Highlighting and discussing the amazing work in the sector and working to influence the decision-makers in politics.
A special event was held at the House of Lords on Biomedical Science Day to promote the profession and mark the release of the new point-of-care testing (POCT) guidance that the IBMS has pulled together with the Royal College of Pathologists and the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
The occasion was hosted by Lord James Bethell, who was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.
A range of scientists, IBMS staff and politicians attended the event and among those present were IBMS Chief Executive David Wells, IBMS President Debra Padgett and four previous winners of Biomedical Scientist of the Year.
Debra made a speech in which she paid tribute to the biomedical science workforce.
She said: “No day in a healthcare laboratory is the same and the expert work involves frequent and incredible leaps of innovation – all ensuring the right test for the right patient at the right time. With the appropriate funding, policies and opportunities for training, our workforce could drastically reduce the NHS backlog – and relieve the sweeping loss of expertise we’ve seen across pathology. Biomedical scientists truly are the backbone of the NHS – and, as healthcare technology advances, they will continue to grow in importance.”
She concluded: “Once a year, the Institute of Biomedical Science recognises this, takes the opportunity to raise awareness of our amazing 21,000 members and lets the world know about the depth and potential of their expertise. Happy Biomedical Science Day everybody.”
A vital role
A number of MPs came along to the event, including Maggie Throup, Member of Parliament for Erewash, who tweeted she was “delighted to attend the #InstituteofBiomedicalScience Parliamentary reception”. She added that it was great to talk to David Wells and Debra Padgett “about the vital role that biomedical scientists play in supporting the diagnosis and treatment of diseases”.
Chi Onwurah, Member of Parliament for Newcastle Central and Shadow Minister for Science Research and Innovation, said “we discussed the fantastic work of IBMS’ 21,000 members and their contribution to scientific research and the NHS”.
Lord Bethell hosted the event in which the future of the workforce, innovation and POCT were discussed. There were also goody bags for all those that attended, which included a POCT for HIV.
Showcase the work
Lord Bethell said: “My connection with the IBMS comes from the pandemic when I got to see the massive effort put in by the profession and it really brought home to me the critical role that biomedical scientists play in the healthcare systems.
“It also opened my eyes to the incredible technical opportunities and the workforce pressures of recruiting and retaining.
“I just wanted to offer my thanks to everyone in the profession and also to showcase the work in parliament of this incredible group of people.”
Since the pandemic, the IBMS has increased its involvement in political circles to ensure the profession’s profile remains high and the Institute plays an active role in the future of diagnostics.
Joanna Andrew, IBMS President Elect, said: “I think that events like this really help support our profession and they ensure that we remain in the public eye, because there’s still an awful lot of work to do to ensure that we are highly regarded by the general public.
“Working in politics can support us and it’s important to maintain momentum and ensure that we are in the conversation, but it’s so important that we must not forget all our members who are out there working so hard in labs and that is what this day is about.”
The IBMS would like to thank 2San for providing POCTs that were distributed.