By: Christian Macutkiewicz, President of ASGBI
General surgery is the backbone of acute and elective surgical care across the UK and Ireland. It is broad, demanding and constantly evolving, requiring a professional voice that genuinely reflects the realities of modern practice. The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) exists to provide that voice, representing general surgeons across subspecialties, career stages and practice settings, and bringing the whole community together.
ASGBI is proud to support the RCS England Future of Surgery Festival, a new event focused on the challenges and opportunities shaping surgical practice. The Festival’s themes closely mirror the issues ASGBI works on every day: workforce sustainability, training quality, wellbeing, clinical excellence and collaboration across the profession.
Grounded in the realities of modern practice
ASGBI’s relevance lies in being firmly grounded in day-to-day surgical reality. Our members manage the emergency take, deal with complex complications, lead multidisciplinary teams, train future surgeons and deliver high-quality care under increasing pressure. We do not observe these challenges from a distance, we are immersed in them.
This is why ASGBI is trusted to speak with credibility on issues that matter most to general surgeons, including workforce sustainability, emergency care, patient safety and surgeon wellbeing. These same issues sit at the heart of discussions at the Future of Surgery Festival, making it a valuable space for our members to engage, share perspectives and contribute to shaping future solutions.
Education that reflects what surgeons need now
Education sits at the core of ASGBI’s mission. Our programmes are designed to be relevant, practical and immediately applicable to everyday practice, focusing on what general surgeons need today, not theoretical ideals.
Through webinars, masterclasses, symposia and our flagship Annual Congress, ASGBI delivers education across the full breadth of general surgery, from emergency laparotomy and trauma to complex abdominal wall reconstruction and peri-operative decision-making. This practical, practice-focused approach aligns strongly with the Festival’s emphasis on innovation that genuinely improves patient care and surgical working lives.
Championing training, workforce and wellbeing
ASGBI is a consistent and constructive advocate for trainees and trainers alike. We recognise the pressures facing modern training, with reduced operative exposure, increasing service demands and growing patient complexity, and work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure training remains fit for purpose.
We champion high-quality supervision, meaningful operative experience and the skills required not only to perform surgery, but also to manage complications, make difficult decisions and lead safely under pressure. Equally important is our ongoing focus on wellbeing, resilience and support after adverse outcomes, areas that are rightly given prominence within the Festival programme.
Collaboration, not competition
One of ASGBI’s greatest strengths is its collaborative ethos. We work closely with sister surgical societies, Royal Colleges and international partners, recognising that the challenges facing surgery are shared ones and best addressed together.
Supporting the RCS England Future of Surgery Festival reflects this spirit of partnership. The Festival provides an opportunity for ASGBI members to connect with the wider surgical community, engage in meaningful debate and contribute their experience and insight to discussions about the future of the profession.
Why ASGBI matters
ASGBI matters because general surgery matters. Across the UK and Ireland, general surgeons deliver life-saving emergency care, manage complex elective disease and provide continuity across subspecialty boundaries. They need a society that understands that breadth, values that contribution and speaks with clarity and authority on their behalf.
ASGBI is that society, and through its involvement in the Future of Surgery Festival, it continues to ensure that the voice of general surgery is central to conversations about the profession’s future.
