The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is proud to represent a diverse membership of over 10,000 clinicians working as Emergency Medicine doctors, ACPs, and nurses. Equality is a core value of the College, and we take our commitment to addressing all forms of inequality very seriously.
In 2020, we established two committees to take forward this important work: the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and the Women in Emergency Medicine Special Interest group.
Our President, Dr Katherine Henderson and CEO, Gordon Miles, said: “Inequalities are ingrained in our society, the NHS as an institution is not immune and neither are we as a medical royal college. We have a responsibility to proactively tackle discrimination and work towards dismantling all forms of structural inequality. The College will act as a catalyst to ensure that the specialty is a place where all social groups can thrive. The EDI Committee and WEMSIG have developed some ambitious plans to tackle these challenges and we look forward supporting both committees to ensure that the specialty of Emergency Medicine is inclusive, fair and equal.”
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee was established to address inequalities and discrimination in the speciality of Emergency Medicine. The Committee is focused on racial inequalities to begin with but will also have a wider remit in examining inequalities and discrimination against other social groups.
To date, the committee has influenced the PPE agenda on a national scale, carried out a survey on member’s experiences during the second wave and provided advice and guidance to the wider College on matters relating to equality and diversity. Read our vision and workplan here.
Committee Co-Chairs:
Dr Hodon Abdi, Specialist Trainee at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Dr David Chung, Consultant at Crosshouse University Hospital
Committee members:
Gordon Miles (CEO), Derek Prentice (Lay representative), Will Townend (College Dean), Dr Rita Das, Dr Chenai Mausti, Dr Amin Albhari, Dr Salma Hussain, Dr Biju Cherian, Dr Lalarukh Asim, Dr Ed Oforka, Dr Bianca Ebtehadj
For more information please email: edichairs@rcem.ac.uk
Publications:
Vision and strategy (September, 2021)
The EDI Committee’s vision and strategy for 2021-2023 outlines the key objectives, workstreams and success indicators for the Committee.
PPE, ethnic minorities and occupational risk in Emergency Departments during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2021)
The Committee carried out a survey to examine what was driving the unequal access to appropriate PPE. The report made a number of recommendations to Government, the NHS, and Trusts.
Position statement on terminology
The position statement examines why language is important and the implications of ethnic categorisations. RCEM will aim to avoid using generalised terminology and where possible, specify which ethnic groups are being referred to.
The Women in EM Special Interest Group (WEMSIG) was established to play a key role in raising awareness of gender disparities in the specialty and mitigate the negative consequences this. The Group aims to facilitate a culture of open communication in the College and to ensure that the gendered experiences of its members and fellows are taken into account across College work.
We are working closely with the College to improve its offer to women. We have carried out research examining the ‘leaky pipeline’ into the specialty of Emergency Medicine and we have influenced other committees to ensure they are taking women’s experiences into account. Read our vision and workplan here.
Group Chair: Dr Kirsty Challen, Consultant at Royal Preston Hospital
Group members: Dr Carole Gavin, Emily Beet (Deputy Chief Exec), Gemma Croffie (Lay representative), Dr Hannah McKee, Dr Karen Squires, Dr Laura Cottey, Dr Priya Marathe, Dr Robyn Powell, Dr Sa Narang, Dr Shama Khan, Dr Sinead Campbell-Gray
For more information, please email: wemsigchair@rcem.ac.uk
Publications:
Vision and strategy (September, 2021)
WEMSIG’s vision and strategy for 2021-2023 outlines the key objectives, workstreams and success indicators for the Committee.
Response to Women’s Health Strategy (May, 2021)
WEMSIG responded the UK Government’s Women’s Health Strategy.
