Course accreditation
Providing a quality mark for surgical education
As well as running a large number of surgical education courses, the RCS England also accredits and monitors short courses run by other providers.
This is to ensure that a course has been developed in line with the College's criteria and standards for surgical education, and that the educational content, teaching methods, aims and learning outcomes are appropriate.
Course accreditation is usually awarded for three years following a successful panel visit to view the course in delivery. Any accreditation is subject to satisfactory annual monitoring and review.
Benefits of course accreditation
Having a course accredited will demonstrate that the course meets the standards as defined by the RCS England and that it offers a high-quality learning experience. Recognition of these factors may assist in attracting course delegates. Accredited courses will also receive the following benefits:
- peer review from a panel of leading surgeons;
- use of the RCS England logo on course materials and website;
- use of the strapline ‘Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England’;
- listing on RCS England website;
- listing in RCS England Bulletin;
- use of RCS England participant evaluation questionnaire;
- applicable courses will be awarded Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points as part of course accreditation.
Who can apply
Course accreditation is designed for short courses of up to and including five days in length. Any organiser or provider of educational or scientific courses which aid the development of competent surgeons or those from allied health professions can apply for course accreditation. However, only courses which can provide detailed and positive feedback from at least the previous two sittings of the course, or which have previously received course approval from the RCS, are eligible for course accreditation.
How to apply
RCS Accreditation process
Accreditation can be applied for on our Accreditation Portal, by registering for a free account and starting a new activity. Once an application has been submitted, the stages broadly follow the cycle shown below.
Step 1 - Desktop assessment
Initial desk-based review of application for accreditation, including assessment of course participant feedback.
At each step of the process, the applicant may be asked for further information, or to amend the educational activity they provide, to meet RCS England education standards.
Step 2 - Panel visit
If the application is viable, a visit to the course by an RCS England review panel (including one or more senior surgeons) takes place.
Step 3 - Report writing stage
A report is written by a QA team member, including input from the RCS England review panel, to be presented to the Quality Assurance Operational Group (QAOG). This may include conditions and recommendations for the provider.
Step 4 - RCS England Quality Assurance Operational Group meeting
The report is presented at the next QAOG meeting, which are held four times a year. Members of the QAOG discuss the application and the group makes a collective recommendation to approve or reject the application. This may include conditions and recommendations for the provider.
Step 5 - RCS Learning & Assessment Committee
The recommendation of the QAOG is presented to the L&A Committee, who make the final decision on awarding accreditation. If awarded, accreditation lasts for three years. Accreditation may be accompanied by conditions to be met or recommendations to be considered by the applicant. The accreditation is accompanied by ongoing monitoring of educational provision.
Accredited courses
Transanal Haemorrhoidal Dearterialisation (THD)
Initially accredited February 2012. Accredited until January 2025.
Course Lead: Mr Pasquale Giordano
St Thomas' Cadaveric Hand Trauma Course
Initially accredited December 2014. Accredited until December 2022.
Provider: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Course Lead: Mr Jamil Ahmed
Postgraduate Orthopaedics
Initially Accredited April 2016. Accredited until February 2023.
Provider: Postgraduate Orthopaedics
Course Lead: Mr Paul Banaskiewicz
Headstart - Sentinel Node Biopsy Service in Early Oral Cancer Course
Initially Accredited February 2017. Accredited until November 2022.
Provider: Head and Neck Cancer Foundation
Course Lead: Professor Mark McGurk
Bristol and Oxford Surgical Trials Interventions Course (BOSTiC)
Initially Accredited June 2017. Accredited until June 2024.
Provider: University of Bristol & University of Oxford
Course Lead: Professor David Beard
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/centres/surgical-research/education/courses/
FRCS (Tr & Orth) Viva Course for Orthopaedic Surgeons
Initially Accredited December 2018. Accredited until December 2024.
Venue: Barts Cancer Institute, London
Course Lead: Mr Jeh Mahaluxmivala
Trauma and Essential Surgical Skills (TESS)
Initially Accredited January 2019. Accredited until December 2024.
Venue: Queen's Hospital, Romford
Course Lead: Mr Saswata Banerjee
UK Clubfoot - Training Levels 1 & 2
Initially Accredited January 2019. Accredited until December 2024.
Provider: Global Clubfoot Initiative
Course Lead: Mrs Rosalind Owen
Foundations in Surgical Skills and Anatomy for the Physician Associate
Initially Accredited January 2019. Accredited until December 2024.
Provider: Canterbury Christ Church University
Course Lead: Mrs Roz Tucker
Advanced Arthroscopic Knee Course
Initially Accredited March 2019. Accredited until March 2025.
Provider: British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma and Arthroscopy Association (BOSTAA)
Course Leads: Mr Panos Thomas and Professor Fares Haddad
Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) Course
Initially Accredited June 2019. Accredited until June 2025.
Provider: David Nott Foundation
Course Lead: Mr David Nott
Single Incision Laparoscopic Colorectal Course (SILCS)
Initially Accredited June 2019. Accredited until June 2023.
Venue: University Hospital of North Tees
Course Leads: Mr Talvinder Gill and Mr Millind Rao
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Course
Initially Accredited December 2019. Accredited until December 2022.
Venue: University Hospital of North Tees
Course Leads: Mr Talvinder Gill and Mr Millind Rao
The Hamlyn Symposium of Medical Robotics
Initially Accredited September 2019. Accredited until September 2025.
Provider: The Hamlyn Centre for Medical Robotics
Course Lead: Professor Guang-Zhong Yang
Laparoscopic Bile Duct Exploration Course
Initially Accredited September 2019. Accredited until September 2023.
Provider: South Devon Upper GI Unit
Course Lead: Mr Stuart Andrews
Advanced Laparoscopic Hiatal Surgery Course
Initially Accredited December 2019. Accredited until December 2023.
Provider: South Devon Upper GI Unit
Course Lead: Mr Stuart Andrews
SCReaM Human Factors Course
Initially Accredited October 2019. Accredited until September 2025.
Provider: SCReaM Human Factors and Crew Resource Management
Course Lead: Dr Ben Morrison
The Northern FRCS Orth Revision Course
Initially Accredited October 2019. Accredited until October 2022.
Provider: Orth North
Course Lead: Mr Balaji Purushothaman
Challenges in Organ Donation, Retrieval and Transplantation
Initially Accredited December 2019. Accredited until December 2022.
Provider: Royal Papworth Hospital
Course Lead: Mr Marius Berman
Orthopaedic Evaluation of X-Rays
Initially Accredited March 2020. Accredited until March 2024.
Provider: Orthopaedic Evaluation of X-Rays
Course Lead: Dr Joseph Boktor
3DMedLive
Initially Accredited March 2020. Accredited until March 2023.
Provider: Future Science Group
Organiser: Miss Lauren Pulling
Orthobasics Course, South Africa
Initially Accredited June 2021. Accredited until June 2024.
Provider: Coastal Orthopaedic Group
Organiser: Dr Virsen Singh
MRI Pro online
Initially Accredited January 2019. Accredited until January 2025.
Provider: MRI Pro
Course Lead: Professor Jeremy Grummet
Portsmouth Robotic Upper GI Course
Accredited September 2022 - September 2025.
Provider: Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Course Leads: Mr Gijs van Boxel and Mr Nick Carter