Becoming the College of Intensive Care Medicine

To ensure stability for members and fulfil a key principle of providing value for money, we will actively engage with you as we determine how CICM will operate, including future fees, exams and membership categories.

What does it mean to be independent?

The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine is a faculty of eight parent colleges and sits within the governance structure of our lead parent college and host the RCoA. 

RCoA, like other Royal Medical Colleges, is a charity and is governed by charity law. As CICM, we will also seek this status; on 1 July 2026, CICM’s legal status will be as a separate charitable company that is a charitable arm, or subsidiary, of the RCoA. This interim position will provide the stability needed for a safe transition, and allow CICM to continue to benefit from RCoA's support while we grow our resources. 

Establishing CICM will mean autonomy for the specialty, with a CICM Board of Trustees overseeing governance and representing ICM in external matters where the specialty needs an independent voice. This may range from campaigning on workforce issues to representing ICM in legal cases. 

In addition, the CICM Board of Trustees will ensure the specialty can make decisions about its own priorities, finances and operations. This will, in turn, support decision-making so that CICM is able to enhance member benefits. 

We are not planning any immediate changes to how we run our exams or our day-to-day operations. Our FICM staff team and our processes are embedded within the RCoA’s infrastructure and we will need this stability as we continue to evolve. This will ensure stability for you as our members, while also providing value for money by sharing costs.