Joint Statement from the Society and College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland.
SCPS
CCPS
17th March 2020
In response to the challenge of COVID-19, the Society and College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland have created a joint statement to provide guidance to Clinical Perfusion Scientists and Clinical Perfusion Science trainees.
It is important for all of our members to adhere to any general advice regarding travel and management of COVID-19. The Society and College have cancelled the scheduled meetings and examiners training that were due to take place at the SCTS on the 23rd and 24th March. The aim was to support the SCTS in their decision to cancel their meeting, to make all Clinical Perfusion Scientists available to their departments and to reduce any potential risk, no matter how small, of transmitting the virus to each other and other professions. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our membership at all times.
From Monday 16th March all training, college accreditation visits, Society and College meetings will be postponed until further notice. If conference calls can be facilitated to ensure appropriate discussions can take place instead of meetings, these will be facilitated if possible. The Society and College will look to national guidance on when it is appropriate to resume normal activities.
COVID-19 will inevitably have an impact on the training and progression of our trainee members. Please be assured that discussions are already underway within the Executive Committee and University of Bristol on how best to proceed with examinations, assessment of competencies and accreditations. The Society are currently working to try to ensure exams will be completed within the normal timeframe.
The Society and College will do their utmost to ensure that trainees and departments are not disadvantaged during this uncertain time. Chief Clinical Perfusion Scientists, trainees and examiners will be kept updated as and when the situation progresses.
The following is the latest information received from the University of Bristol:
“Dear SCPS,
We are writing to you to inform you of the University of Bristol’s response to the COVID-19 situation, and to reassure you that we have contingency plans in place to ensure that the teaching and assessment of our MSc Perfusion Science students will not be compromised.
The University remains open but learning activities and assessments will transition online until the situation resolves. Therefore, our Year 1 students will not be required to come to Bristol for PER02 (Clinical Trials and Statistics) teaching week (20-24th April). However, the students will be required to engage with online learning and assessments during this week and therefore it remains as a study week.
Our Year 2 students are currently working on their research project dissertations, and we will continue to provide supervision by email, telephone and video-conferencing as before. If students become ill and are unable to study, they will be provided with our normal support and extensions awarded using the standard procedures.
At the moment, we anticipate that the August exams will run as usual in Bristol, but we will of course keep all involved if this position changes.
We appreciate that the situation may have a knock-on effect on the ability of students to complete their 150+ cases required for their PER07 practical assessment within the normal expected timeframe. If these are delayed beyond September 2020, we will be able to hold additional later exam boards to ratify these and the final MSc awards.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email clicking here, if you have any questions or concerns.
We hope you and your families keep well during this difficult time.”
Any further updates and the most up to date information regarding the Society and College will be made available here on our website to ensure that all our members are kept fully informed of our actions in a timely manner.
