Progress with Module 1

Work continues on writing sessions for Module One while we await the decision of BAPRAS Council with regard to future funding. I'm delighted to report that all of the sessions for the first module have been allocated to authors and more than half have now been returned for editing and building into the online format. Now that I have finished and submitted the Business Plan I can concentrate on the very pleasant task of lightly editing the content that has been written.

One of the most amazing features of e-LPRAS is the very high quality of the work being submitted. I always knew that plastic surgeons were high-achievers and all-round performers. That has never been so clear to me as it is now. Our authors come from a broad cross-section - relatively junior trainees (with consultants as senior authors), senior trainees, consultants and some colleagues from other specialities. A team of clinical psychologists has completed a number of sessions for Module One and then gobbled up all the other sessions that have a psychology focus from the other, yet-to-be-released modules. Gemma from Changing Faces has contributed a couple of really excellent sessions on the patient's perspective and the role of support groups.

So thank you to all our talented contributors. Let's keep the  momentum up and get the whole of Module One online this year for launch at Winter BAPRAS. As soon as I get a decision from BAPRAS Council I will release another batch of sessions to be written. There will be a round robin to everyone on my emailing list so if you have not contacted me yet, please do so.

Best wishes from your very happy Clinical Lead!

Business Plan now complete

I have spent the past few weeks writing a Business Plan to apply to BAPRAS Council for funding to continue the project. This has been a big task but it is now complete and the document (all 40 pages) is now off to BAPRAS to be included in the Council papers for their next meeting at the end of September. Hopefully I will have convinced them that e-LRAS is a really important project that is worth supporting through to completion. The project team has developed some really efficient working practices and we have squeezed the budget as low as we can get it, but the cost to complete is still around £1M. This is a lot of money in anyone's eyes, even though it will be split into smaller annual amounts. We are now entirely dependent on the vision and generosity of BAPRAS to enable us to finish the project. I have a presentation to make at the Council meeting and then we will have a decision. Watch this space...