20 October 2021 (Last updated: 20 Oct 2021 12:05)
“All is not perfect – yet”, Helena Kennedy QC observed as she opened her Norman Rowe lecture to a mix of dental and OMFS nurses and surgeons at the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting in Sheffield.
She addressed the issue of How to ensure fairness and equity in the surgical workforce, commenting: “It’s wonderful to see so many women here today, and how this enriches the profession,” she said, adding that the trust of the general public can only be gained if society is reflected in those who deliver our health care. A diverse organisation has better outcomes for patients “and we care about outcomes for our patients”.
Helena Kennedy pointed to similarities between the practice of law and medicine: “We have in the law the same as in medicine – we are bound by ethics and the ‘cab rank’ principle.” She said that the law is applied equally, but that covid is a disrupter “that presents huge challenges to societies and to you as surgeons”.
She went on to urge the audience representing the wider surgical workforce to speak out because “fairness and equity are so important. Human rights are not just what happens in other countries” we must have respect for the humanity of others.
“It’s important how we teach the people coming through (into the workplace) and how we speak to them. Fairness and equity are in how we conduct our lives,” Helena Kennedy QC concluded.
To thank Helena Kennedy for addressing an important, but difficult subject, BAOMS 2021 President Austen Smith presented her with a donation that she said she would use to fund bursaries: “I’m going to use it for further education – so many people got a second chance through this.”
Photograph shows L to R: Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws QC with BAOMS President Austen Smith after she had delivered a speech at the Sheffield 2021 ASM on How to ensure fairness and equity in the surgical workforce
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