The British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine, which was originally named the Medical Disability Society when first founded in 1984, is debating whether to change its name to the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. Disquiet with its current name emerged in about 2010-2011, when some members felt the proposed new name would be more appropriate. A proposal for expansion of the speciality in 2016 included a proposal to change the name; the Rehabilitation Medicine Expansion Proposal (RMEP), available here. Eventually, there was sufficient disquiet to lead to a decision at a meeting of the Executive Committee in September 2020 that there should be a debate within the Society, culminating in a ballot on the proposal in December 2021. Normally a decision of this nature would be debated at an Annual General Meeting but, unfortunately, both the 2020 and 2021 Annual General Meetings have been online, for obvious reasons. Therefore a written document has been circulated to all members and it puts forwards the arguments in favour of each name. (It is available here.) Nonetheless, the opportunity for members to meet and discuss this issue is limited. I have decided to use this Rehabilitation Matters website as a forum for anyone to read and comment on the issues – anyone including people who are not members of the Society. A list of all relevant documents and web pages is at the end, with links, to make finding information easier.

This forum for discussion

A website is not an ideal venue to debate issues, but it is one venue to complement discussions held in local meetings. This page is an integral part of the Rehabilitation Matters website, but the debate will occur in blog post pages whose links are given later. I hope that this will allow everyone greater access to a larger range of ideas and opinions. I will publish, as separate blog posts, any posts received whether for or against change, or even just discussing the issue. I give more details later.

Readers may make comments elow the posts. If sufficient comments are submitted, I will summarise comments and add new posts with the content categorised and summarised; if possible I will ask a second BSRM member to check that my summary is fair and unbiased. New posts will be publicised on Twitter (@rehabili11484543, @derickwaderehab, @BSRehabMed).

To foster and inform the debate, I have provided a copy of the official document. It is probable that most members (like me) will have left the document attached to the email sent on 4th August to all members, or may have lost it. It is available here. It can be accessed by anyone else interested in the debate.

The first blog post, in favour of retaining the name, The British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine is written by me, but (I hope) comments (in favour or disagreeing) will be made, and others who wish to write in favour may do so, and their posts will be published on separate pages. If you wish to write a post supporting the continuation of the present name, please contact me. (below)

I offered three leading proponents of changing the name to British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine the opportunity to write a post explaining and promoting their proposal, but all have declined. I would welcome any other person to write a post that will be published. If more than one person offers, two or more posts can be published. In the meanwhile, I have summarised the argument, I hope fairly, in a post. If you wish to write a post supporting the change of name, please contact me.

Any reader can make a comment under the posts, supporting or disagreeing with the published proposal and any comments already appended. All comments will be published, unless they break the law, or are gratuitously disrespectful or inflammatory.

Last, the perception of our Society by others is a matter of concern to both sides of the debate. One side argues that the proposed name will attract more members and increase influence, while the counterargument is that the change risks not only putting off people who might join, especially anyone who is not a doctor, but also risks the loss of ‘brand recognition’. Consequently, comments by people who are not Society members will also be very welcome.

Why the Society should change its name.

At present (November 5th 2021) this (first) post on why the name should be changed is a copy of the summary given in the main document circulated to members (here). I hope that someone will come forward soon, and provide a new post to ensure an equal and fair debate. The post can be accessed here.

Why the Society should retain its present name.

The (first) post supporting retention of the present name is written by Derick Wade, a consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine and a professor in Neurological Rehabilitation at the University of Oxford. The post can be accessed here; comments can be made at the end of the post.

Derick Wade was a founder member of the Medical Disability Society in 1984, and became a consultant in rehabilitation in 1986. He has had a long-standing interest in all aspects of rehabilitation since 1980, and has written and spoken widely about rehabilitation.

Discussion posts

I hope that the debate becomes a discussion, where contributors feel able to agree with some parts of each case and, equally, feel able to disagree with parts of each case.

I further hope that people will take the opportunity to discuss other matters such as how our Society should develop and change over the next ten years, whether we should be more active in recruiting members from other medical specialities and from other professions. In another section of this website, I have suggested a list of societies that share many interests with our Society.

Submitting posts and comments

Each published post has, at the bottom of the page, a box where anyone can comment. The comment is automatically submitted. I have to agree that it is publishable before it becomes publicly visible. I will accept any comment unless it is breaking the law or very disrespectful.

Anyone may also publish a post. You may contact me directly; my contact details are easily discovered. Alternatively, you can contact me using the feedback and comment buttons below.

Your post can be written and structured as you wish. My advice is that it should be somewhere between 800 and 2000 words long with reasonably short and clear paragraphs. If submitted as a Word document, I will read it, I may suggest minor editorial changes to make it better which the author will see before publication. I will write a brief introduction to state who wrote it. I will accept anything, whatever its point of view, provided it is within the law and respects others. It will be publicised when published.

BSRM name debate documents.

There are many documents, including web pages, that are or might be relevant. I will list all those I can think of here, and if anyone has further suggestions they should contact me (see bottom of page).

• Rehabilitation Medicine Expansion Proposal (RMEP); 2016; here
• Information sent to all BSRM members; both points of view; 2021; here
• Blog post in favour of name change; here
• Blog post in favour of retaining name; here
• Blog post summarising thoughts before ballot; here
• Paper on the word, ‘Physical’; 2006; here
• BSRM website home page; here
• ISPRM (International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) website; here

Blog posts and pages published

This gives a list of pages and blogs relevant to the debate. They include pages more generally about the BSRM that I think may be of interest. New posts and pages will be added as they are added. The blog posts published are:

• Increasing BSRM membership. An early blog exploring what we can do now. (here)
• Retain the name of BSRM. The first post supporting retention of the name. (here)
• Change the name to BSPRM. A summary from the published document. (here)
• BSRM name change discussion. Report on a discussion in Cardiff. (here)
• Whither the BS(P)RM? A discussion of the background and consequences. (here)

Some relevant pages on the website are:

• UK national rehabilitation community. Introduces a section on other rehabilitation groups. (here)
• British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine. Gives an interesting historical background. (here)
• National rehabilitation professional organisations. Outlines the many organisations our Society has much in common with. (here)