 12:30| Theatre 1

• Victoria Pegna, Founding Member of Sustainability in Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Professor Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, University College London
• Mr Andrew J Stevenson, Co-Chair Sustainability in Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Sustainability – protecting the future of our planet and our patients | 2 October |9:35 – 10:20 |Theatre 2

• Katie Hurst, Chair, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Trainees Committee and Sustainability Champions, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Jasmine Winter Beatty, Specialist Registrar in Colorectal Surgery and Clinical Research Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Mr Andrew J Stevenson, Co-Chair Sustainability in Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of Englandland
• Victoria Pegna, Founding Member of Sustainability in Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of Englandland

RCS England’s Festival of Innovation

Back by popular demand, The Royal College of Surgeons of England’s Festival of Innovation takes place over both days of the show, delving into the groundbreaking advances of today while setting a course for future innovations. Exploring developments in technology, technique, behaviours and ways of working, the RCS England Innovation Hub team will showcase developments from both within the College and across the globe.

Festival of Innovation: Advancing Surgical Techniques and Lessons of Innovation from a World Leading Hospital | 1 October | 14:15 – 14:45 | Theatre 1

• Ryan Kerstein, Clinical Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Josh Burke, Director of Education, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Deena Harji, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Professor Olof Akre, Karolinska University Hospital

Festival of Innovation: The machine and the scalpel - Envisioning the future of robotics in surgery | 1 October | 15:00 – 15:30| Theatre 1

• Alexander Coombs, Team member, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Edward St John, Partnership Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Professor Sanja Dogramadzi, University of Sheffield

Festival of Innovation: Implantables for the Future | 1 October |16:45 – 17:15 | Theatre 2

• Marcus Stow, Innovation Advisor, JHubMed, MOD                                   
• Emil Hewage, CEO, BIOS Health           

Festival of Innovation: Innovation through adversity – military advances in surgery | 2 October | 13:50 – 14:20 | Theatre 2

• Deena Harji, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Ryan Kerstein, Clinical Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Marcus Stow, Innovation Advisor, JHubMed, MOD
• Colonel Nigel Tai OBE, Defence Professor of Military Surgery, Deptartment of Military Surgery & Trauma            

Festival of Innovation: Game changing learnings from surgerys past, and lessons for innovating into the future | 2 October |14:35 – 15:00 | Theatre 2

• Josh Burke, Director of Education, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Coombs, Team member, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Pankaj Chandak, Research Fellow and transplant surgical trainee, King's College London

Festival of Innovation: To infinity and beyond – surgery beyond 2040 | 2 October | 15:15 – 15:40 | Theatre 1         

• Edward St John, Partnership Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Ryan Kerstein, Clinical Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub, Royal College of Surgeons of England

RCS England’s Future Workforce deep-dive

The Royal College of Surgeons of England will host multiple sessions throughout the show exploring how surgeons today can build the workforce of tomorrow. The College, internationally renowned for its active role in education, equality, and improving workforce conditions, will highlight the need to take an active role in driving the future of the UK’s surgical workforce.

Future Workforce: Supporting diversity in the workplace | 1 October | 9:30 – 10:15 | Theatre 1

• Sujatha Udayasankar, Co-Chair, SAS Forum, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Karen Chui, Vice Chair, RCS England Pride in Surgery Forum (PRiSM), Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Sarah Itam, CEO & Chair of trustees, British Association of Black Surgeons
• Mo Belal, Consultant Urologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• Felicity Meyer, Chair, Women in Surgery (WinS), Royal College of Surgeons of England

Future Workforce: Training matters | 2 October |11:20 – 11:50 | Theatre 2

• Deborah Eastwood, Immediate Past President, British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) | RCS England
• Narain Moorjani, President, Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in GB & Ireland
• Bill Allum, Council Member, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Future Workforce: Supporting SAS and LED surgeons | 2 October | 12:05 – 12:35 | Theatre 2

• Sujatha Udayasankar, Co-Chair, SAS Forum, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Vinita Shekar, Co-Chair, SAS Forum, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Future Workforce: Mentoring - supporting growth, resilience, and leadership | 2 October | 15:45 – 16:15 | Theatre 1

• Nicola Rowe, Director of Membership, Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Bhavin G Visavadia, Member of Council Specialty Representative (BAOMS), Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Felicity Meyer, Chair, Women in Surgery (WinS), Royal College of Surgeons of England

Proximie’s Surgical Simulation Theatre

In partnership with the leading data driven healthcare platform, Proximie, this theatre replicates a fully working, state-of-the-art operating theatre, displaying some of the UK and the globe’s best surgeons performing both live and simulated surgery. Bringing together telepresence, content management, and data insights, they will be showcasing the latest innovative technologies and techniques from across the globe.

There will be a full programme of both live and pre–recorded surgeries throughout both days covering many specialties.

Live Surgery - BHR Elective hub – Robotic Colorectal Unit | 1 October

Live Surgery – Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP) Mesh Hernioplasty from Avenue Hospital, Nairbi, Kenya | 1 October

Distalmotion – Surgery with the Dexter System, recorded on Proximie  1 October

Live Surgery - Hugo Robotic Radical Nephrectomy - First Live UK Kidney surgery on the Hugo RAS from GSTT | 2 October

Live Surgery – Robotics Celebration from UHCW (Upper GI) | 2 October

Don’t miss out on all of the above sessions and more at this year’s Future Surgery. You can still secure yourself a place to explore the cutting-edge programme at the show here: