History
The Combined Services Orthopaedic Society was formed in 1974 in order to promote orthopaedic specialty training in the Armed Services as a civilian organisation. It is funded entirely by the member’s contributions and sponsorship from trade organisations.
Meetings are held annually, and are open to all present and past members of the Armed Services with an interest in Trauma and Orthopaedics. In addition Consultant Advisor’s to the Defence Medical Services are invited. The change in Military Secondary Care Medical Provision in the last few years, with the formation of the Ministry of Defence Hospital Units within large NHS Trusts and military trainees being placed into centres of excellence, has provided a platform for trainees to present work on a broad range of Orthopaedic subjects.
More recently, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have increased the relevance of Military Trauma and thus the overall reputation of the Society. As an affiliated Society to the British Orthopaedic Association, the annual meeting now has a recognised position in the Orthopaedic Events Calendar.
President
Mr Simon Hodkinson
It is a huge honour for me to take up the role of President of the Society
I joined the RN as a Cadet in 1979, qualifying in 1982 and heading to Plymouth for my first house job
I left the Navy in 1999 to take up a civilian role as a Consultant in Portsmouth
The CSOS was and is a constant presence in my life in T&O both Military and Civilian.
The Defence Medical Services have obviously evolved over the years I have known it, much of it driven by conflict as it so often is. From the Falklands to Afghanistan major advances have been made in the treatment of injured personnel.
It is worth remembering that “ATLS” type resuscitation was being developed on HMS Canberra as it steamed South long before we in the UK became familiar with the now very familiar course.
Since then, the Service has gone from strength to strength aided and abetted by a steady stream of extremely high quality trainees and young consultants.
The society has become affiliated to the BOA and is classed as a National meeting in their calendar.
There are always storm clouds on the horizon and as the services shrink there are risks to be faced and managed but whilst we have the personnel, we have we can remain confident the DMS will continue to provide the highest possible care to injured service personnel
Chairman
Col Alistair Mountain
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Combined Services Orthopaedic Society. It highlights the close relationship that exists between the NHS and the military. It also shows how Orthopaedics is at the forefront of such relationships with representation of the BOA within our society and military Orthopaedic consultants becoming actively involved with the future of our speciality.
Orthopaedics in the military is a robust cadre and has a proven track record of delivering excellence. The next generation of surgeons are continuing to push boundaries in order to provide the standard of musculo-skeletal care DEFENCE deserves both in the Firm base and on Operations.”
Biography
Alistair trained at the University of Birmingham Medical School from 1987-1994.
He was awarded a medical cadetship in 1990 and completed house jobs @ North Staffordshire Infirmary and the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital Woolwich during which military casualties from the conflict in Bosnia were evacuated.
After commissioning from RMAS in 1995 he spent his General Duties in Northern Ireland as part of OP Banner as the Regimental Medical Officer to 1 Hldrs (now 4 SCOTS) and latterly to 1RRF in Londonderry.
He commenced his surgical training at the Royal Hospital Haslar in 1998 and his higher training took place in the Northern training program in the NE of England. He gained the FRCS Ed (T&O) in 2009 and on award of CCT, he was appointed as a consultant @ the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at QE UHB in 2010.
He was one of 4 military orthopaedic surgeons to deal with 95% of the war wounded from the Op Herrick era and refined his sub-speciality interest of Foot and Ankle to deal with the complex hind foot reconstructions that became synonymous with the Herrick era.
Whilst at RCDM, he completed a tour at 16 Medical Regiment as well as deploying to Camp Bastion.
Since 2015, he has been a consultant at University Hospitals of North Midlands (Stoke) with his declared interest in Major Trauma and Foot & Ankle.
He has deployed on Op Banner, Op Palatine, returned to Op Banner in support of DCU (NI), Op Herrick (x4), Op Newcombe and Op Shader.
He was the Consultant Adviser in T&O (Army) to SHA 2018-2020 and was promoted to Colonel on appointment to Defence Consultant Adviser (T&O) to Surgeon General DMS.
He has an active interest in non-technical skills and CRM within trauma teams. He is the National Clinical Director of the European Trauma Course (2015- current) and is the current International Chair of the ETCO Course Management Committee. He is also a military Regional Surgical Adviser for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.