Wednesday 16 July 2025
Can you volunteer around a day a month to support the work of a Royal College?
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is on the search for people living in Scotland and Northen Ireland and who have a commitment and interest in the health service and what happens in an A&E department.
The College is the single authoritative body for Emergency Medicine in the UK, responsible for setting standards of training, administering examinations and awarding Fellowship and Membership of the College as well as supporting medical professionals to qualify in the specialty of Emergency Medicine.
We are looking for people to join our Lay Advisory Group (LAG) to help develop the work of the College and bring the patient perspective. The LAG provides advice from an ‘ordinary person’ perspective to wider College committees on the standards of care and training in Emergency Medicine, with a remit to highlight areas of patient and carer concern. The College represents all four nations in the UK but is looking for people specifically to sit on the Scottish and the NI boards.
The role is voluntary and there should be no conflict of interests with any personal cause related to an A&E department and volunteers must not have a clinical background.
Derek Prentice, Chair of the LAG, explained: “The College is the leading body for emergency medicine in the UK and sets standards which are replicated across the world. Being a part of the Lay group is an important role in order to give a non-medical perspective on the College’s work. It’s very rewarding to be able to contribute in this way, to something which impacts society as a whole.”
The LAG wants people in Scotland and Northern Ireland who can:
- Contribute to four LAG meetings a year – three online, one in person in London
- Can contribute a Lay group perspective to around four other committee meetings during the year, to focus on Northern Ireland or Scotland
- People of all ages and backgrounds, but with no medical background
- People with an interest and awareness of current medical issues, especially those affecting emergency care and the NHS
- Ability and confidence to speak in meetings with other specialists.
- People who have no political or commercial conflict of interest
The time committee is approx. 12 days over a year, with four LAG meetings, four Board meetings of the relevant nation and four other committees which support the work of the College. Most meetings are online lasting up to three hours, but there is occasional travel with one in four meetings likely to be in person.
In return you:
- Contribute towards improving patient and carer experience in an emergency medicine setting
- Receive travel expenses and any overnight accommodation as required
The Royal College has more than 14,000 members who span all clinical roles in Emergency Medicine including doctors, consultants, advanced care practitioners, physicians associates and other roles in Emergency Departments working in the health services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and across the world.
See our volunteer pages for this and other opportunities. If you are interested please send a cover letter and CV detailing your skills, interest and experience to our LAG Chair Derek Prentice at LayChair@rcem.ac.uk
