Wow ! Where have the last two years gone ? As I reflect on my SRP Presidency I do not think any of us could have predicted the challenges that we have faced , both individually and as a profession .
When I took over as President in 2019 , I committed the Society to three core themes :
• SUSTAINABILITY of the Profession and Society
• Working in SYNERGY with other organisations , and
• Improving COMMUNICATION with Internal and External Stakeholders
The COVID-19 pandemic may have prevented some of the initiatives I was hoping SRP would achieve under these themes , however it also created several new opportunities which I believe the Society has embraced and which have put us in stronger position going forward .
In the case of the SUSTAINABILITY of the Profession , we launched a brand-new framework to help the Society tackle the future skills gap . This was presented both internally to our membership via the 2020 South West Conference , internationally via the International Radiation Protection Association ' s 15th Congress , and was published in the Journal for Radiological Protection , as an Open Access Paper .
This framework was based around 3 core objectives :
• Objective 1 - Encourage students to study Science , Technology , Engineering or Mathematics ( STEM ) subjects through school and further education / vocational training .
• Objective 2 - Encourage students and non-RP professionals into Radiation Protection or its allied fields as a profession .
• Objective 3 - Professional development of those working in the RP field throughout their career and retention within the field .
It explored the existing initiatives being undertaken by SRP , along with new proposals to help us meet this challenge . The work has already sparked considerable interest and offers of collaboration , and we are exploring these not only nationally but internationally as well , including running a dedicated session at the SRP 2021 Annual Conference with a number of international guest speakers .
At the same time we have made a real push for inclusivity and diversity of the profession , ensuring that all those working in radiation protection and its allied fields , regardless of role , gender , age , sexual orientation or sector , feel welcome and can be equally recognised for their achievements . This has included the revision of our Equality and Diversity Policy , appointment of a dedicated Equality and Diversity Coordinator , restructuring of our Annual Conference and Events to ensure all sectors and levels of the profession are represented , encouraging greater representation across SRP Committees and Council , running dedicated Social Media Campaigns such as our Smashing Stereotypes Campaign and the continual push of our new Incorporated and Technical Status for Professional Recognition .
However , the SUSTAINABILITY of the Profession and these initiatives is dependent on the SUSTAINABILITY of the Society . The last two years have seen the introduction of several new controls to monitor SRP ' s revenue and expenditure , movement to the use of digital tools such as Teams , along with the introduction of new revenue generation streams . This has started to show real progress , with the 2020 accounts , showing a healthy surplus , despite an increased investment in Awards and Sponsorship , to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic , and loss of revenue from the 2020 events programme .
[ ] 2