“As you get older, two things are possibly more important than any others: health and money.”
Helen Gurley Brown, American Editor, 1922 - 2012

We have chosen the theme of “The Ageing Worker” for this year’s Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Occupational Medicine because of its universal relevance to all occupational medicine professionals, no matter our employment sector.   As the general population ages, the requirement for us to balance the skills, fitness and capabilities of the worker with the needs of the employer have never been more poignant.

Our programme includes sessions on the Legal Considerations of Age in the workplace as well as the physical aspects – including Musculoskeletal Issues and Safety Critical Workers.  We have invited experts (many of whom are from our Southern region) to share their knowledge and experience with us and we also have a line-up of international panellists for our chaired debate “Threats to OH Practice”.  Our session on “The Effective Use of Social Media in OH Practice” will update us on the valuable usage of technology within our practice and the Free Paper sessions and Poster Exhibition will enable colleagues to share their own material with the rest of the audience.

We encourage all to participate fully in this dynamic programme and ask lots of questions, so that the educational value of our days together is maximised.

Bournemouth will provide us with an excellent backdrop to the 2013 ASM.  Our facilities at the Bournemouth International Centre are purpose-built and excellent for our event.  The cliff-top views and central location of the venue are ideal, but of course our challenge is to keep you at the Conference and not enjoying the 7 miles of golden sands under your feet! 
We have, however, set aside time for an active social programme and you will find further information about the events on this website. 

As a destination, Bournemouth is well-served by transport links and both Bournemouth and Southampton Airports have seen recent expansion.  Bournemouth Airport now handles 80,000 passengers a year and a shuttle bus runs between the Airport and the centre of town, making this a convenient option.  There is a good train service several times an hour from Southampton Airport to Bournemouth station which takes around 40 minutes.  By train, Bournemouth is around 2 hours from London.  Please refer to the “Venue” page for more information about travel.

And needless to say, if you fancy adding a few days to your trip, the Bournemouth area has much to offer with the New Forest on the doorstep, watersports available along the coast and pretty Dorset villages to explore and enjoy, to name but a few options!

We do hope to see you in Bournemouth for SOM ASM 2013.

Dr Ian Gemmell, Chair, SOM ASM 2013