Organization

Activity and Resources

Training

The College developed its Faculty of Surgical Trainers and Faculty of Dental Trainers to promote and enhance the professional role of surgical and dental trainers respectively. They produced the first-ever set of standards for Surgical and Dental Trainers and work to increase the profile and recognition of evidence-based education.

The College recognizes the important role that mentoring plays in developing a surgeon’s career, both during the training years and beyond. We run a 3-day practical Mentor Development Programme to provide consultants and SAS Doctors with the skills required to be effective mentors; this will form the foundation for the development of a RCSEd self-sustaining mentorship scheme.

The International Postgraduate Deanery works to develop and deliver local training opportunities for fellows and members across the world. The Deanery, in partnership with the UK and Scottish Government, recruits international medical graduates to UK Fellowship posts. The College acts as a trainee sponsor with the General Medical Council (GMC) and quality assures this training.

Exams

The College works through the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE) to develop and ensure appropriate bench-marking and validity of surgical examinations – essential tools to set standards for knowledge and practice, integral to the promotion of patient safety. The surgical examinations portfolio include the MRCS and Joint Specialty Fellowship in the 11 surgical specialties. In addition, the College holds exams in all Dental Specialties, Pre-Hospital Care (Urgent and Immediate Medical Care, Major Incident Management), Sports & Exercise Medicine, and Retrieval & Transfer Medicine.

Quality Assurance

Maintaining high professional standards is a core pillar of College business. RCSEd works to quality assure surgical care provision at every level: training, trainers, courses, exams, professional appointments and services. Examiners undergo careful selection, extensive training, a period observing an experienced examiner, and complete a probation period before being admitted. Similarly, examinations undergo regular, robust psychometric analysis to ensure the highest possible standards are maintained. Annual education strategy meetings review the current education and examination portfolio against governing standards. Our success in these areas has attracted invitation to quality assure further education and examinations internationally.

The Professional Standards Office ensures that the College’s core educational, examination and audit activities are focussed on continuously improving patient care and surgical standards. The College provides external advisors for consultant appointments. It is consulted regularly on issues of quality assurance and revalidation by Government, Medical Regulators, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other stakeholders. Regular training programme and service inspection visits are undertaken both within the UK and internationally, providing expert, independent and objective advice to address local difficulties and help improve surgical performance and patient outcomes.

Teams

The College embraces a multi-disciplinary team approach to the delivery of care, recognizing teamworking skills as an essential pillar of safe, effective care. It actively promotes effective leadership, communication, and teamworking skills through its suite of non-technical skills courses. The NOTSS taxonomy is embedded in surgical curricula worldwide; the College provides an extensive on-line resource and holds face-to-face masterclasses worldwide.

The PINTS (Peri-operative Care Practitioners Intra-operative Non-technical Skills) course has also been adapted to meet the needs of perioperative care practitioners and DeNTS (Dental Non-Technical Skills) for dental practitioners.

Through the Team-Based Quality Review Workshop, the College provide training and support for surgical and dental teams when carrying out adverse event reviews. The College recognizes the vital  importance of supporting all involved when mistakes occur and our Dealing With Mistakes workshop explores the impact of mistakes on all those involved; looking at how best to support and prepare each other, and how we might appropriately respond to patients and their families in the aftermath.

The Faculty of Peri-Operative Care supports the ever-increasing number of peri-operative practitioners, including Surgical Care Practitioners and Surgical First Assistants, who play an important part in the teams delivering surgical care.

The College works actively to nurture surgical team leaders of tomorrow, with our Foundations in Dental and Surgical Leadership one-day workshops, along with our Future Leaders Programme, a 12-month blended learning programme equipping senior trainees, SAS doctors and early years consultants with the advanced leadership skills needed to excel.

Workplace Culture

RCSEd continues to lead the way in promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. It provides guidance on subject matters such as less-than-full-time training, pregnancy in surgery, parental leave, and returning to work after a prolonged period of leave. The College has also produced helpful guidance on Speaking Up, Raising Concerns, and Whistleblowing.

The ‘Let’s Remove it Campaign’ promotes a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and undermining, encouraging frank open discussion on the subject. Anti-bullying toolkits and e-learning modules have been developed, freely available via the College website. The Anti-Bullying Alliance was formed to share ideas, establish recommendations, and implement interventions across the NHS. The Healthcare Policy Group has consulted on whistleblowing legislation to ensure healthcare workers know how and when to raise concerns, and that these are addressed appropriately.

The ‘Sexual Misconduct Let’s Remove It’ on line hub was launched in response to the findings uncovered by the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS) and the Surviving in Scrubs group, which highlighted the harassment and sexual abuse faced by colleagues in surgery. The associated UK wide campaign launched by the College raises awareness of the issues and encourages zero tolerance of sexual misconduct in healthcare, asking staff to call it out if they witness it.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We have recently published a report highlighting the underrepresentation of black surgeons in the UK.

Government Policy Engagement