From the Editor
Welcome to our first digital College Bulletin! The theme, understandably, is COVID-19 – a topic that has totally refashioned how we conduct our working and personal lives.
From the President
It has been a time of enormous change for everyone, all over the world. We have changed what we do and how we do it, including the services in which we work, in an incredibly short period of time and at a rapid pace with considerable personal effort. We have done this at a time when there has been huge change in our own circumstances in the face of personal loss or significant difficulties.
COVID-19 – A new plague year
Dr David Jenkins introduces the theme of COVID-19 for this edition of the Bulletin, capturing our collective experience and concerns.
COVID-19 – The role of viral genomics in shaping the response to the pandemic
Whole genome sequencing with data sharing across a global community has been unprecedented and essential in informing the public health response during the pandemic.
COVID-19 – Nightingale tales
This article describes the incredible achievements in setting up pathology services to support the Nightingale Hospital at the Excel site at very short notice.
COVID-19 – Cytology and the pandemic
This article describes the major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cytopathology services across the UK. Many issues are similar to those faced by other pathology disciplines but others are unique.
COVID-19 – The journey from Oxford medical school to the world’s largest ICU
Medical undergraduates contributed a significant amount of time and effort in helping with the efficient running of pathology services at the Nightingale Excel Hospital.
COVID-19 – Caring for deceased patients at the NHS Nightingale mortuary
On my arrival at the Nightingale Hospital, I joined a team whose remit was to construct a mortuary to look after deceased patients as part of the compassionate care team.
COVID-19 – Establishing convalescent plasma as an effective therapy
High-quality research is essential in underpinning the clinical use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma and this article describes the UK randomised controlled trials underway.
COVID-19 – Healthcare scientists in pathology: the challenges of responding to the virus
The Head of the National School of Healthcare Science highlights the key contribution of scientists across many disciplines and the part they played during the pandemic.
COVID-19 – Death certification: lessons learned within the hospital setting
Dr Zoë Avila outlines challenges she experienced working as a lead doctor in a death certification unit at a COVID-19 pandemic hospital and as a medical examiner at a london teaching hospital.
COVID-19 – A chaplaincy view from a multi-faith university hospital community
Frank Boulton, retired haematologist and blood transfusion specialist, is now a Quaker Faith Advisor for Southampton university’s Faith and Reflection Centre. He also has an immuno-haematology teaching commitment within the Faculty of Medicine. He shares his experience of supporting a multi-faith chaplaincy community.
COVID-19 – Reorganisation of mobile blood collections in the age of social distancing: experience from Malaysia
Maintaining sufficient safe blood supply requires extensive community participation. This article describes the Malaysian perspective on maintaining essential transfusion services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 – Challenges for pathology laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic: the view from Australia
The pandemic has necessitated significant changes in how pathology laboratories operate. Here, the experiences of microbiology and haematology laboratories from an institution in Melbourne, Australia, are summarised in three key themes.
COVID-19 and the devolved nations
These three articles from the College Regional Councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland describe the different approaches and their particular challenges around the introduction of testing during the pandemic.
Full Bulletin download
Download the full July 2020 issue.