Belfast 2026
Wednesday 27 May
Conferences & Symposia
Wed 27 May
09:00 - 17:00
Europa Hotel, Great Victoria St, Belfast BT2 7AP
Activity code:
Applied for 5 CPD credits
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The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) Belfast 2026 Conference is a one-day meeting designed to support clinicians working in Acute and General Medicine in the context of increasing service pressures and rapidly evolving practice. It brings together experts in Infectious Diseases, Genitourinary Medicine, Oncology, Cardiology, Intensive Care, Geriatrics, Respiratory Medicine, and Medical Education to provide practical, clinically focused updates for Acute and General Physicians.
The programme covers:
- Regional Infectious Disease and HIV patterns
- Penicillin Allergy De-labelling
- Systems-level challenges in Acute Care
- Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)
- The growing role of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Education
- Oncology and Intensive Care updates for Generalists
- Frailty and Deconditioning at the Front Door
- Contemporary Heart Failure management
- Sleep Disorders commonly seen in Acute and General Medical settings
The Conference is aimed at Acute and General Physicians, Trainees, GPs, and Medical Students with an interest in Unscheduled Care.
Delegates can expect to gain up-to-date, practical knowledge across key specialties, refine referral and pathway decisions, and explore innovations such as SDEC and AI that are reshaping Acute Services.
Trainee Case and Quality Improvement (QI) presentations will further enhance shared learning and professional development.
Trainee Case Presentation Submission:
Up to 4 spaces available. Those who are successful will be invited to present their case study at the conference. If your abstract is not accepted as an oral presentation then you may be invited to present your abstract as a poster. Prizes for the case presentations and posters will be awarded at this event.
Further details to follow.
Organising Committee:
Dr Philip Toner (Chair of Organising Committee)
Dr Michael Connolly (FRCP)
Dr Michael Trimble (FRCP and NI SAM Rep)
Dr Bernice Ng (MRCP and acute medic)
Dr Andrew Spence (MRCP)
Wednesday 27 May 2026
| 08:45 | Registration and Coffee |
|---|---|
| 09:25 | Welcome by Dr Marion Slater, RCPE Vice President Northern Ireland & Scotland |
Session 1 - Infectious Diseases / Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) / Microbiology
Chair: Dr Andrew Spence, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
| 09:30 | Public Health and Infectious Diseases (ID) for the General Medic Regional patters/ outbreak ID at the front door/ High consequences Infectious Diseases (HCID)* |
|---|---|
| 09:55 | GUM for the General Medic Dr Suzanne Todd, Consultant Genitourinary Medicine, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust Update on HIV* Regional patterns/ outbreaks* When to Test* When to refer* |
| 10:20 | Penicillin allergy de labelling Clinical, economic and environmental impact of antibiotics*Penicillin allergy de-labelling in Acute Medical Units (AMU) : rational, logistics and outcomes* |
| 10:45 | Break - Poster Sessions |
Session 2 - Presidential Updates
Chair: Dr Michael Trimble, Consultant in Acute Medicine, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland, Society of Acute Medicine (SAM) Representative
| 11:10 | RCPE VICE President Update Dr Marion Slater, RCPE Vice President Northern Ireland and Scotland |
|---|---|
| 11:20 | Trapped between values and reality: Clinicians in a broken acute care system |
| 11:45 | Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) *SDEC in acute medicine *Avoiding unsafe discharges *High yield pathways* Northern Ireland development* |
| 12:10 | Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine and medical education Dr Gareth Lewis, Consultant Acute Medicine Northern Health & Social Care Trust |
Session 3 - Updates for the Acute & General Medic
Chair: Dr Bernice Ng, Acute Medical Consultant, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
| 13:30 | Oncology for the Medical Team *Update on Oncology for the Medic* The unknown primary workup *when to refer and how we can help* |
|---|---|
| 13:55 | Trends in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) and Precision Medicine Dr Andrew Boyle, Consultant ICM (Regional Intensive Care Unit, Royal Victoria Hospital) and Clinical Senior Lecturer (Queen's University Belfast) *Update on ICM for the medic*Emerging trends/research*Precision medicine in ICU* |
| 14:20 | Trainee doctors case presentations 4 presentations of 10 minutes each: Interesting cases and QI projects (1-2min introduction, 10min presentation & 3min Q&A per speaker) |
| 15:20 | Coffee/ Tea |
Session 4 - Update for the Acute & General Medic
Chair:
| 15:40 | Cardiology for the Medical Team *Updates on cardiology for the medic *Heart failure * |
|---|---|
| 16:05 | Front Door Frailty Dr William McKeown, Consultant Geriatrics & Stroke, South-eastern Health & Social Care Trust *Frailty at the front door *Deconditioning *When admission can harm* |
| 16:30 | Sleep and sleep disorders Dr Angela Atalla, Consultant Respiratory, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust *Sleep disorders* |
| 16:55 | Close |
Please note that on occassion event programmes may be subjected to change due to unforseen circumstances.
Not a Member of RCPE? By joining the College, you can save up to 100% on event fees for our symposia, courses and Evening Medical Update programme. Find out more about joining the College and our membership benefits via our membership webpages.
| Fee £ | |
| Standard Fee | £150 |
| RCPE Fellow, Collegiate & Associate Member | £90 |
| Nurse, Pharmacist, Physician Associate & Allied Health Professional | £90 |
| RCPE retired Fellow and RCPE Foundation Member | £65 |
| All Medical Students | £20 |
Long term / other leave: Fellows and Members, please contact the Symposium Co-ordinator as some discretion may be available.
Invoices
If you wish your employer/organisation to be invoiced for this event, please contact the event coordinator. Payment via invoice is not available whilst booking online.
Free places
Unpaid post: If RCPE Member, please provide confirmation of status to the event coordinator in order to access this event for free
Refugee doctors: Free places are available to refugee doctors who are Associate Members of the College, please contact the event coordinator for more information. Associate Membership for refugee doctors is available free of charge. Please visit our membership pages for more information on joining the College as a refugee doctor.
Cancellation policy
If you have to cancel your place within 14 days of this event, we regret that we are unable to provide a refund.
Booking Terms & Conditions: Please read the College’s full event booking Ts&Cs regarding event changes, CPD, and data protection in the event policies section on our Event FAQ pages.
Certificates
All relevant events are approved for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). To receive a CPD certificate delegates must have completed the online feedback survey. The survey will close 28 days after the original broadcast of the event on 24 June 2026, with certificates being issued shortly after this.
Certificates cannot be issued after the survey has closed.
Joining us at the Venue
Photography: A professional photographer may be in attendance at this event. Photographs may be used by the College in digital and printed publicity material. If you do not wish to be photographed, please let a member of staff know at the registration desk.
Commercial Sponsorship: Many events are supported by commercial companies taking exhibition space. Health professionals and NHS Managers are invited to visit the company stands during the breaks. Companies interested in sponsoring this, or other events listed on our event pages should contact the event coordinator.
Exhibitors/Sponsors play no part in the planning or delivery of our events, and the College has developed an Ethical Sponsorship Policy to support organising committees and committee chairs in their negotiations with potential commercial partners for education and other events.
Directions to venue:
Address: Europa Hotel, Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7AP
Parking: The venue does not have their own car park however there is car parking available in the local area. Car parking is available at the Great Northern Car Park at a discounted rate of £14 for 24 hours (one entrance and one exit). Alternatively car parking can also be found at Value Car Parks which is situated on Grosvenor Road (two minutes walk). Further to this our Valet Parking service is £25 and is subject to availability due to ongoing roadworks. Please contact the venue directly for any questions.
Public Transport:
Bus: Directly behind the hotel is the new Grand Central Station. There is access to the station from both Glengall Street and Grosvenor Road and the entrances will be less than 200m from the old Europa Bus Centre facilities.
Train: Directly behind the hotel is the new Grand Central Station. There is access to the station from both Glengall Street and Grosvenor Road and the entrances will be less than 200m from the old Europa Bus Centre facilities.
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Event information
Conferences & Symposia
Wed 27 May
09:00 - 17:00
Europa Hotel, Great Victoria St, Belfast BT2 7AP
Activity code:
Applied for 5 CPD credits
Are you a Fellow or a Member? Sign in to get member prices
Sign in to get member prices