The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is proud to represent a diverse membership of over 12,000 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, now the Gender Equity Committee.
We are committed to ensuring that the services we offer are reflective of the diverse membership we serve and the communities within which we operate.
We currently collect information in accordance with UK regulations and use this information to help us to improve our services – you can read more about this here.
We are developing our approach to publishing anonymised data sets but in the interests of transparency what we collect will be published here and added to on a rolling basis.
RCEM Events Speaker Demographics 2023 – PDF
RCEM Membership Demographic Data 2023 – PDF
Exam Pass Rate Data 2023 – PDF
+ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee was established to address inequalities and discrimination in the speciality of Emergency Medicine. The Committee was focused on racial inequalities to begin with but is working towards 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.
Dr Sivanthi Sivanadarajah, Consultant at Stepping Hill Hospital
Dr David Chung, Consultant at Crosshouse University Hospital
Gordon Miles, Derek Prentice, April McKay, Dr Rita Das, Dr Chenai Mausti, Dr Cieran McKiernan, Dr Ed Oforka, Dr David A Chung, Romana Moss, Dr Mohsin Islam, Dr Sofia Rahman, Dr Visvakumaran Reddy, Mrs Jennifer Russell, Dr Nida Suri, Dr Alice Taylor, Dr Ursula-Jade Hartley, Ruth Beveridge, Anukiran Ravichandran.
For more information please email: edichairs@rcem.ac.uk
The Gender Equity Committee (GEC) was established to play a key role in raising awareness of gender disparities in the specialty and mitigate the negative consequences this. The Committee 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.
Dr Kirsty Challen, Consultant at Royal Preston Hospital
Dr Salwa Malik, Gemma Croffie, Romana Moss, 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, Dr Chelcie Jewitt, Sarah Hickin, Dr Bianca Ebtehadj.
For more information, please email: GECchair@rcem.ac.uk
To download the calendar and activate the link to copy the dates into your e-calendar (via “add dates to your electronic calendar” button at the foot of the calendar), follow this link: Diversity Calendar 2024
Nominations are invited for the Dr Salma Hussain EDI (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Impact Award 2024.
Salma Hussain was an A&E registrar with a deep passion for paediatric emergency medicine and a strong advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). As a member of the EDI committee at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, she championed inclusivity and actively worked to address disparities in healthcare. Salma’s dedication to these causes was evident in her every action, inspiring those around her. Her aspirational work not only highlighted the importance of equitable healthcare but also motivated her colleagues to strive for a more inclusive environment. Salma’s unwavering commitment and clear passion made a lasting impact on those who had the fortune to work with her.
This award is in memory of Salma and her passion for equity, diversity and inclusion. It reflects RCEM’s continued commitment to foster and embed positive culture change in the NHS, making civility, equity, diversity and inclusion key measures of success and safety for our workforce and our patients. The award will recognise and celebrate an exemplar department’s outstanding and exceptional contribution to EDI.
Applicants should forward submissions on behalf of their team or department and must be an EM clinician or practitioner currently working in a UK or ROI Emergency Department (or equivalent). A maximum of one nomination per department will be accepted, although applicants are permitted to share more than one EDI initiative within the application.
The Dr Salma Hussain EDI Impact Award winner will be invited to receive their award and present their work at the Spring CPD Conference 2025. The winning submission will also be considered for publication in the Emergency Medicine Journal and RCEM’s e-learning space.
Submissions will be jointly judged by RCEM’s EDI Committee, Gender Equity Committee, Honours Committee, and a lay representative from Salma’s family and friends. Winners will be expected to showcase local or regional EDI initiatives which may include one or more of the following:
All formats of submissions will be welcomed and considered; examples include but are not confined to:
QIP – RCEM_Quality_Improvement_Guide_June_2020)
Blog (1500 words)
Vlog (10 minutes)
Podcast (10 minutes)
Poster (PDF)
Applicants should aim to describe an EDI related initiative or quality improvement project with some clear evidence of positive and sustained impact upon vulnerable colleagues or patients who face direct or indirect discrimination within Emergency Departments. The characteristics that are protected by the Equality Act 2010 are: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage or civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation.
Judges are looking for teams with stories to tell about what has inspired them to initiate transformation, remove barriers and create environments in which colleagues and patients feel a sense of belonging and safety.
Please send submissions to policy@rcem.ac.uk by 17:00 on 6 September 2024.
For more information, contact:
Dr Sivanthi Sivanadarajah/ Dr David Chung, Co-Chairs RCEM EDI Committee – edichairs@rcem.ac.uk
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