About our mission
Our new strategy 2021 - 26
This strategy aims to refresh the place of The Royal College of Surgeons of England in the post-COVID world, in the context of the NHS, the independent sector and global health, but most importantly in the interests of surgeons, surgical teams and their patients.
It sets out what we will do to support our members, the wider surgical and dental workforce, patients, the NHS and policy makers to recover from the impact of the pandemic on services, training, standards of care, safety and waiting times, across all the regions of England, the devolved nations of the UK and beyond.
It also sets out how we will explore the opportunities of the digital age, and address the challenges of professional specialisation, changing workforce expectations, and a growing demand for surgical interventions, at a time of constrained healthcare resource.
We have a particular focus on promoting diversity, inclusion and fairness in our College and right across the surgical and dental professions. We believe that embracing difference is not just the right thing to do, it can inspire all of us to grow, and it will ensure that our profession and our College remain at the forefront of patient care for generations to come.
Our vision
We want to see excellent surgical care for everyoneOur vision
Our mission
We will achieve our vision by enabling our members, in all their diversity, to deliver excellence in everything they doOur mission
Our values
We will deliver our values through our behaviours and attitudes which impact directly on the care delivered to patients and how we work togetherOur values
Collaboration
We embrace our collective responsibilities working collaboratively and as one college.
Behaviours
- We work together, using our collective expertise and experience to effect positive change
- We are open, honest and transparent, straightforward in our language and actions, acting with sincerity and delivering on our commitments
- We take our responsibilities to each other, to patient care and to the environment seriously and we act with this in mind across our work
Why?
Working collaboratively creates an environment that is conducive to improved productivity, trust and relationships. Teams that have the biggest impact are those where members take responsibility, celebrate success when things go well and take ownership when they don't.
Respect
We value every person we come into contact with at the College as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life, and seek to understand and meet their physical and wellbeing needs.
Behaviours
- We treat everyone we meet with kindness and integrity and we seek to promote these behaviours in others
- We actively seek a range of views and experiences across our work, and we listen to, and make everyone feel, a valued part of the team
Why?
Knowledge multiplies among people who are able to learn from their differences. Evidence suggests that diverse organisations perform better and innovate quicker.
Excellence
We aspire to excellence and success. We share learning from our experiences, apply feedback into practice, and commit to continual improvement.
Behaviours
- We work hard to be be the best at what we do, recognising and celebrating effort and achievement, and reflecting on our work, so we can learn and improve
- We value and invest in research, education and training to drive excellence and put improvements in surgical practice, dentistry and patient care at the heart of our work
- We always seek to learn and discover more, valuing knowledge and scientific evidence, basing our decisions on insights, fact and experience
Why?
Transparency and agile working drive excellence and improvement. Motivated by the desire to serve and to be the best in our field, we will deliver on our commitments through rapid testing, innovation and future focused leadership.
Strategic Aims
We will achieve our mission by:
Leading our profession: by being the pre-eminent voice of surgery, championing excellent surgical care by engaging the profession, policymakers, patients and the public.
Improving practice: by continually improving the practice, standards and safety of surgical care, and by developing the workforce across the UK.
Engaging our members: by inspiring, supporting, educating and representing the professional interests of a growing, diverse membership.
Embracing diversity: by building an inclusive profession where everyone’s contribution is recognised and all feel welcome, demonstrating our commitment to fairness, gender equality and anti-racism.
Transforming our College: by building a sustainable, diverse, digital, forward-looking organisation, which plays its part in the world and is accountable for everything it does.