In conversation with Professor Julian Bion

Professor Julian Bion, the Faculty's founding Dean, reflects on the development of intensive care medicine and the journey towards a College. Hear his stories and perspectives on the specialty's past and its evolution. You can also read his article, "Intensive Care Medicine: The maturing of a specialty", in the Summer 2026 issue of Critical Eye, pages 10–12 available at www.ficm.ac.uk/critical-eye. This interview was recorded before the College transition on 1 July 2026. References to the Faculty and the forthcoming transition reflect the time of recording.

This podcast episode discusses the transition of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine to a College, exploring the challenges, perceptions, and expectations surrounding this change. The speakers, Jack Parry-Jones, and Danielle Bryden, discuss the importance of college status for advocacy for healthcare professionals and patients, the need for diversity within the specialty, and the challenges associated with transition to college status. They reflect on the evolution of intensive care medicine and the future directions for the college, emphasising the importance of member representation.

Join us for this episode of the FICM learning podcast on Obstetric Critical Care.  Dr Katie Cranfield is an Intensive Care Consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and also the lead Obstetric Physician for the North East and North Cumbria Maternal Medicine Network.  In this conversation with Dr Cathy Ross, Dr Cranfield discusses themes that have emerged from maternal mortality reports and lessons for critical care in addition to the role of Critical Care Outreach and Maternal Medicine Networks in improving care for patients who become critically ill during pregnancy or after the birth of their child.

Welcome to the FICM Learning Podcast, where we explore key topics shaping Intensive Care Medicine. This episode, recorded in Summer 2024, features an update from the Professional Affairs and Safety Committee on their ongoing workstreams. Joining us are: 🔹 Dr. Dale Gardiner, Chair of the Professional Affairs and Safety Committee🔹 Dr. Pete Hersey, Board Member and Chair of the Safety Committee🔹 Dr. Monika Beatty, Chair of the Ethical and Legal Policy Unit Together, they'll discuss the latest developments in patient safety, professional standards, and ethical decision-making in critical care. Stay tuned for an insightful discussion!

Join us for an insightful episode of the FICM learning podcast featuring Dr. Sonya Daniel as we delve into the complex and essential topic of treatment escalation planning. In this episode, Dr. Daniel shares her expertise on how to approach conversations around treatment limitations, the ethical considerations involved, and the practical challenges clinicians face when balancing patient autonomy with clinical judgment. We'll discuss strategies for engaging patients and their families, how to navigate difficult discussions, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in ensuring patient-centered care. Don't miss this vital conversation aimed at enhancing your understanding and confidence in treatment escalation planning. 

In this podcast episode, Gilly Fleming interviews Shashi Chandrasekhariah and Sarah Clark from the Training, Assessment and Quality Group. They discuss the activities of the group, including training, assessment, and quality assurance for doctors in training. They also talk about the portfolio pathway program and the increasing demand for non-traditional training pathways. The group has been working on addressing issues raised in the STR lead training survey, such as differential training experiences and undermining behaviors. The podcast concludes with an invitation for members to get involved in the group's work. Would you like to be involved in FICMlearning? Whether it is a blog post, an e-ICM post, simulation or a podcast episode we would love to hear from you! Contact us on twitter through @FICMnews or email [email protected] with your ideas!

This FICM Learning podcast episode discusses perioperative medicine, its history, current state, and future direction. The panel includes Prof Ramani Moonesinghe, Professor of Perioperative medicine at UCL, Dr David Murray, Chair of the National Laparotomy Audit project, and Dr Luke Flowers, Chair of the trainee research network. The panel members, who have extensive experience in establishing perioperative medicine as a specialty, provide insights into risk assessment, risk prediction models, and the importance of shared decision-making. They emphasize the need to consider not only mortality but also other patient-centered outcomes, such as discharge destination and length of hospital stay. The future of perioperative medicine lies in optimizing patient pathways, integrating multidisciplinary teams, and investing in pre- and post-operative interventions. The panel also highlights the importance of conveying the value of perioperative care to the healthcare system. Would you like to be involved in FICMlearning? Whether it is a blog post, an e-ICM post, simulation or a podcast episode we would love to hear from you! Contact us on twitter through @FICMnews or email [email protected] with your ideas!

Gareth (@garemlyn) speak with Dr Alicia Waite (@_aacw) about her journey as a trainee involved in research. They discuss the challenges and barriers to research and those specific to being a trainee focussed and acadaemia.   The TRIC network is a collective of trainees with a passion for research in ICM. They are interested in hearing from any trainee who wishes to be involved in research at any level. So far they have conducted the PIM-COVID study and are collaborating on more. Follow them on Twitter @tricnetwork or check out their website https://tricnetwork.co.uk/ Would you like to be involved in FICMlearning? Whether it is a blog post, an e-ICM post, simulation or a podcast episode we would love to hear from you! Contact us on twitter through @FICMnews or email [email protected] with your ideas!

Gareth Thomas speaks with Dr Michael Slattery (@mkyslattery), the Clinical Lead of the Adult Critical Care Transfer Service Cymru (@CritCareCymru), on the topic of Critical Care transfers. They discuss how a service can be established to meet the needs of a geographically challenging systems, the challenges faced and how they can be overcome. An essential highlight is the important role undertaken by Retrieval & Transfer Practitioners and the potential to alter the landscape of transfer medicine. #processnotlocation Would you like to be involved in FICMlearning? Whether it is a blog post, an e-ICM post, simulation or a podcast episode we would love to hear from you! Contact us on twitter through @FICMnews or email [email protected] with your ideas!

"Point of Care UltraSound training on the ICU – With Hannah Conway – Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice and member of the ICS Focused UltraSound in Intensive Care committee. This episode outlines the use and benefits of ultrasound on intensive care, as well as the training pathway to accreditation in this valuable skill. "