Patient communications and counselling provision in LTC – lessons learnt – Angela Pericleous-Smith, British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA), UK
This talk will cover:
• Improving communications with patients.
• Improving safety and support for fertility patients.
• How do we adapt and grow?
Angela Pericleous-Smith is Chair of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA), practicing as a specialist fertility counsellor since 2004 when she joined Leeds Fertility alongside her private counselling and supervision practice in York.
She is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and an Accredited member of BICA. She is a Trainer with the BICA Training Group providing training to other fertility counsellors to improve and promote high standards of fertility counselling and is Deputy Chair of the BICA Accreditation Board.
Angela has co-authored the BICA Guidelines for Good Practice in Fertility Counselling 4th Ed. 2019
Angela’s interests include all aspects of assisted conception, donation treatment, surrogacy and gender dysphoria and supporting patients before, during and after their treatment. She is passionate about supporting patients to make choices which feel right for them as they navigate the challenges faced by fertility.
Lessons from COVID-19 – the view from the regulator – Peter Thompson, Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA), UK
Peter Thompson became the Chief Executive of the HFEA, the body responsible for the regulation of assisted reproduction therapies, like IVF, and research involving human embryos, in 2012. Before joining the HFEA he worked as a civil servant for a number of Government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Cabinet Office. Among a variety of roles, Peter was responsible for the Government’s policy on the legal recognition of transsexual people, EU justice policy and the Prime Minister’s programme of constitutional renewal. Peter became an external member of the Council of Queen Mary University of London in 2017.
COVID-19 – fertility in the firing line – Dr Jane Stewart, BFS and Professor Jason Kasraie, ARCS
This talk comprises part of the Lessons From COVID session. The speakers will reflect on our respective experience of practice in the face of the pandemic and also on the challenges of providing guidance to members at a time of significant uncertainty and what we have learned from that process.
Dr Jane Stewart is a full-time NHS consultant in reproductive medicine and Head of the Newcastle Fertility Centre with over 25 years’ experience in the specialty. She is the current Chair of the British Fertility Society and only the second woman to hold that honour. Founded 46 years ago with Patrick Steptoe as the first Chair, the BFS has evolved into a multidisciplinary body of over 1000 members. The key aim of the society is, through education, policy, research and collaboration, to promote best practice in the provision of fertility care. Dr Stewart has been an elected member of the committee for nearly 10 years serving as Chair of the Training Committee, Honorary Secretary and now Chair of the Society. She is Clinical Sub-Editor of Human Fertility and has recently edited a handbook for training and CPD in the specialty; Subfertility, Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproduction (Cambridge Press).
With Jason Kasraie, she co-chairs the ARCS-BFS COVID Group.