The Board, Council & Committees within the structure of the College. (Updated April 2023)
+ The Trustee Board
As of 04 October 2022, the board comprises the following members:
President: Dr Adrian Boyle
Dean: Professor Simon Carley
Treasurer: Scott Hepburn
Vice-President (Membership): Salwa Malik
Chair of Lay Group: Jayne Hidderley
Council Trustees: Maya Naravi & Anne Weaver
Member Trustees: Steve Jones, Javid Abdel
Lay Trustees: Ian Ailes, Mary Hockaday, Palvi Shah.
The quorum for Council shall be the President (or nominated Deputy) plus three other officers and 8 elected or appointed members of Council.
The composition of the Council is described in the Ordinances. The Term of Office for Council Members is 3 years.
Title | Appointment requirements |
President – Chair |
President of the Royal College who is elected by the Fellows and Members. The President shall be the Chair or, in his/her absence, the President Elect (or Immediate Past President) is to chair the meeting. |
President Elect (or Immediate Past President) | Elected by the Fellows and Members of RCEM |
Registrar | Elected by RCEM Council |
Dean | Elected by RCEM Council |
Treasurer | Elected by RCEM Council |
Vice Presidents (2) | Elected by RCEM Council |
Chair – Education and Examinations committee | Dean |
Chair – Training Standards Committee | Served as Honorary Secretary, nominated by the TSC – appointed by Council |
Chair – Service Delivery Cluster | Vice Presidents |
Chair – Research & Publications Committee | Nominated by the R&P committee, appointed by Council |
Chair of the QEC | Nominated by Committee, appointed by Council |
Director of CPD | Appointed by Council |
Director of Revalidation | Appointed by Council |
Chair – International Committee | Vice President |
Chairs – Regional Boards in England | Elected by Fellows in the region |
Vice Presidents – National Boards of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland | Elected by Fellows in the relevant country |
Members in Training Representative to Council | Elected by the members in training |
Staff and Associate Specialist Representative to Council | Elected by the members of the Royal College working as SAS doctors |
Advanced Clinical Practitioners Representative to Council | Elected by Associate Members (Advanced Clinical Practitioners) |
Chairperson Corporate Governance Committee | Appointed by Council |
Lay representative to Council | Appointed by Council |
Representatives of other Royal Colleges | Invitation by Council |
Representative of the Faculty of Emergency Nursing | Invitation by Council |
Representative from the Faculty of Pre-hospital care | Invitation by Council |
Chief Executive | By appointment |
Deputy Chief Executive | By appointment |
Royal College Office Manager (Ex-Officio) | The Royal College Office Manager is an ex-officio member and will attend the meeting to record the minutes as required |
As defined in the Ordinances:
a) Meetings are held at least 4 times a year.
b) The quorum is 12 voting members of Council of which at least 3 shall be Officers.
President: Dr Adrian Boyle
Vice-President (International): Dr Jason Long
Vice-President (Quality & Service Design): Dr Ian Higginson
Vice-President (Education): Dr Maya Naravi
Vice-President (Membership): Dr Salwa Malik
Dean: Professor Simon Carley
Treasurer: Mr Scott R Hepburn
Chief Executive: Gordon Miles
Awaiting updated information.
The quorum for the Executive Committee must have the minimum attending:
Membership of this Committee comprises:
The President shall be the Chair or, in his/her absence, the President Elect (or Immediate Past President) is to chair the meeting.
Ex-officio members will be invited to relevant meetings, but they will not have any voting rights.
Meetings are held between 6 and 10 times per year. Where possible they will be arranged to coincide with other Royal College committee meetings, such as those of other major committees, and if members are unable to attend, they should be encouraged to join the meeting by teleconferencing.
Awaiting full details
The objective of the Corporate Governance Committee is to develop, monitor and advise on corporate governance of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and to ensure compliance with Charity Law and the recommendations of the Charity Commission.
Chair is appointed by Council from amongst the membership of the Lay Group and who must not be a paid employee or Officer of the College. In his/her absence the Registrar shall be Chair. Other members are as follows:
Council delegates the following powers to the Committee:
Finance
Human Resources
Governance issues
Meetings are held at least three times a year. Where possible they should be arranged to coincide with other committee meetings, such as those of other major committees, and if members are unable to attend they should be encouraged to join the meeting by teleconferencing.
The Corporate Governance Committee reports to the Council. The Chair of the meeting shall make appropriate arrangements for keeping records of the meetings.
The quorum shall be 3 Members at least one of which should not be an Executive Committee member.
The committee is chaired by a Lay Chair and is responsible for assuring the administrative functions of the College, financial governance and responsible for HR issues within the College.
The Remuneration Sub-Committee is a Sub-Committee of the Corporate Governance Committee. It shall have the following terms of reference:
National Boards for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales Chair (elected), head(s) of training, trainee rep, NCCG rep. Responsible for leading EM in that country and providing advice to Health departments and hospitals, advice to members. Regional Boards The chairs are elected from the fellowship and membership of the region and sit on the Council. Responsible for leading EM in that area and providing advice to Trusts and Commissioners, advice to members.
+ National Board: Northern IrelandVice President: Dr Russell McLaughlin
Vice VP: Dr Michael Perry
Vice President: Dr John-Paul Loughrey
Vice VP: Dr Fiona Hunter
Vice President: Dr Suresh K Gopala Pillai
Vice VP: Rob Perry
Regional Chair: Dr Nida Y Suri
Vice-chair: Vacant
Regional Chair: Mr Asif Malik
Vice Chair: Vacant
Regional Co-chair: Dr Samira Akberali
Regional Co-chair: Professor Tim Harris
Regional Chair: Mr Alex J A Johnston
Vice Chair: Dr Cara Hall, Consultant
Regional Chair: Dr Andrew Ashton
Vice Chair: Sanjoy Bhattacharyya
Regional Chair: Vacant
Vice Chair: Vacant
Regional Chair: Dr Sarah Roberta Honess
Vice Chair: Vacant
Regional Chair: Dr James W Gagg
Vice Chair: Dr Luke Ball
Regional Chair: Dr Susan Elizabeth Dorrian
Vice Chair: Dr Mark Anthony Ragoo
Regional Chair: Dr Sally-Anne Wilson
Vice Chair: Vacant
+ Invited Service Review Committee
This committee is formed as required.
Informatics: The collection, analysis and use of data; the use of information technology and its governance in Emergency Medicine and related disciplines.
Casemix: The measures of acuity, resource use, costs and quality in Emergency Medicine and related disciplines.
Funding: The mechanism by which Emergency Medicine and related disciplines are funded in the UK and Ireland.
The Committee reports to Council.
The Chair of the Informatics Committee will:
Members of the Informatics Committee will:
Chair: Dr Kirsty Challen
The Informatics Committee seeks to develop case-mix measures and high quality data collection and information technology systems for the specialty of Emergency Medicine.
Information and resources about case-mix and IT can be found in the Informatics section on the Service Design & Delivery page.
For any enquiries please contact: quality@rcem.ac.uk
The Service Design & Configuration Committee shall have the following terms of reference:
The objective of this Committee is to coordinate all service design and delivery policy on behalf of the Royal College.
The composition of the Service Design and Configuration Committee shall be determined by the Committee Chair, a minimum of 3 persons is to comprise the Committee. At present, it comprises:
Title | Appointment requirements | Term of Office |
Chair | Person Specification: Appointment In the absence of the chair a nominated deputy is to chair the meeting. |
3 years from the first meeting. |
Members |
Appointment
|
3 years |
Administrator (Ex-Officio) | The Administrator is an ex-officio member and must attend the meeting to record the minutes. The Administrator will not have any voting rights. | On-Going |
The committee may co-opt other members as required subject to budget.
The committee reports to Council and will support the Royal College with policy development with regard to:
The Committee will take into account:
The committee will consider metrics and benchmarking.
Where other Royal College committees and groups have, or are undertaking work: the SDC will simply signpost this work, or draw upon it.
The committee’s output will be geared towards those involved in designing, commissioning, leading and delivering emergency medicine systems, at strategic and operational levels. It will also be geared towards increasing understanding of emergency care systems.
These are held at least 3 times a year and at other times as decided by the group. Where possible they should be arranged to coincide with other RCEM committee meetings, and if members are unable to attend they should be encouraged to join the meeting by teleconferencing.
Individuals who are elected to the committee have a personal responsibility. They will be expected to be an ambassador for the service design and configuration work of the Royal College, supporting, explaining and reinforcing the Royal College strategy, particularly around examinations.
Fellows and members may apply to be a member of the committee.
Chair: Ed Smith
This committee supports members and fellows involved in emergency department service design and configuration.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of practice and patient care. Designing and delivering services is at the heart of delivering these standards. The Service Design & Configuration Committee works to support this.
Within these pages you can find:
For any enquiries about service design and delivery please contact Lucas Dalla Vecchia Lucas.Dalla-Vecchia@rcem.ac.uk
Awaiting updated information.
Awaiting updated information.
RCEM has convened a new Special Interest Group looking at ambulatory emergency care.
I am a consultant working in Emergency Medicine and SDEC at the Whittington Hospital in London. My role is the ED SDEC lead and clinical lead for the Virtual ward. I helped develop the multidisciplinary SDEC unit in 2012, as part of the first cohort in the NHS elect ambulatory care network. I have held national roles as clinical advisor for NHS elect and representative for Emergency Medicine, and a member of the NHS England working group for SDEC.As chair of the SDEC Special Interest Group, I hope to promote the benefits of SDEC within Emergency Medicine and support Emergency clinicians in developing SDEC skills, leadership, through training and working in partnership with other acute clinical specialities. The SDEC special interest group consists of a team of individuals with real enthusiasm and experience for SDEC, who represent interdisciplinary skills and I’m delighted to work with them as part of the wider RCEM SDEC strategy.
John Stokes is an organisation development consultant with international experience in public and private sectors – specialising in issues of leadership and change, performance management, organisation design and team effectiveness. Beyond the health sector, he has engaged heavily with organisations in financial, professional services and criminal justice sectors, and most recently with the World Bank.
His career has spanned over 40 years, working with leaders at every level, as both employed internal advisor and contracted external consultant. John recently joined the SDEC group, having worked with the college for the past 5 years on various committees and SIGs, including Informatics, Sustainable Working Practices, and Toxicology.
My name is Jo and I work between ED and AMU (including SDEC) at University Hospital Southampton. I am an RCEM Credentialed ACP, with a background of nursing. SDEC is a great way of being able to support patients to be able to stay at home with ambulatory input. In my free time I enjoy being outside including kayaking and outdoor swimming.
I’m an Emergency Medicine Consultant at York Hospital. As a trainee I helped to set up the A&E Clinical Decision Units in Leeds (a forerunner of today’s SDEC units) and as a consultant I ran the Trust’s acute DVT service from the ED for many years before helping to set up our current medical SDEC unit. I believe that same day emergency care is a fundamental part of emergency medicine work and that ED clinicians should be involved in this work either within their own departments, in units run solely by ED or in units jointly run and staffed with other acute specialties.
I am an Emergency Medicine Consultant in NHS Lothian and work one day per week within Acute Medicine. As an EM trainee, I completed a fellowship in Ambulatory Care in Edinburgh, and I am now very interested in the development of SDEC within the training curriculum.
I am delighted to be involved in this SIG and in the development of SDEC on a national level and I am excited to share in the experiences and skills of others around the country. I hope to work with the group to inspire interest and enthusiasm for SDEC while informing our own practice and development.
GP and EM SAS at the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust. Long Term Conditions Clinical Lead for BOB ICS with particular interest in reduction of unplanned admissions and improving patient pathways. Keen advocate for same day emergency care reviews for rapid assessment across urgent and emergency care systems.
EM Consultant at Monklands Hospital, also works as a Consultant Acute physician one day a week
EM Consultant at King’s College Hospital, London. Liases with Acute Medicine and Ambulatory Care unit.
Hazel is a member of RCEM’s Quality Team and provides administrative support for the group. She joined the SDEC SIG in January 2023 and is excited to help facilitate the group’s work.
Contact Hazel on: hazel.grant@rcem.ac.uk
See also Same Day Emergency Care on the On Demand Events Page
The Ambulatory Emergency Care SIG reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving the care for ambulatory care patients presenting at the Emergency Department.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
The Quality In Emergency Care Committee shall have the following terms of reference:
At present Membership of this Committee comprises:
Title | Appointment requirements |
Chair | Elected by the members of the QEC and appointed by the Royal College Council. He / she will have been a consultant for 5 years and a member of the committee for 2 years prior to appointment. The Chair will sit on the Royal College Council and be an ex-officio member of the Service Design & Delivery Committee. |
Chairs of Subcommittees | Subcommittee chairs will be a current consultant. Applications will be invited by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and the most suitable applicant will be recommended by the QEC and appointed by the Royal College Council |
1 representative of doctors in training | Selected by the Emergency Medicine Trainees Association |
1 representative of SAS doctors | Selected by FASSGEM |
1 or 2 representatives of the non-medical professions relevant to emergency care. | Co-opted representatives |
Up to 36 co-opted members | Co-opted and selected for the specific expertise they bring to the committee. Broad regional representation will be sought wherever possible. |
1 lay representative | Selected by LAG |
Administrator | Quality Manager, or deputy nominated by Quality Manager |
Meetings
The Chairs of the Sub-Committees will give verbal and written reports of the activities of their subcommittees at meetings.
The Committee will meet 4 times each year. Two of the annual meetings will be “full” meetings, to which all members of the Committee and Subcommittees are invited. These also provide an opportunity for the Subcommittees to meet in person. The other two meetings will be business meetings of the main Committee and Subcommittee Chairs only. Other business will be conducted by teleconferencing and e-mail.
Chair: Dr Simon Smith
The Quality in Emergency Care Committee (QECC) is focussed on achieving a consistently high standard of care in all UK Emergency Departments, placing the specialty firmly at the centre of the current “quality agenda”. This will ensure that Emergency Departments continue to receive the resources they need, and are recognised for excellence in clinical care as well as time standards.
The committee aims to provide regular information and useful communications to Emergency Departments, supporting clinical quality and service improvement, providing guidance and administering relevant national audits.
Please note that until April 2014, the committee was named the Clinical Effectiveness Committee.
The Best Practice Sub-Committee of the Quality In Emergency Care Committee. It shall have the following terms of reference:
Title | Appointment requirements | Term of Office |
Chair | Will be a current consultant in emergency medicine with a demonstrable interest in the identification and application of best clinical practice. Applications will be invited by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and the most suitable applicant will be recommended by the QEC and appointed by the Royal College Council. | The term of office will be 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
4 – 10 co-opted members | Who have specific expertise to bring to the committee. These co-opted members may include doctors in training, nursing or other representatives, as well as consultants in Emergency Medicine | 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
1 Lay representative | Nominated by the Lay Advisory Group | Renewable for 5 years at QEC discretion |
6 SIG Chairs |
Who will have specific expertise in one each of the following areas of emergency medicine:
|
3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
Administrator | Quality Manager, or deputy nominated by Quality Manager | Ex-officio |
Chair of the Best Practice Subcommittee
Co-opted members
Chair: Dr James France
To develop consensus based best practice statements for the speciality of Emergency Medicine
To advise the NHS, DOH, HCC, the Royal Colleges and other national bodies who have an interest in good clinical practice in Emergency Departments.
To develop and maintain the best practice section of the College website.
The subcommittee has produced many excellent best practice guidelines which can be downloaded from the College Guidance page.
The subcommittee also reviews and endorses guidelines from other organisations that are relevant to Emergency Medicine. See the External Guidance page.
Many Emergency Departments have shared locally developed guidelines to help exchange best practice. These can be viewed on the Local Guidance page.
The Older People in Emergency Medicine SIG reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving the care for elderly and frail patients presenting at the Emergency Department.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
Chair: Dr Rachel Morris-Smith
Contact on OPEMChair@rcem.ac.uk
The Major Trauma SIG reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving the care for major trauma patients presenting at the Emergency Department.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
Chair: Dr Jon Jones
To develop and promote consensus based best practice on major trauma.
The Public Health EM SIG reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving public health.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
Chair: Dr Ling Harrison
RCEM has convened a new Special Interest Group looking at public health.
The Toxicology SIG reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving the care for toxicology patients presenting at the Emergency Department.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
Chair: Dr Johann Grundlingh
To promote the latest evidence and develop consensus based best practice on toxicology.
Details to follow.
The Mental Health Sub-Committee reports to the Best Practice Sub-Committee. It has the following terms of reference.
Devise a strategy and work programme for approval by the Best Practice Sub-Committee focussed on improving the care for mental health patients presenting at the Emergency Department.
The Chair will be nominated by the QEC Chair or Exec, with up to 8 other members co-opted as required, subject to budget constraints.
The term of office will be one year initially, extendable for a further two years at the discretion of the QEC Chair.
The SIG shall meet by email or telephone conference when appropriate, subject to budget constraints.
Chair: Dr Catherine Hayhurst
This subcommittee works to progress and promote emergency mental health care.
The purpose of a Professional Advisory Group (PAG) for the care of children in EDs is to help co-ordinate College business and to be a resource for College and its members.
There has historically been a firm commitment by the College to improve provision of services for children, and to train emergency medicine doctors to look after children, which form around 25% of ED attendances. Consultants may train further in Paediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM), which is a route recognised by the GMC for subspecialty training 16 years ago (for both EM and Paediatric CCT-holders). However the majority of PEM care nationally is undertaken by generically trained EM clinicians in Emergency departments seeing patients of all ages.
To ensure that children’s interests are represented within all relevant aspects of College structure / business, and that PEM is recognised and developed as both a sub-speciality, but also a normal part of practice in most emergency departments.
To provide advice and support on all aspects of paediatric emergency care (at both core and specialist levels of clinical practice) to the College and its members. To help facilitate internal and external requests for representation on matters or documents relating to paediatric emergency care, ensuring that the College membership is fairly represented and is engaged.
PAG will sit within the Workforce Cluster of the RCEM Committee Structure and be Chaired by a Vice President of the College as the Cluster Leads.
The composition of the Paediatric Medicine Professional Advisory group shall be:
Chair (a Vice President of the College)
Deputy Chair (to be selected from other Committee members listed below)
2 RCEM members or fellows of whom at least one must practice in general (i.e. nontertiary) emergency departments.
Training Standards Committee PEM Lead
QEC PEM Lead
Curriculum Committee PEM Lead
RCPCH PEM representative
RCEM Representative on the Intercollegiate Committee for Emergency Services to Children (may be combined with another role)
An EMTA representative may be appointed but it is not considered essential
A Lay Member may be appointed from the RCEM Lay Group
Additional Members may be co-opted subject to budget and the approval of the Chair
Where possible the membership should also aim to ensure that there is good regional representation from across the UK. Membership will be opened up for expressions of interest against an agreed person specification.
To deliver the responsibilities of the PAG within the Terms Of Reference, and to ensure that the interests of paediatric patients and members with paediatric expertise are represented. The Chair shall ensure fairness in recruitment to the committee, and that College policy is represented.
The Chair shall be a Vice President of the College
This group will provide an expert review panel to provide support on any area related to paediatric emergency medicine. The list below is designed to consider the most common areas, but it not intended to be exhaustive:
Formal Quarterly virtual meetings with ad hoc additional meetings as required. One of the quarterly meetings per annum should be face to face.
Awaiting updated information.
The Quality Assurance & Improvement Sub-Committee of the Quality In Emergency Care Committee. It shall have the following terms of reference:
Title | Appointment requirements | Term of Office |
Chair | Will be a current Consultant in Emergency Medicine with a demonstrable interest and expertise in standards and audit. Applications will be invited by the Royal College, and the most suitable applicant will be recommended by the QEC and appointed by the Royal College Council. | The term of office will be 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
4 – 10 co-opted members | Who have specific expertise to bring to the committee. These co-opted members may include doctors in training, nursing or other representatives, as well as Consultants in Emergency Medicine. Applications will be invited by the Royal College and selected by the Chair is discussion in discussion with the QEC. | 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
1 Lay representative | Nominated by the Lay Advisory Group | As per Lay Group Term of Office |
Administrator | Quality Manager, or deputy nominated by Quality Manager | Ex-officio |
Responsibilities
Creating platforms and tools to empower clinicians and departments at a local level to monitor and raise standards of care in priority areas of Emergency Medicine
Chairs: Fiona Burton and Dale Kirkwood
Secretariat Lead: Rosely Solomon – please get in touch if you have any questions or are interested to join us: rosely.solomon@rcem.ac.uk
An established group, we select three priority areas annually for national audit to enable departments to benchmark their performance against their peers. Over time this evolved to focus on local level improvement, benchmarking against themselves as the healthcare community, College and committee increasingly recognised that each department has its own unique population and resource challenges. Interhospital comparison and a ranking still has its place and roles in regulation but a heavy focus on that becomes problematic and demoralising at a local level. Focusing instead on improving services locally, for the population served mattered more than being the best and is more tangible and motivating. In 2018 the team moved to a Quality Improvement approach focusing on collaboration and best practice sharing. This has presented a whole host of challenges for the committee itself resulting in a need to apply the change methodology it promotes to its own inner workings to achieve its mission of improved patient care through greater empowerment and enablement of local departments to improve more effectively.
Improve the quality of emergency care in high priority areas for patients by;
To reduce the care quality gap by focusing support on the lowest performing trusts and developing a deeper understanding of the barriers that might exist to provide excellent care for all
This committee is working alongside the Environmental SIG to integrate Sustainable QI into all our programmes. Considering the “triple bottom line” when calculating the true value of health care by considering the patient-centred outcome alongside the environmental, social and economic impacts when making decisions and recommendations.
We have integrated ethnicity data monitoring into our platform to form the start of a data set that will contain thousands of cases which can then be analysed to detect differences in care quality along gender, race and age lines. We have representation from the EDI committee at our programme development meetings and attend there’s to provide updates on this current body of work.
The Safer Care Sub-Committee of the Quality In Emergency Care Committee. It shall have the following terms of reference:
Title | Appointment requirements | Term of Office |
Chair | Will be a current consultant in emergency medicine with a demonstrable interest in patient safety and risk management. Applications will be invited by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and the most suitable applicant will be recommended by the QEC and appointed by the Royal College Council. | The term of office will be 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
4 – 10 co-opted members | Who have specific expertise to bring to the Committee. These co-opted members may include doctors in training, nursing or other representatives, as well as consultants in Emergency Medicine | 3 years, which is renewable for a further 3 years at the discretion of the QEC. |
1 Lay representative | Nominated by the Lay Advisory Group | Renewable for 5 years at QEC discretion |
Administrator | Quality Manager, or deputy nominated by Quality Manager | Ex-officio |
Chair of the Safer Care Subcommittee
Chair: Dr Emma Redfern
The QEC Safer Care subcommittee has been established to identify key themes and markers for patient safety, and develop and disseminate patient safety and risk management strategies for the specialty of Emergency Medicine (EM). The subcommittee will ensure that the College considers the safety of patients in all aspects of its work at all levels; National, Regional and Departmental.
Regular safety alerts and newsflashes are produced and distributed to ED safety leads. If you have any queries about safety in the emergency department, you can reach the administrator and committee Chair by emailing safety@rcem.ac.uk
The Council has established the Lay Advisory Group (LAG) to provide advice from a lay perspective on the standards of care and training in Emergency Medicine.
+ Lay GroupThe Council has established the Lay Advisory Group (LAG) to provide advice from a lay perspective on the standards of care and training in Emergency Medicine.
The Lay Advisory Group has an advisory role and reports to the Council. The LAG remit covers the following:
To fulfil this remit, the Chair of the Lay Group liaises with the President and Chief Executive of the College to determine how best to utilise the skills and experience of the lay members, having regard for their time available and budgetary constraints. This includes involvement in College projects and Committee work on an issue by issue basis, as well as sitting on some Royal College Committees.
The Council will form either an Appointments Committee comprising individuals whom the Council determines are suitably experienced for the role or ask the Chief Executive to put make suitable arrangements to establish a temporary Appointments Committee.
The Appointments Committee will make recommendations to the Corporate Governance Committee as to the appointment process. It will then advertise the vacancies and select suitable candidates making recommendations to Council for the appointments.
After the appointments are made the Appointments Committee will report to Council on the outcome of the process and disband.
The composition of the Lay Advisory Group shall be determined by the Royal College Council. There shall be a minimum of six and a maximum of 25 members of the Lay Group including those sitting on Regional and National Boards. Any member of Council may attend meetings of the Lay Advisory Group as an ex-officio member.
The term of office for the Members will be three years subject to a maximum service of two terms of office.
There shall normally be four meetings per year. All members of the Committee shall be advised of the business to be transacted at any meeting even if they are unable to be present.
The Lay Group shall nominate and make recommendations to Council to appoint a Chair from amongst its numbers. The term of office for the Chair will be for three years and may be appointed to serve a maximum of two terms.
The Chair is a member of the Council and will report to the Council. If the Chair is unable to attend a meeting of Council, the Chair will nominate a deputy from the Lay Advisory Group to attend.
In the absence of the chair a nominated deputy is to chair the meeting.
The Lay Advisory Group was created in 2008 as part of the College’s new constitution, and it has been fully operational since February 2009. It exists to contribute a non-clinical perspective to college decision-making at every level.
The Lay Advisory Group (LAG) provides advice from a lay perspective on the standards of care and training in Emergency Medicine.
The role of the lay representative is to combine being a supportive member of a decision making panel, providing independent guidance and constructive challenges to current ways of thinking. All lay members are invited to act as individuals rather than on behalf of outside organisations, but they are encouraged to feedback information to those organisations with which they have links. The LAG has a maximum of 25 members including representation on Regional and National Boards.
Please contact the committee via Rosely Solomon: rosely.solomon@rcem.ac.uk or Tamara Pinedo: tamara.pinedo@rcem.ac.uk or +44 020 7067 4372
+ Academic Committee
Awaiting updated information.
Awaiting updated information.
The responsibilities of the Education Committee shall be:
At present Membership of this Committee comprises:
Chairs of various working groups. Experts seconded by either the Dean or Council to carry out a specific task subject to budget constraints.
Meetings are held up to four times a year and where possible they should be arranged to coincide with other RCEM committee meetings, and if members are unable to attend they should be encouraged to join the meeting by teleconferencing.
The quorum for this Committee shall be three members, plus the Dean, with members personally present or participating in a meeting by a telephonic or other link.
Awaiting updated information.
Awaiting updated information.
The Examinations Committee is a standing committee of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. It reports to the Education Committee.
The responsibilities of Examination Sub-Committee shall be:
The composition of the Examination Sub-Committee is determined by the Royal College Council as follows: Chair, All College Lead Examiners, all Deputy Lead Examiners, two appointed examiners, EMTA Core Trainee Representative, EMTA Higher Trainee Representative, Lay member, Dean, Deputy CEO, Head of Examinations, FRCEM Examinations Operational Manager (Secretary).
The quorum for this Committee shall be nine members personally present or participating in a meeting by a telephonic or other link.
Meetings are held up to four times a year.
Awaiting updated information.
To develop emergency medicine research capacity, opportunities within academic emergency medicine, and to showcase high-quality emergency medicine research at every opportunity.
Jason Smith – research@rcem.ac.uk
Contact – quality@rcem.ac.uk
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has declared that research is one of its top priorities – the RCEM Research Committee is tasked with facilitating this vision. Established in [year], the committee helps to draw attention to the complex and sometimes overlooked sphere of Emergency Medicine research, raising its profile and providing funding to drive engagement within the research community.
The highlight of the committee’s calendar is the Annual Scientific Conference, but it also hosts research engagement events, provides grant funding for EM research, offers research fellowships to College members and awards prizes to young researchers.
Actively participating in and directing the development of Academic Emergency Medicine
(Something not currently being done but working towards or may achieve with more resources)
Minutes of the committee meetings are available.
A representative from GEC (formerly WEMSIG) attends committee meetings.
The Training Standards Committee has responsibility for translating the Royal College’s aims for specialty training in EM into working systems throughout the UK.
At present Membership of this Committee comprises:
Title | Appointment requirements | Term of Office |
Chair |
The Chair is appointed from one of the 5 TSC leads, Quality, HST, ACCS, CESR and DRE-EM, based on the person specification for the role. Each lead has to apply for the post and prepares a written statement about suitability for the post. This is followed by short-listing and interview involving the outgoing Chair, Registrar and either the President or one of the Vice Presidents. There should be an agreed run in time of 18/12 prior to taking up the chair, to allow Heads of School (HOS) to resign and be replaced at local level. Previous TSC leads can put their names forward for consideration. |
3 year term of office. |
TSC leads up to 5 (in HOS numbers below) |
The five leads, Quality, HST, ACCS, CESR and DRE-EM are appointed from existing TSC members who are Heads of School or who have been Heads of School, heads of training and EM consultants. In addition, appointments can come from the International Committee for the International Sponsorship Lead; from the Education Committee for the Curriculum Development Lead and from the CESR panel for CESR Lead. Appointment is by self-nomination and interview. Categories are:
Person specs exist for each role. |
3 years |
Heads of EM School If EM school not established then HOT in that region instead. Regions are Northern, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, East of England, London, KSS, Wessex, Severn, Peninsula, Thames Valley, West Midlands, North Western, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland |
Person Specification
|
For as long as they are HOS in the region, usually 5 years but can be re-elected. |
Representative of Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health |
Person Specification
|
5 years |
Paediatric Emergency Medicine Lead |
Person Specification
|
3 years |
Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine representative |
Appointments
|
|
Head of EM training ROI |
Person Specification
|
5 years |
EMTA representative |
Appointments
|
|
FASSGEM representative |
Appointments
|
|
Lead Postgraduate Dean | Ex-Officio member – Has full voting rights | |
Lead Postgraduate Dean – PHEM | Ex-Officio member – Has full voting rights | |
President of the Royal College | Ex-Officio member – Has full voting rights | |
Dean of the Royal College | Ex-Officio member – Has full voting rights | |
Deputy CEO | Ex-Officio member – Has full voting rights | |
Lay representative | Ex-Officio member | |
Administrator (Ex-Officio) |
The Administrator is an ex-officio member and must attend the meeting to record the minutes. The Administrator will not have any voting rights. | On-Going |
Quality
Curriculum and assessment system
Recruitment to specialty training
Training
CESR
Medical Training Initiative
EM Schools
The committee meets four times a year. All members should endeavour to attend but deputies can be sent with the agreement of the Chairman.
The ACP Credentialing Sub-Committee is a Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. It shall have the following terms of reference:
To develop, plan, evaluate and quality assure the credentialing of Emergency Care Advanced Clinical Practitioners, ensuring engagement with relevant stakeholders.
The Sub-Committee will meet up to four times a year.
Four members from the membership list.
The Chair must be a Fellow of the College in good standing and will be appointed by competitive application by the Dean, a member of the Education Committee and the Director of Education.
Awaiting updated information.
The Curriculum Sub-Committee is a standing committee of the Royal College. It reports to the Education Committee, via the Chair of the Curriculum Sub-Committee.
The responsibilities of the Sub-Committee shall be:
The Chair may co-opt from time to time representatives from other groups including, but not limited to, Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine Committee, Safety Committee, e-Learning.
The founding Chair will be appointed by the Dean for a term of three years. In future, the Chair will be appointed by competitive application by the Dean, Chair of TSC and Deputy Chief Executive (or nominated deputies) and be ratified by Council. The Chair must be a Fellow in good standing of the Royal College, be an active NHS trainer in Emergency Medicine, have prior experience in the development of the Royal College Curriculum, such as a key role in a RCEM CAG submission, or completed a term as member of the Curriculum committee.
The term of office of each member will be three years with the possibility of one further term if approved by the Education Committee (and if chair, ratified by Council)
The Committee meets four times per year. The Committee is administratively supported within the Royal College.
The Chair (or a nominated deputy) is required to represent the Royal College at external meetings relating to the curriculum.
Awaiting updated information.
+ Consultant Forum
Awaiting updated information.
The Emergency Medicine Trainees Association is constituted under the ordinances. It forms part of the membership cluster, with the Responsible Officer being the Registrar. The committee shall have the following terms of reference.
To provide a focus for Emergency Medicine Trainees and their training in the UK.
To encourage active involvement of all trainees to shape the development of Emergency Medicine as a specialty and improve their own training experience.
To provide a structure for trainees to influence College policy and highlight issues specific to trainees, and to represent their views on Council and RCEM Committees.
All RCEM members who are part of a training scheme for Emergency Medicine, at ST1 or
above, are considered members of EMTA
The composition of the EMTA Executive shall be:
Chair: Usually also the RCEM Council representative
Immediate Past Chair: (if still in training, otherwise a vice-chair)
Secretary/Treasurer: Academy of Medical Royal Colleges representative
Education Committee representative
Training Standards Committee representative
EMTA Conference Lead
One of the College Officers may choose to attend Executive meetings
The EMTA committee shall include all members of the Executive and any other trainee representatives to RCEM committees or task and finish groups, and the ACCS representatives to the ICACCST.
Quoracy for the Executive meeting shall be four of the seven trainee representatives. Quoracy for the committee shall be four of the seven trainee Executive members plus at least four other trainee representatives
EMTA shall maintain a Regional Representatives Group, a network of regional trainee representatives across all LETBs, deaneries and rotations to facilitate communication between trainees and awareness of reginal issues and variations in training. This will also include the trainee representatives on the national boards.
The Chair shall be a Trainee doctor holding an NTN or ST3-6 working in Emergency Medicine who is a Member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and who has sat on the EMTA committee during the last 3 years. The appointment of the Chair shall be made by ballot of EMTA members. This process will be handled by the office manager of RCEM.
Ensure the views of trainees are represented within the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and to ensure two-way communication between trainees and the College.
Ensure the views of trainees are represented outwards, and to other linked organisations.
Provide advice to, and nominate representatives to, the Royal College and its committees upon invitation.
Promote communication between trainees and trainers.
Provide information and support for training and training-related issues to members in training.
Promote research and academic achievement by emergency medicine trainees.
Provide regular contributions to the EMJ supplement to update trainees on current issues.
Appoint a Conference Lead for the EMTA Conference responsible for design and approval of the programme, to liaise with the Events Team Manager who will arrange for the logistical activities to be provided by the Events Team.
In all activity manage reputational risk to the College and seek to ensure that there is alignment with relevant College strategy, policy and action.
Manage EMTA budget within the College standing financial instructions.
Advise Council on any changes suggested to the TOR of the committee.
Keep minutes of Executive, Committee and other meetings which should be circulated to the Registrar, Dean, and CEO. Ensure minutes of outside bodies on which EMTA is represented (e.g. Academy Trainees Group) are circulated to the relevant Responsible Officer.
Meetings: up to four times a year. At least two of these should be by teleconference if
possible, and if possible one should occur during the EMTA conference in order to minimise costs.
Awaiting updated information.
The Emergency Medicine Advanced Clinical Practitioners Forum reports to Council and shall have the following terms of reference:
Membership of the ACP Forum shall be limited to advanced nurses or advanced paramedics working in Emergency Medicine who are Associate Members (ACP) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in good standing.
The composition of the ACP Forum shall ensure regional representation across the British Isles and consist of:
Chair | Elected following a ballot of all Associate Members (ACPs) in good standing |
Rep for Scotland | Elected following a ballot of Associate Members (ACPs) in good standing within the relevant region |
Rep for Wales | |
Rep for Northern Ireland | |
Rep for London | |
Rep for North of England | |
Rep for South of England | |
Rep for East of England | |
Rep for West of England | |
Chair of ACP Sub-Committee | Ex-officio |
President | Ex-officio |
Registrar | Ex-officio |
Dean | Ex-officio |
Deputy Chief Executive | Ex-officio |
Administrator | The Administrator is an ex-officio member and must attend the meeting to record the minutes. The Administrator will not have any voting rights. |
Vacancies for regional representatives or the Chair will be advertised by the College at least two months before the end of the office. Applicants for all roles will be required to submit a personal statement outlining their suitability for the role supported by a proposer and seconder. Regional representatives shall be elected following a ballot of Associate Members (ACPs) in good standing within the relevant region. The Chair shall be elected following a ballot of all Associate Members (ACPs) in good standing.
Up to four times a year.
Awaiting updated information.
Creating successful, satisfying and sustainable careers in Emergency Medicine
Chair: Saurav Bhardwaj
The Sustainable Working Practices Committee (SWPC) is focussed on improving sustainability of the working life of emergency physicians and improving the working conditions in the workforce in Emergency Medicine.
SWPC have created guidance in vital areas such as the RespectED anti-bullying campaign, the Wellness Compendium, and supporting wellbeing though difficult situations such as covid and the death of a colleague.
The Committee have also produced the excellent EMPower suite of guidance, which includes:
Co-Chairs: Anna Buckley and Duncan Carmichael
This committee coordinates all activities aimed at developing, promoting and monitoring careers information for students and doctors in training grades on behalf of the College.
Further information and resources can be found here: Considering a career in EM
Awaiting updated information.
+ Honours Committee
The objective of the Honours Committee is to coordinate matters relating to national and College honours on behalf of the Royal College. The Honours Committee reports to the Council.
At present Membership of this Committee comprises:
Title | Appointment requirements |
Chair | Chair of the Lay Group |
UK Fellow(s) up to two | To be self-nominated and/or co-opted |
Vice President | Ex-Officio member with voting rights |
Chief Executive | N/A |
Administrator (Ex-Officio) | The Administrator is an ex-officio member and will attend the meeting to record the minutes. The Administrator will not have any voting rights. |
The Committee Chair, acting with the support of the Honours Committee, has the power to co-opt up to two additional members |
Meetings are held at up to twice a year and business may also be transacted by email or telephone conference call as the Chair deems appropriate.
Members of the Honours Committee are expected to maintain the utmost confidentiality and discretion commensurate with their role. They are also expected to be ambassadors for the work of the Royal College, supporting, explaining and reinforcing the Royal College strategy to promoting those exceptional individuals for national or other honours.
Awaiting updated information.
Awaiting updated information.
Awaiting updated information.