The Geriatric Emergency Medicine Special Interest Group (SIG) met in Lille on 16 September 2026, co-chaired by Barry Evans and Santiago Castejón. The session drew more than 60 attendees from a range of countries, reflecting the continued growth of interest in the field across Europe.

The meeting opened with an update on the group’s official communication channels — website, newsletter and email — alongside progress reports from the European Taskforce on Geriatric Emergency Medicine (ETGEM) and other recent projects.

Attendees were asked about their preferences for future meetings and guest speakers. Weekday evenings emerged as the preferred slot for upcoming sessions. On speaker topics, “Acute and atypical presentations in older adults” was the clear favourite, followed by “Admission avoidance, ED referral pathways and flows/delays” — both likely to shape the programme for future meetings.

Much of the discussion centred on emergency department referrals for older patients and where collaborative work might add most value. Jon Uriarte de Sivatte presented the Nursing Home Team’s algorithm for assessing the appropriateness of ED referrals, developed at Hospital Universitario de Terrassa, which prompted considerable discussion.

Looking ahead, Evans and Castejón encouraged wider participation in the group’s work and outlined possible collaborations with other EuGMS SIGs and with ETGEM, including the potential development of shared guidelines.