Intensive Care Society

Contents

Intensive Care Society The Intensive Care Society is a professional association for clinicians involved in critical care in the United Kingdom. It engages with clinical practice, standards, education, and research among multidisciplinary teams across hospitals such as Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. The society interacts with national bodies including National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, Public Health England and professional colleges like Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Nursing and specialist organizations such as British Medical Association and General Medical Council.

History

The society traces roots to post-war developments in critical care influenced by units at Papworth Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, London, King's College Hospital, and research from universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, and University College London. Early collaboration involved figures and institutions connected to landmark events like the SARS outbreak, H1N1 influenza pandemic, and responses that paralleled efforts at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Over decades it has worked alongside regulators such as Care Quality Commission and funders like Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and charities including Wellcome Trust and British Heart Foundation.

The society’s mission aligns with improving care standards in contexts including COVID-19 pandemic, Sepsis 6 initiatives, and perioperative critical care projects associated with National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death and quality programs like National Audit Office reviews. Objectives emphasize collaboration with policy actors like Department of Health and Social Care, commissioners such as Clinical Commissioning Group (England), and registries including Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre to influence guidelines, capacity planning, resilience for mass-casualty events like Hurricane Katrina-style responses, and workforce development with partners such as Health Education England and NHS Employers.

The society issues standards and position statements relating to critical care delivery, staffing, and equipment, coordinated with bodies such as NICE, British Thoracic Society, Resuscitation Council (UK), Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Guidelines address practice in contexts informed by cases from Hillsborough disaster-scale incident planning, mass-transfusion protocols studied after Falklands War, and pandemic triage debates following 2009 swine flu pandemic and Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Standards reference technology from manufacturers and audits performed with Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre and clinical governance frameworks in trusts like Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

Education programs include courses, fellowships, and simulation training in partnership with institutions such as Royal Brompton Hospital, St George's Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, and academic centers like University of Birmingham. Training pathways connect to examinations and curricula at Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Physicians, and specialist training for lists overseen by Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine. Workshops utilize simulation facilities similar to those at Aintree University Hospital and collaborate with educational funders like Gates Foundation on broader resilience projects. The society also hosts conferences attracting delegates from European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Thoracic Society, and international partners including Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society.

The society supports research networks and collaborates with registries such as Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre and funders including Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, Wellcome Trust, and charities like The Health Foundation. Publications include guidance texts, audit reports, and position papers cited in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Critical Care Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, and Anaesthesia. Research themes overlap with trials and cohort studies conducted at centers including Addenbrooke's Hospital, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, St Thomas' Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, and international collaborations with NIH-funded projects and EU initiatives.

Membership spans consultants, trainees, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, and allied professionals from trusts such as University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and regional networks in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Outreach includes public engagement with patient groups, collaboration with media outlets like BBC News and policy engagement with Department of Health and Social Care and advocacy at events alongside organisations such as King's Fund and Nuffield Trust. The society participates in international forums hosted by World Health Assembly, European Commission, and professional congresses at venues like ExCeL London.

Category:Medical associations based in the United Kingdom