The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) is the national representative body for staff caring for medical patients in the acute hospital setting. A major component of the activity of the Society has been its twice yearly CPD accredited meetings which have steadily grown in size and stature. The Society for Acute Medicine is also dedicated to: *promoting education of medical, nursing and paramedical staff in acute medicine *facilitating and co-ordinating the collection of data relevant to acute medical assessment and admissions *facilitating collaborative research in acute medicine *promoting the creation of appropriate environments for acute medicine assessments and admissions *sharing good practice *promoting the acute care models that exist to improve the managements of patients *providing encourage and support to all members of the multi-disciplinary team