About

The NWULG group was formed in 1998, by Orthopaedic surgeons in the North West of England, with an interest in shoulder and elbow surgery. 
The intention is to provide a forum for surgeons, with a shoulder/elbow interest, in the Northwest region of England, such that we might meet to: 
1. Discuss complex cases 
2. Discuss complex management options 
3. Share experiences and ideas 
4. Coordinate Multicentre research 
Since 2002 a subgroup has been setup for Therapists with a shoulder/elbow interest. 
The group has proved very successful and has grown from 8 members originally to now over 80 members and geographically extends as far east as Newcastle. 
The group meets three times per year. The meetings comprise case discussions, research discussions and often a guest speaker. An informal dinner is provided and there is opportunity for social discussion. 

Membership:

Membership is open to Consultant surgeons and Therapists with a Shoulder/Elbow interest.

• Surgeons must be Consultants with a special interest in shoulder/elbow surgery.
• Therapists should be working at Band 7/Senior 1 level or above and be working/have links with a surgeon with an interest in shoulder/elbow surgery.

Membership Application:

• Membership applications must be sent to info@nwulg.org with the following information:
  • Names and email address of a Proposer and Seconder (The Proposer and Seconder must be current members of the NWULG)
  • A short resume including a description of your practice and the amount of shoulder & elbow work and experience
• Applications will be reviewed by the Committee and the proposer and seconder contacted where necessary.

Committee:

Due to the rapid expansion of the group a committee was established in 2004 to oversee and develop the group.

Current Committee:

• President - Rish Parmar
• Secretary - Jenna Bardsley
• Treasurer - Mike Walton
• AHP Representative - Jo Winton

Past Presidents:

• Peter Hughes - 2018-2022
• Matthew Kent - 2014-2017
• Clive Warren-Smith 2012-2014
• Simon Frostick - 2008-2011
• John Haines - 2006-2007
• Harry Casserley - 2005-2006
• Peter Brownson - Founder

Honorary Lifetime Members:

• David Stanley
• Tim Bunker
• Clive Warren-Smith
• John Haines
• Ian Trail
• Comrac Kelly

Constitution:

This Group was formed in 1999 and has the following aims: 

• Membership of the Group is open to Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons with a similar interest. 
• Membership  of the Group has been extended to include physiotherapists.
• The Group will meet three times per year. 
• The meetings will be arranged by the Executive Committee.
• Individuals wishing to apply for membership should be proposed by two existing members and approved by the Executive Committee. Potential members will be required to provide a brief resume to prove some specialisation in upper limb
• There will be an annual subscription for all members to offset the cost of each meeting.   
• The costs for physiotherapists will be reduced.  
• Consultant Surgeons wishing to bring guests to a meeting will pay an additional fee of 15 to cover the cost of catering etc.  

Executive Committee:

• The Executive Committee will comprise of three Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons who will fulfil the roles of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.   
• The appointment to the Committee will be for a period of two years.   
• Members wishing to sit on the Executive Committee should be proposed and seconded by an existing member and an election will be held during the Annual General Meeting.   
• In addition, there will be two physiotherapists on the Executive Committee who will be responsible for the running of the physiotherapy sub-group.
• On the Executive Committee, there should be no more than one member from a given NHS Trust.

 The Website:

The website is supported by and managed by Lennard Funk . 

The website aims to ease the communication between members of the group, committee and administrators. It is an extension of the regular meetings, keeping the group discussions going and allowing for new discussions.

The website has been developed as an extension of the regular meetings for members, a source of information for non-members and to ease the burden of the increased administration for the group's sole administrator. 
The website therefore comprises:

1. General Open access area:

• News
• About the NWULG
• Forthcoming Meetings

2. Members Area (password access):

• News
• Case Discussions database
• Email discussion group
• Newsletter facility (sent via email & via website).