Professional Volunteer Appointments

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh are currently recruiting for an RCSEd representative on SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Council. Members of SIGN Council help to determine the overall direction of SIGN’s development and play a key role in shaping the SIGN guideline programme. The term of office is 3 years commencing in June 2025, with members having the option of a second term. At present SIGN Council meets four times per year; once in person, two virtually and one hybrid meeting. SIGN’s policy for choosing SIGN Council members has been agreed with the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and they request up to four nominations from Colleges and then choose their SIGN Council members from that approved College list to ensure that the Council as a whole takes account of Diversity and Inclusion as well as geography and NHS or other commitments.

The College are seeking an RCSEd Fellow in Good Standing who has an understanding of evidence-based medicine and a commitment to guideline development, who would like to represent the College in its role at the forefront of quality and standards within surgery, dentistry and allied areas of healthcare.

We are looking for people who will bring their enthusiasm, communication skills and ability to assimilate, analyse and debate complex information.

Core responsibilities as a SIGN Council Member include:

• Consider proposals for new guideline topics and to advise if these should be referred to Healthcare Improvement Scotland for further consideration.

• Be responsible for indicating areas of concern to the Chair.

• Approve proposed priorities from the Guideline Programme Advisory Group for keeping published guidelines up to date.

• Consider and approve proposals for changes to SIGN methodology, processes, or activities.

• Feed back to RCSEd on the activities of SIGN.

• Participate in the editorial group for guidelines relevant to surgery.

• Participate in promotional activities following publication of guidelines in surgery.

To register your interest or to receive more information please contact presidentpa@rcsed.ac.uk by Friday 31 January 2025.

The RCSEd is recruiting new members for the Trainees’ Committee from within the UK-based surgical trainee membership of the College. Up to five vacancies will be up for election in 2025.

This is an opportunity to join a vibrant and energised group of surgical trainees who over the years have driven change and achieved significant success in areas of trainee life for the betterment of our membership and trainees everywhere.  The Trainees’ Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is dedicated to representing and advocating for trainees. It ensures that trainee perspectives are considered in all College activities.

Membership of the Trainees’ Committee involves attendance at meetings of the Committee (approximately four times per annum, online or in the Edinburgh College or Birmingham office), as well as support for other College activities, such as attendance at external meetings/events. The time commitment for membership of the Trainees’ Committee is approximately twelve to fifteen days per year, depending on College and external activities.

The positions will be for an initial period of two years with an opportunity to extend the term for a further 12 months.

The closing date for nominations is 09:00 on Monday 10 February 2025. For more information and nomination requirements, please see the information sheet and form provided at the bottom of the page or contact committeeadministrator@rcsed.ac.uk.

In the event that the number of valid nominees exceeds the number of vacancies, an election will be held. 

Click below to learn more about the role and download the nomination form.

The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) are seeking one of its members to represent the faculty on the RCSEd Patient Safety Group.

What are the key aims of this Group?

The Patient Safety Group (PSG) exists to ensure that RCSEd’s core professional standards, training and education activities are focused on continuously improving patient safety and reducing harm, coordinating the College’s approach to this global health priority.

The RCSEd Patient Safety Board was established in 2008 following the development of the NOTSS (Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons) taxonomy. Under the successive stewardship of Professor George Youngson and Mr Simon Paterson Brown, the board worked to promote understanding of human factors in surgery. Today, NOTSS programmes are an integral part of the RCSEd education portfolio and an established part of surgical training worldwide.

To build on the hugely successful work of this board, the new RCSEd Patient Safety Group was launched in August 2018. This multidisciplinary group is drawn from all faculties of the College and includes representatives from both the wider surgical team and patients. It supports and co-ordinates existing RCSEd patient safety initiatives, setting a proactive safety agenda for the College.

A critical factor in ensuring patient safety is through improving the wellbeing of the surgical workforce and we are dedicated to improving the delivery of safe surgical care within the working environment for all involved. Through liaising with external bodies, establishing links with sister organisations, publishing influential reports and running sector-wide campaigns we seek to influence healthcare policy to enhance patient safety.

Click here for more information on the Group.

Who can represent FPHC on this Group?

Any member who has the time to commit and also meets the following criteria:

• You are an FPHC member or Fellow in good standing
• Has an interest in patient safety or are looking to develop a patient safety interest.

What is the time commitment?

The Patient Safety Group currently meet 3 times per year conducted face to face or remotely via TEAMS.

Please note that this is a volunteer role, however travel and subsistence will be reimbursed.

How do I apply?

If you are interested in this role then please submit your CV with a covering letter detailing why you feel you would be suitable.

Please send your CV and cover letter to fphc@rcsed.ac.uk.

Applications for this role will close on Friday 14 February 2025.

The College is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds. We encourage applications from people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds. We value candidates who bring a range of lived experiences and perspectives, and who reflect the diversity of our pre-hospital care community.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is pleased to present several exciting opportunities for suitable individuals to join some of its Surgical Specialty Boards (SSBs).

The  SSB in General Surgery is recruiting for a new Chair

The following SSBs are recruiting for new Members:

• SSB in General Surgery
• SSB in Neurosurgery
• SSB in Plastic Surgery
• SSB in Urology

The following SSBs are recruiting for a Trainee Representative:

• SSB in Cardiothoracic Surgery
• SSB in Paediatric Surgery
• SSB in Neurosurgery
• SSB in Vascular Surgery

Details on how to apply for these vacancies can be found in the relevant adverts below. Please clearly specify which vacancy and SSB you are applying for.  

Any informal enquiries should be directed to: committeeadministrator@rcsed.ac.uk in the first instance. 

If you would like to be considered for any of the Surgical Specialty Board (SSB) roles, please send a covering letter outlining what relevant experience/expertise you would bring to the role, and a brief CV. Applicants must also provide two completed Referee Declaration Forms in support of their application.

Closing date for applications: 17:00 on Friday 28 February 2025.

As the Regional Surgical Ambassadors' (RSA) Network goes from strength to strength we are inviting applications from UK based Fellows to join the Network. We are recruiting in all regions across the UK for succession planning.

For more information, email Una Curran in the Marketing and Communications Team at outreach@rcsed.ac.uk.

View the list of our current RSAs here.

Following a recent review of our networks, we will be changing the composition and duties of our regional representatives, encompassing support for the whole dental team.

We are now recruiting for a network of Dental Ambassadors.

Please visit our Examinations Vacancies page to see our current list of Examiner Vacancies.

The Edinburgh Surgical Sciences Qualification, run by RCSEd and the University of Edinburgh is currently recruiting for tutors to mentor and support training surgeons in 40 different countries and at the same time enable the tutor to maintain their knowledge base.

If you are interested in supporting elements of the Edinburgh Surgery Online programmes and taking part, find out more here.

Please visit our Work for RCSEd page for information on current job opportunities with the College.

Advisory Appointment Committees (AACs) are the process through which non-Foundation Trusts in England advertise and fill consultant level posts and function in accordance with the NHS (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 and Good Practice Guidance 2005.

Find out more and become and AAC Participant here.