Shaping the future.
Responding to change.
Building resilience.

As Registrar and President-Elect of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath), I am very grateful for the opportunity to reflect on a year marked by both significant challenge and meaningful progress. As I prepare to take office in November 2026, I do so with a clear sense of purpose: to focus on addressing the significant workload and resource pressures facing our members worldwide while also responding to the advances transforming pathology.

Our 2026 Celtic Nations Summit on 3 February was a pivotal moment for collaborative discussion, bringing together representatives from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. While healthcare policy remains devolved, our discussions highlighted shared and increasing pressures affecting pathology services. Most notably, an escalating workforce crisis in fragile specialties like paediatric and perinatal pathology, and neuropathology. The summit reinforced the importance of working collaboratively to influence policy and ensure that future transformation strategies invest in people, digital infrastructure and service capability rather than narrowly focusing on consolidation and cost reduction.

Quality and patient safety remain central to our mission. Our Patient Safety Strategy, supported by the Patient Safety Steering Group, provides leadership, oversight and coordination to promote continuous improvement and safer patient care across pathology services. We are actively engaging with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to reform accreditation models, ensuring they become more clinically focused and better aligned with the diverse needs of different pathology specialties and subspecialties. At the same time, we are developing a more sustainable approach to external quality assessment (EQA) governance, ensuring robust standards underpin patient safety.

Innovation is transforming pathology, and this year provided many opportunities to contribute to discussions on how emerging technologies can be adopted safely and effectively. Through presentations at the RCPath international webinar on artificial intelligence and digital pathology, Roche Diagnostics educational seminars and the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) Summit, I explored how these tools can be adopted responsibly and equitably across health systems of varying resource levels. I have also reflected on the practical steps needed to translate AI innovation into everyday diagnostic benefit and discussed how they are helping to improve patient outcomes.

Through our Industry Leaders' Forum and Rapid Genomic Testing Forum, I championed greater interoperability between digital systems to optimise molecular testing. This would ensure cancer patients receive the right tests at the right time. Greater links between digital pathology systems and electronic patient records would enable multidimensional, multidisciplinary team working.

The strength of our profession was evident at this year’s RCPath Achievement Awards. Reviewing the nominations was a genuine privilege. They showcased the outstanding contributions of trainees, trainers and teams and were a reminder of the depth of talent and dedication across our profession, from those pioneering new technologies to those quietly sustaining excellent services day to day.

As I prepare to build on the strong foundations established by Dr Bernie Croal, I look at both the significant challenges and opportunities. By delivering our Workforce Strategy, supporting the next generation of pathologists and implementation of new technologies, and reforming our ways of working, we can strengthen the resilience and long-term sustainability of pathology services to deliver the highest standards of patient care.

Professor Sarah Coupland
Registrar

Building strong foundations for the future: from momentum to lasting impact

This past year has been about turning strategy into action.

The College exists not simply to serve its members, but to lead the profession, influence the future of pathology and improve patient care. This conviction has underpinned every decision taken by the Trustee Board and remains central to our strategic direction.

Our 5-year strategy was built around the simple but challenging question: What would happen if the College did not exist? The answer reaffirmed our purpose: to lead and advocate for pathology, set the highest professional standards, deliver outstanding education and training, and foster a strong, inclusive community for our members.

The strategy was designed to ensure that the College remains relevant, influential and equipped to meet the evolving challenges facing pathology. Our focus is now firmly on delivery ─ achieving measurable outcomes and demonstrating the value the College brings to members, patients and the wider healthcare system.

We are pursuing these ambitions against an increasingly challenging backdrop. Workforce shortages remain a defining issue for pathology, placing sustained pressure on workloads, training, turnaround times and, ultimately, patient care. At the same time, growing demand for diagnostic services is widening the gap between capacity and need, reinforcing the importance of a strong and sustainable pathology workforce.

The essential role of pathology in healthcare

Pathology is far more than a supporting service. It underpins almost every aspect of modern healthcare, from diagnosis and treatment decisions to screening programmes and disease prevention. When pathology services come under pressure, the effects are felt across the entire healthcare system. When they are properly supported, they enable better outcomes for patients and more effective care across the NHS.

Given these challenges, the College has an important responsibility to lead. Throughout the year, we have continued to strengthen our position as both a professional leader and an advocate for pathology. We have engaged with policymakers, contributed to national discussions on workforce and diagnostics, set professional standards, and supported members through the delivery of high-quality education, guidance and practical resources.

The profession itself is evolving rapidly. Digital pathology and artificial intelligence are no longer future aspirations; they are becoming increasingly integral to modern diagnostics. They offer significant opportunities to improve quality, productivity and patient care, but their successful adoption depends on robust and consistent standards, investment and implementation. The College will continue to provide the leadership and expertise needed to help members navigate these advances with confidence.

Strengthening the College for the future

We are equally committed to strengthening the College itself. Continued investment in our digital systems, member services and organisational resilience ensures we remain agile, sustainable and well placed to deliver our strategic ambitions.

Looking ahead, the Trustee Board will remain focused on a number of key priorities, including strengthening workforce sustainability, supporting the safe adoption of digital and AI technologies, amplifying our advocacy for the profession and deepening engagement with our members.

Thank you to our members, volunteers and staff

Above all, the College’s greatest strength remains its people. Our members, volunteers, trustees and staff are the reason the College continues to thrive. Thank you for your commitment, your expertise and your generosity. I encourage more members to become involved in the life of the College as, together, we continue to shape the future of pathology.

This is my third and final Chair’s message. It has been a privilege to serve as a trustee of the College for over 5 years, including 2.5 years as Chair. As I prepare to step down in April 2027, I do so with immense pride in what we have achieved together and with great confidence in the College’s future.

Reflecting on my time, what I will remember most are the people. I have been fortunate to work alongside clinicians, scientists, trustees and staff whose expertise, commitment and generosity have made the College stronger. While the challenges facing pathology have been considerable, so too has the determination of this community to meet and address them with professionalism, integrity and a shared sense of purpose.

My sincere thanks go to my fellow trustees, the Senior Management Team, every member of staff, and our members and volunteers. Thank you for your trust, support and your unwavering commitment to the profession. It has been an honour to serve as your Chair.

As my term as Chair comes to an end, my hope is that the College will continue to be ambitious in its vision and confident in its voice. Pathology is not simply a service that supports healthcare; it is fundamental to it. The stronger our profession, the better the care we can provide for every patient, now and in the future.

Vince Voon
Chair of Trustee Board