Member Representative (Gynaecology) | Patient Safety Committee

Member Representative (Gynaecology)

Chair, Patient Safety Committee

1 November 2025 to 31 May 2028

• To oversee the development, review and update of high quality patient safety guidance including Good Practice Papers, Consent Advice and other products, as determined by the Clinical Quality Assurance Group (CQAG) and the Clinical Quality Board (CQB)
• To advise on NHS developments in the area of service safety and quality, and assess their potential impact on maternity and gynaecology services; and
• Lead on or contribute to specific College patient safety and quality events and work streams, working with internal and external stakeholders as required

• Working with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Patient Safety Committee, to contribute to the content, accuracy and length of guidance including Good Practice Papers, Consent Advice and other products, as appropriate. In particular, ensuring the guidance is unbiased, realistic, uses clear language, fulfils the scope and is consistent, both internally and alongside other College products
• To advise on and influence NHS developments in the area of service safety and quality, and assess their potential impact on the service through liaison with key stakeholders, input to national consultations, input to the Clinical Directors’ Forum and College events
• Identify appropriate measures for success, evaluating and reporting progress
• Commit to attending all four meetings per year unless in exceptional circumstances
• To help with responding to all enquiries and correspondence from College Officers, Fellows and Members, and outside bodies, as and when they arise
• To contribute to College responses, as requested by College Officers, to relevant consultation documents from external bodies

• Chair, Vice Chair and other members of the Patient Safety Committee
• Vice President, Clinical Quality
• Director of Clinical Quality
• Head of Quality Improvement, Clinical Quality
• Guidance Programme Manager, Clinical Quality
• Administration Assistant, Clinical Quality
• Members of the Clinical Quality Team
• Executive Director of Education and Quality

The Committee meets four times per year, and members are expected to attend all committee meetings unless in exceptional circumstances. One meeting per year is held in person at the College and the remaining three meetings are remote via Microsoft Teams.

There will also be a significant commitment outside of the meetings to deal with Committee matters and responses to consultations as required.

This role reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the role description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.

The role description will be re-evaluated at the end of the term.

Essential

• FRCOG/MRCOG
• Registered with a licence to practice with GMC, in good standing
• Substantive post in Gynaecology in UK NHS practice
• Evidence of annual appraisal
• At least one fully completed CPD cycle
• Evidence of equal opportunities and diversity training within previous 3 years

Desirable 

• Formal training or experience in healthcare management
• Previous role as clinical manager such as departmental lead/clinical director

Essential

• Involvement in efforts to improve the quality and safety of women’s health care locally

Desirable

• Leadership role in efforts to improve the quality and safety of women’s healthcare locally

• Clear demonstration of a commitment to improving the quality and safety of women’s health care
• Understanding of the role of the committee
• Knowledge of the RCOG’s strategic plans
• Good communicator as evidenced by past publications and presentations
• Agreement from host organisation to be released to fulfil roles
• Flexibility
• To maintain confidentiality of items discussed
• Prepared to respond rapidly to issues as they arise
• Prepared to undertake work for the Committee outside of the Committee meetings
• Prior experience of a significant leadership role
• Detailed knowledge of current NHS and the Health and Social Care Act
• Up to date with membership subscriptions
• Of good standing with the College

Information about the RCOG CPD Framework can be found here.

Committee Chair/Member/Course Convenors and Organisers

If within your committee role or work as course convenor or organiser you gain knowledge which enhances patient care or leadership and technical skills (including, for example, giving presentations, teaching sessions or mock examining) credits can be claimed as an ‘Experiential Learning Event’.

CPD users can now freely select and record the number of credits for all their CPD activities. For Experiential Learning Events, a Reflection is required to claim the selected credits. In addition, 1 or 2 credits can be claimed for an action following the learning (1 credit for a simple action, 2 credits for a complex action). To claim credits for an action, the individual needs to demonstrate how they have applied their learning to their practice, the service they provide and/or the potential impact of the learning.

For those who prefer to follow RCOG recommendations, the CPD Framework still provides a suggested number of credits that can be claimed for different CPD activities.

Further information can be found in the RCOG CPD Framework document.

The purpose of the Patient Safety Committee (PSC) is to provide a cohesive network for developing guidance and information sharing within women’s health across national and regional organisations and networks.

This will enable the RCOG to identify where it can add value in providing: 

• Feedback on consultations and requests for information on patient safety issues within women’s health
• Non-clinical guidance on ‘good practice’ to ensure delivery of best possible care for women
• Advice on how to ensure appropriate consent

• To promote safe, high quality women’s healthcare across the healthcare system, including NHS policy and guidance, national organisations and committees, and local services, and in response to our service users’, Fellows and Members’ interests and concerns
• To recognise the quality of women’s healthcare transcends national boundaries and cultures, and all systems have benefits and challenges that can be shared. To that end the Committee seeks to ensure representation from across the four UK nations with linkage to its international counterparts
• To respond to national reports, guidance and other requests for information related to patient safety in women’s healthcare
• To oversee the development of RCOG Good Practice Papers and Consent Advice
• Representation on the RCOG Clinical Quality Assurance Group and Clinical Quality Board
• Representation on other national committees such as the Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) committee

Committee membership will be multi professional and include representation from RCOG Fellows and Members, as well as the Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Anaesthetists and lay representation from the RCOG Women’s Network.

The committee will co-opt additional members from organisations such as NHS England and Improvement, MBRRACE and patient safety organisations within Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as appropriate.

Internal RCOG staff attending PSC meetings to include: Clinical Quality Administrator, Guidance Editorial Manager, Guidance Programme Manager, Head of Safety and Governance and the Director of Clinical Quality. 

A quorum for the meeting will be three RCOG Fellows and Members representatives, plus the Chair or Vice-Chair.

Members should commit their presence within the Committee by:

• Submitting comments promptly on RCOG guidance throughout the development process where requested. (If members of the committee do not submit comments ahead of two meetings within a 12-month period they will be contacted by the Chair.)
• Being responsive to other requests for opinions on matters arising between meetings. To facilitate prompt response, the Fellows and Members representatives should agree individual areas of responsibility (ideally three gynaecology based and three obstetric based)
• Ensuring decisions, actions, ideas and issues are understood, and continuing responsibilities are agreed and clearly allocated.
• Representing the interests of their respective organisations/stakeholders
• Being committed to actively and positively promoting awareness of the Committee and being an advocate for its output
• Representing the interests of the Committee at external meetings
• Understanding the sensitive nature of the Committee’s work and making sure trust and respect is maintained by constructive discussion and challenge
• Submitting declarations of interest as requested. A provision has been made for the core membership to declare any interests, along with a register that is retained for each meeting

Lisa Burke

Chair: Dr Catherine Calderwood
Vice-Chair: Miss Janine Elson
5 RCOG Member/Fellow representatives
1 RCOG Trainee representative
1 RCOG Women’s Network representative
Royal College of Anaesthetists representative
NHS Improvement representative
MBRRACE representative
2 Royal College of Midwives representatives
Head of Maternity Safety
Head of Guidance
Guidance Programme Manager
Head of Quality Improvement
Director, Clinical Quality
Head of Patient and Public Involvement
RCOG Communications team representative