Members of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine have voted to increase the College’s annual subscription rates by six percent in 2024.
The ballot took place during RCEM’s Annual General Meeting on 26 October 2023 and saw 53% of members who voted back the proposal.
Members were able to cast their votes in person, or via a members’ voting platform online.
The following table shows the fee structure for 2024 for each type of RCEM membership:
| 2023 | 2024 | Six percent increase | Daily cost of 2024 membership | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellow UK | £771 | £817 | £46 | £2.24 |
| Fellow by exam overseas | £422 | £447 | £25 | £1.22 |
| Fellow LIC | £231 | £245 | £14 | £0.67 |
| Fellow by exam non-EM | £345 | £366 | £21 | £1.00 |
| Fellow in Training | £552 | £585 | £33 | £1.60 |
| Associate Fellow UK | £272 | £288 | £16 | £0.79 |
| Associate Fellow Overseas | £179 | £190 | £11 | £0.52 |
| Associate Fellow LIC | £97 | £103 | £6 | £0.28 |
| Associate Fellow Reduced | £97 | £103 | £6 | £0.28 |
| Member by Exam UK | £322 | £341 | £19 | £0.93 |
| Member by Exam Overseas | £209 | £222 | £19 | £0.61 |
| Member by Exam Reduced | £200 | £212 | £12 | £0.58 |
| Member by Exam non-EM | £103 | £109 | £6 | £0.30 |
| Member by Exam LIC | £115 | £122 | £7 | £0.33 |
| Associate Member UK | £103 | £109 | £6 | £0.30 |
| Associate Member T/E | £322 | £341 | £19 | £0.93 |
| Associate Member Overseas | £93 | £99 | £6 | £0.27 |
| Associate Member LIC | £52 | £55 | £3 | £0.15 |
| Associate Member Reduced | £50 | £53 | £3 | £0.14 |
| Associate Member FY | £52 | £55 | £3 | £0.15 |
| Associate Member Student | £20 | £22 | £2 | £0.06 |
| Associate Member ACP | £114 | Please see below * | ||
| Associate Member PA | £114 | £121 | £7 | £0.33 |
| Associate Member RHP | £114 | £121 | £7 | £0.33 |
| AOST (Ireland) | £322 | £341 | £19 | £0.98 |
| AOST (Nepal) | £133 | £141 | £8 | £0.39 |
| Affiliate Member | £72 | £76 | £4 | £0.21 |
The College has tried to hold its rates for as long as possible and while any increases are generally not desirable, and we have tried to keep these at the minimum possible, unfortunately, the College is not immune to the impact of the global financial crisis.
With increasing outgoings due to inflation and much higher mortgage rates we have had to look at all options to manage the impact of that and ensure we can continue to deliver the high standards that our members expect and deserve.
There is never a good time to implement increases in subscription fees but we feel that the increases proposed are proportionate and as fair as possible and have been given much careful consideration and scrutiny and allow us to deliver a balanced budget and continue our world-class services to our members and the emergency medicine environment.
A set of FAQs details more information about the changes and also answers questions which were asked at the AGM itself, providing more information about the change. They can be accessed here – Membership Subscription Increases 2024.
The vote took place after updates about the College’s finances had been given by its President Dr Adrian Boyle, Chief Executive Officer Gordon Miles, and Treasurer Dr Scott Hepburn.
Members voted in favour on two issues:
Although the votes were both announced as having been carried during the meeting, they had to be verified to ensure all those who voted were eligible to do so. This was done and the results confirmed.
The new fees will come into effect from 1 January 2024 and all members will be written to in advance of this to explain further how this may impact them and what discounts are available.
* Following the AGM in October 2023, it was agreed that the specific rate for ACPs will change in January 2024 to bring them in line with other Associate Membership categories. We very much value our ACP members who in turn want to be seen as equal and contribute financially to the College in the same way that other cohorts do, affecting greater change for ACPs here at RCEM. As an example, there is now an ACP rep on almost all RCEM committees with further opportunities available. ACP membership includes access to the ePortfolio, discounted College events, the EMJ in both postal and digital format as well as College support for the ACP forum and development of the ACP curriculum. Post credentialling, ACPs can opt to switch to Membership by Election, which remains at a subscription rate of £341 for 2024 but also includes voting rights.
