SAVE THE DATE: 28-29th January 2022

As many of you know the 7th VdGM Forum will be held in Edinburgh. VdGM is the European network of GPs in training or within the first five years of their career which, amongst other things, It organises events for meeting of like-minded doctors to discuss all things primary care. Some of you may remember that, with the support of the RCGP, we had bid to hold the forum in February 2021 (you can read here how we did this) but that little thing called covid got in the way. So with a heavy heart, we postponed it and watched to see how the world would unfurl before deciding how to proceed.

So here we are in August 2021. Amsterdam have just held their successful VdGM event at the beginning of July. The Spanish are holding the Baleariac meeting in September. Much of Europe are allowing vaccine passports and UK restrictions are easing month upon month. We didn’t dare hope until now but it looks like things are back on track for a face-to-face event!!

An update on how it’s progressing

We will be holding the event at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh which is a beautiful historical building in the centre of the city. It houses a pathology museum and celebrates the many medical and scientific advances of Scotland. At the current juncture, we look to have 100-150 delegates due to social distancing so you better get your tickets soon to secure your place!! The guys at the Surgeon’s Quarters are a really great team and with their guidance, we will be holding a covid secure event, although we’re secretly hoping that all restrictions would have been lifted by January next year.

The Host Organising Committee are starting to come alive and the plan is to deliver you a high-quality mini-conference event in four months time. Abstract submissions will start in September so get your thinking caps on. VdGM events are held for young doctors by young doctors and we look forward to reading the submissions for all your posters and workshops.

We have Professor Roger Neighbour confirmed as our keynote speaker. Some of you may know him from his fantastic work called ‘the Inner Consultation’ (is there a UK-trained GP trainee who hasn’t heard of it?!). I’ve seen him talk a couple of times and he really is inspiring and thought-provoking – I totally recommend hearing him at least once. Other speakers will be announced once confirmed.

Social events are so central to VdGM events for networking and just for having fun. Obviously, we were super keen to hold a ceilidh (pronounced ‘kay-lee’), the traditional Scottish dance, but we might have to figure out how to do this socially distanced. I guess where there is a will there is a way! But we will be having a variety of social events so that we get to know each other and our pan-European network. This will also be announced along the way.

Tickets will also be on sale from September so book your place as soon as possible to secure your place as seats are limited. We know things can change at the drop of a hat so we will keep you updated with UK travel restrictions and do all the hard work so you don’t have to!

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See you in Edinburgh!