BGS Strategic Plan 2020-23

The BGS Strategic Plan sets out our direction of travel to 2023, based on an analysis of the environment in which BGS members work, our strengths as a Society and an assessment of how we can have most impact and influence in achieving our mission.
The Strategic Plan acknowledges these operational realities for our members: political upheaval, workforce shortages, the absence of a sustainable solution to the social care crisis, and the pressures on healthcare professionals across acute, primary and community care.
The Plan reinforces the commitment of the BGS to fundamental principles of high-quality patient-centred care; to diversity, equality and inclusion; and to multi-disciplinary teamwork. We want the BGS to grow, continuing to build the diversity of our membership across the UK and valuing the perspectives of different professions. We set out the important role that specialists play in supporting and advising non-specialists. With a small staff team supporting more than 4,000 individual members, we value collaboration with others, be they charities, NHS agencies or other Colleges and Societies.
We have five strategic goals for 2020-23

There are three cross-cutting priorities:
- Strengthening regional activity – members want the BGS to enable stronger connections at local and regional level, to complement national-level activity. Our Plan sets out how we will encourage high-quality meetings, co-operation, knowledge-sharing and peer support across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
- Strengthening digital services – with pressures on study leave and study budgets, online access to continuing professional development (CPD) and BGS services becomes ever more important. The Plan includes digital developments such as e-learning, a membership/events app, livestreaming, webcasts and video-conferencing, a potential online forum linked to our Members’ Directory, and enhancements to the website and Age and Ageing online offer.
- Strengthening our community – the Society’s strength is in the energy, expertise and commitment of its members. The Plan sets out our intention to improve the rewards and incentives for getting involved, to enhance the member offer, and to encourage BGS members to feel a sense of belonging and pride in the community of those committed to improving healthcare for older people.

The demand for high-quality healthcare for older people in the UK continues to grow. People are living for longer in better health, but many spend their later years with complex inter-related health conditions. Compassionate, committed, skilled staff are needed in all healthcare settings if we are to ensure older people can experience the best possible care. It is our role as a Society to support this specialist workforce across different health professions, valuing the multidisciplinary perspectives they bring.
We connect people across regions, topics and disciplines to enable peer support and mutual learning. We educate and train them to build their skills and confidence to deliver the best possible care. We amplify the knowledge that comes from research evidence, clinical improvement and daily experience. We seek to influence the policies that shape how the health system is designed and delivered across the UK. We collaborate with partners and allies who share our commitment to older people’s healthcare. The Society’s role as convenor, policy advocate, expert voice and learning hub is more important than ever.
Over the period April 2020 to March 2023 we will deliver this Strategic Plan. It represents an ambitious set of commitments to increase our membership, profile, impact and influence. This will be achieved by the collective contribution of BGS members working together to improve healthcare for older people.