Rachael Moses' new role is a 'monumental occasion' for physiotherapy

Rachael Moses is to become the first president of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) whose professional background lies outside medicine. While four women have previously been president, they all had medical backgrounds and three were professors.

Physiotherapist Ms Moses takes up the reins at the society’s annual general meeting on 2 December and will be president until the end of 2021. The BTS has almost 4,000 members.

For a physiotherapist and allied health professional (AHP) to lead a world-class organisation in the president’s role is a monumental occasion

She is currently associate director for rehabilitation and therapies at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust in London and led the AHP input at the NHS Nightingale Hospital of London, built as part of the UK emergency response to Covid-19 earlier this year.

What does it mean to you – and for the physiotherapy profession – to be taking up such a prestigious, high-profile post?

‘The BTS is a forward-thinking organisation that truly embraces multi-professional working. In the world of respiratory medicine, clinicians are genuinely valued for the unique contribution they bring to enhancing patient care and outcome – irrespective of their professional qualifications.

‘For a physiotherapist and allied health professional (AHP) to lead a world-class organisation in the president’s role is a monumental occasion. 

‘I hope me being in such a high-profile role will inspire others to reach for the sky and demonstrate the true potential we have as nurses and AHPs.'

Voicing its 'delight' at announcing Ms Moses’ new position, the BTS said: ‘Throughout her career, Rachael has worked alongside a huge range of respiratory professionals. 

‘She is a strong advocate of the role of multidisciplinary teams in respiratory care, and of the contribution of each and every profession that make up the respiratory workforce.

‘She also holds a special interest in understanding and addressing inequalities across healthcare with regards to access, equality, inclusion and diversity for both service users and staff. 

Ms Moses is a long-standing BTS member and has previously been a council member. As well as sitting on the education and training committees, she had also held positions with several specialist advisory groups, the BTS statement added.

For more information on the BTS, visit: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk

See also the news article on this site titled Prominent physio fears 'medical model' could dominate in new 'long Covid' units