Professor Derek Alderson Confirmed as Incoming Chair of the CPOC Board from July 2022

The Centre for Perioperative Care is pleased to announce that Professor Derek Alderson has been confirmed as the incoming Chair of the CPOC Board.

As Chair, Derek will begin in post in July 2022. 

Derek Alderson is an emeritus Professor of Surgery at The University of Birmingham and immediate past president of Royal College of Surgeons of England, a post he held from 2017 to 2020. The RCSEng are a key CPOC Partner. Derek has a long-standing interest in perioperative care, being heavily involved in the development of multi-disciplinary teams and multi-professional working for patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancers more than 20 years ago. 

Derek has published extensively on outcomes for upper gastro-intestinal cancers focusing on issues that affect quality of life and patient satisfaction.

Responding to his appointment, Derek said:

"Better management of the patient who needs an  operation is a key component in addressing current waiting lists across the United Kingdom. We need to encourage everyone to lead healthier lives, ensure that the surgical patient is as fit as possible before operating, get rid of the unnecessary delays in hospital that frustrate patients and staff, and perhaps most importantly, develop resources that ensure recovery from surgery and promote rehabilitation . There are many challenges, not least the need to expand our workforce and persuade those responsible for commissioning health care that  peri-operative care should sit high on their agenda."