The Policy & Guidelines pages offer a range of resources to support healthcare professionals in maintaining high standards of practice. Tailored for medical professionals at various stages of their careers, these pages provide information, support, and guidance on key areas such as patient safety, employment and wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity. The #LetsRemoveIt campaign, launched in 2017, tackles bullying and undermining in surgery and, in 2024, expanded to focus on eradicating sexual misconduct within the surgical profession. This initiative aims to create a respectful, supportive environment by addressing harmful behaviours and promoting positive workplace culture. The pages also provide vital resources on navigating workplace challenges, promoting wellbeing, and ensuring an inclusive and safe working environment for all.
Patient Safety at RCSEd
Upholding patient safety and ensuring the highest standards of patient care are core values of the College, with our multidisciplinary patient safety group coordinating the College’s approach to this global health priority.
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Patient Safety Group
Upholding patient safety and ensuring the highest standards of patient care are core values of the College, with our multidisciplinary patient safety group coordinating the College’s approach to this global health priority.
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Patient Safety Resources
Find the College's resources dedicated to patient safety. Essential guidance, tools and materials are available to support healthcare professionals in enhancing safety standards and improving patient outcomes. External patient safety resources are also highlighted.
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Helping Patients to Raise Concerns
Healthcare professionals strive to provide optimum, safe care for patients. However, despite everyone's best efforts, things can go wrong in surgery, leading to unexpected patient outcomes. In such cases, patients, families or advocates may wish to raise concerns about the care received. Find links to a range of resources for further help.
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Resources and Information for Patients, Families and Carers
The Patient Safety Group have developed a range of resources to help support patients, together with their families and carers, during their surgical journey, from initial referral, through outpatient or emergency consultation, to preparation for and recovery from surgery.
Learn MoreEmployment & Wellbeing
The Employment & Wellbeing page highlights essential resources to support both your career and personal wellbeing within the healthcare profession. It provides crucial support and guidance for healthcare professionals, focusing on fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful working environment. Here, you'll find valuable resources on navigating workplace challenges, promoting wellbeing, and accessing support for returning to work after significant life events. The page features key initiatives and campaigns aimed at improving workplace culture, offering practical advice and links to further guidance, ensuring that professionals have the tools they need to thrive in their careers while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Employment & Wellbeing
Guidance for healthcare professionals to access the tools necessary for thriving in their careers while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Find Out MoreRaising Concerns and Whistle Blowing
Find advice on the steps to take when raising a concern, along with links to various organisations that offer guidance and support for raising concerns and whistleblowing, including charities.
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Let's Remove It
#LetsRemoveIt was launched in 2017 to tackle bullying and undermining across the surgical workforce. In 2024, this campaign will now focus its efforts on eradicating sexual misconduct in surgery.
Anti-Bullying and Undermining Campaign
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has launched a new anti-bullying and undermining campaign called #LetsRemoveIt, aimed across the whole health service. The College is committed to eradicating bullying and undermining from the surgical and dental professions.
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Sexual Misconduct in Surgery - Let's Remove It
This UK-wide campaign, launched by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, is designed to raise awareness of Sexual Harassment and encourage zero tolerance of sexual misconduct in healthcare. We ask clinicians to 'Call it Out' if they witness it.
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RCSEd Code of Conduct
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, undermining and harassment. We are committed to using our core educational, assessment and audit activities to improve workplace behaviour and culture as well as use our influence to promote systemic change, working where we can in partnership with other organisations who are similarly committed to implementing long term change.
Our Code of Conduct will be shared with every member new and old and they will be asked to automatically sign up to the Code. It will affirm the professional behaviours we expect from our members.
RCSEd Code of Conduct
Reflects the College values and sets out the expected standards of ethics, probity and behaviour expected from the membership of the RCSEd.
Read HereSustainability
Environmental Sustainability and Surgery
In recognition of the clear and present danger that the climate emergency poses, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has put together a working group of “Sustainability Champions” to devise practical solutions, helping the surgical profession to understand and reduce its environmental impact.
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Quick Steps That Can Improve Your Environmental Impact
The College is committed to driving change and has established a team of Sustainability Champions to raise awareness. They have shared 12 ideas for environmentally friendly interventions that can be implemented at home and in the workplace to improve our environmental impact.
Read the 12 Steps to NetZero Surgery
Green Theatre Checklist
The UK and Ireland surgical colleges have recognised that it is imperative for us to act collectively and urgently to address the climate crisis, particularly as healthcare contributes significantly to global carbon emissions.
Here, we present a compendium of peer-reviewed evidence, guidelines, and policies that inform the interventions included in the Intercollegiate Green Theatre Checklist. This compendium aims to support members of the surgical team in introducing changes in their own operating departments.
Green Theatre Checklist
The checklist is divided into four sections, the first dedicated to anaesthetic care, and the subsequent three looking at preparation for surgery, intra-operative practice and post-operative measures. Download the A4 or A4 Green Theatre Checklist Poster.
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Compendium of peer-reviewed evidence, guidelines and policies document
This compendium should support members of the surgical team to introduce changes in their own operating departments. Our recommendations apply the principles of sustainable quality improvement in healthcare, which aim to achieve the “triple bottom line” of environmental, social and economic impacts.
Read HereRead Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
As one of the world’s oldest surgical bodies, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh strives to be an engaged and welcoming organisation.
