Clinical Quality

Through the work of the Professional Affairs & Safety Committee (PAS) and the Board, the Faculty is involved with a number of clinical quality initiatives.

Invited Reviews

Invited Reviews are confidential reviews undertaken by Colleges and Faculties as a service offered to Trusts/Boards who feel they would benefit from a professional and independent opinion.

The Faculty follows the process and legal agreements of the Royal College of Anaesthetists on this area and more information is available on their webpage here.

Advisory Appointment Committees (AACs)

AACs are the name for the recruitment interviews for consultants in the UK. As currently the majority of ICM consultant appointments are combined with anaesthetic sessions, the Royal College of Anaesthetists kindly administers all ICM requests for representation on AACs.

Please visit the AAC page on the RCoA website here for further information, including guidance for RAs and assessors, and contacts.

Considerations for AACs in light of COVID FAQs

Are we still required to have a Faculty representative sit on the AAC panel and will the Faculty be able to source a rep on our behalf?

Yes, they are required (and this is unlikely to change) and we are still able to find representatives on your behalf however this may be via videoconference rather than in person.
Foundation Trusts are an exception to this requirement but the FICM strongly encourages these HR departments to seek Faculty input as best practice for quality assurance purposes.

Can the Faculty representative join via videoconference?

Yes.
In future, if this temporary change is found to be successful by AAC panels, it may become a more permanent arrangement and make it easier for us to find willing assessors due to the greatly reduced time commitment for this duty.

Is the Faculty still able to process JD approvals?

Yes, the normal process continues to run and all JDs should be sent to aac@rcoa.ac.uk for approval. This is the joint FICM/FPM/RCoA AAC helpdesk.

How do hospitals factor the change in working patterns in response to COVID within a JD?

We advise CDs to put in the expected post-COVID job plan (and appropriate PS) with a covering statement that until the pandemic has passed, a different and more flexible job plan may initially be worked by the successful candidate.
Consultants are long term appointments and their long-term interests along with the department’s should be considered in any job description above short term flexibility.

Clinical Quality