Community of Practice
The Faculty of Perioperative Care convenes a community of practitioners working across the perioperative pathway, spanning NHS and independent sector providers, defence medical services, and higher education. The community share expertise, support professional development and strengthen the voice of the extended surgical team. This is achieved through specialty-focused networks and interest groups, peer engagement and shared learning opportunities. Participation earns CPD credit to support continuous professional development.
Education & Accreditation
The Faculty of Perioperative Care supports practitioners at every stage of their career through competency-based education, delivered flexibly to accommodate busy clinical practice. Programmes range from foundational learning for those entering the extended surgical team through to advanced skills and leadership development. Examples include PINTS (Perioperative Care Practitioners Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills), a one-day course enabling perioperative care practitioners and surgical first assistants to improve their intraoperative performance and observe and rate intraoperative non-technical skills, and UVAS (Ultrasound Venous and Arterial Scanning).
The Faculty can accredit courses and award CPD points through the College's Education Quality Assurance services.
RCSEd Educational Quality Assurance Services
Ensure your educational activity or centre meets the highest standards with RCSEd CPD approval and accreditation services.
Learn moreAdvocacy
The Faculty of Perioperative Care actively represents the interests of the extended surgical team, working to shape the education, policy and workforce decisions that affect perioperative practitioners across the UK. This includes engaging with NHS Education for Scotland, as well as regulators, higher education institutions and employer organisations. Through its role within the Intercollegiate Extended Surgical Team Board, the Faculty contributes to a unified, intercollegiate voice on the standards, governance and future development of the extended surgical team, ensuring that the practitioners it represents are heard at a national level and that their contribution to safe, high-quality surgical care is recognised and supported.
Professional Recognition
The Faculty of Perioperative Care recognises professional achievement and contribution across the extended surgical team through Membership and Fellowship awards, assessed by peers against agreed criteria. These awards provide prestigious professional recognition from an international surgical Royal College but are not a test of clinical competence or licensure.
Applicants evidence their impact using a structured portfolio covering areas such as leadership, education, research and quality improvement.