The ESRA 2026 Annual Congress in Lisbon was a wonderful reminder of what brings our community together. Lisbon itself provided a fantastic backdrop, a vibrant and welcoming city! The congress venue was excellent and created a real sense of community. From the opening ceremony onwards, the meeting had palpable energy and a strong sense of the international ESRA community reconnecting, exchanging ideas and, importantly, enjoying being together.
As always, the scientific programme was impressively broad, reflecting the increasingly diverse scope of regional anaesthesia and pain medicine. State-of-the-art lectures sat alongside practical workshops, anatomy sessions, hands-on teaching, debates and opportunities for discussion and exchange. Whether your interest was peripheral nerve blocks, obstetric anaesthesia, acute and chronic pain, point-of-care ultrasound, perioperative medicine or new technology, there was an enormous amount to choose from. The combination of high-quality science with practical education remains one of the great strengths of the ESRA Annual Congress.
Our Portuguese colleagues deserve particular thanks. They were wonderful hosts and provided tremendous support for the congress, with excellent Portuguese representation across the faculty and throughout the meeting. Their contribution gave Lisbon a strong local identity while retaining the international character that is so important to ESRA. It was also particularly good to see colleagues from so many different countries contributing to the programme, bringing different perspectives, experiences and approaches to clinical practice.
Another highlight was the Residents’ Evening on Thursday. Supporting residents and early-career colleagues is an important part of ESRA’s future, and the enthusiasm and engagement at the event were a very encouraging reminder of the strength of the next generation. Meetings like this are about much more than formal education: they offer opportunities to meet colleagues, build networks, find mentors and collaborators, and become part of a wider professional community.
And, of course, an ESRA congress would not be complete without the social side. The congress dinner was fabulous and offered a wonderful opportunity to step away from the lecture theatres, enjoy Portuguese hospitality, and spend time with friends and colleagues from across Europe and further afield. These informal conversations and friendships are an important part of what makes ESRA more than simply an annual scientific meeting.
This has also been an important year of change and development for ESRA. Organisations need to evolve, and this year has allowed us to reflect on what ESRA does well, where we can do better, and what we want the Society to look like in the years ahead. Lisbon felt like an important moment in that journey: a chance to celebrate ESRA’s considerable strengths while also looking forward with renewed energy, openness and ambition.
As we move ahead, our greatest strength remains our people, the clinicians, researchers, educators, residents, committees, national societies and many others who give their time and expertise to ESRA. Maintaining that sense of community, while continuing to broaden participation, encourage new voices, support the next generation and deliver excellent education and science, will be central to ESRA’s future. A special word of thanks must also go to the ESRA office team, whose enormous amount of work behind the scenes makes a meeting of this scale possible. Their professionalism, hard work and unfailing support throughout the year, and particularly during the congress itself, are hugely appreciated.
Lisbon captured much of what is best about ESRA: excellent science and education, practical learning, international collaboration, friendship and a genuine sense of community. A huge thank you to our Portuguese hosts, the Scientific and Organising Committees, faculty, residents, delegates and everyone behind the scenes who made the congress such a success. We leave Lisbon with great memories and, more importantly, with real enthusiasm for the next chapter of ESRA.
Dr Nuala Lucas
Consultant Anaesthetist Anaesthetic Lead for Labour Ward
London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
Tel: 020 8869 3969 (Anaesthetics Department)
Email: nuala.lucas@nhs.net |www.lnwh.nhs.uk
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