About BCCA
The British Congenital Cardiac Association (BCCA) is a membership association that aims to support and represent medical professionals whose interest is in the practice or research of congenital heart disease in the adult or heart diseases in the fetus or child. In paediatric practice this includes the care of children and young people with inherited cardiac conditions, arrhythmia and acquired heart disease. We currently have over 300 members in the UK and Republic of Ireland plus further afield. We are affiliated to the British Cardiovascular Society.
Heart is the official journal of the BCCA and the publication outlet for BCCA conference abstracts.
The objectives of the BCCA are:
The advancement of health and education in all aspects of congenital cardiac diseases in particular by:
Promoting the study and care of the fetus and child with heart diseases and the adult with congenital heart disease in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
Promoting and distributing study data pertaining to these problems and their prevention
Promoting research in congenital cardiology and to publish the useful results of such research, and
The improvement of knowledge of professionals, the public and the patients and their families through scientific and educational meetings
History of the organisation
In 1990, members of an informal association, the British Paediatric Cardiology Association (BPCA), developed a new written constitution (ratified in 1991) for an Association and sought affiliation with the British Cardiac Society (now the British Cardiovascular Society). The aims of the Association were "to promote the study and care of infants and children with heart diseases in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland; to promote and distribute study data pertaining to these problems and their prevention; to help those engaged in this work at the various centres in the UK and Republic of Ireland and to promote communication and co-operation between these workers". The Association aimed to provide a voice for paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery within any committee or organisation making decisions, which have a bearing on the future development of the speciality.
In 2004, this remit was extended to include specialists working with the rapidly growing population of adults with congenital heart disease and the developing subspecialty of fetal cardiology. The name of the organisation was changed to British Congenital Cardiac Association (BCCA) to reflect this new direction.