Course Accreditation
Providing a quality mark for surgical education
As well as running a large number of surgical education courses, the RCS 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 Royal College of Surgeons 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 logo on course materials and website
- Use of the strap line ‘Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England’
- Listing on RCS Website
- Listing in RCS Bulletin
- Use of RCS participant evaluation questionnaire
- Applicable courses will be awarded with 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
In order to apply, a course organiser must register with the RCS Accreditation Portal and complete an application under 'Short Course'. The RCS fee structure for Course Accreditation and further information about the process can be reviewed on the RCS Accreditation Portal.
RCS Accreditation cycle
Click each stage to find out more (if you're viewing on a mobile device you may have to scroll down for more info)
Step 1 - Desktop assessment
Initial desk-based review of application for re/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 Education Standards.
Step 2 - Panel visit
If the application is viable, a visit to the education provider by a RCS re/accreditation review panel - including one or more senior surgeons - takes place.
Step 3 - Report of review panel
Report of the review panel to RCS Quality Assurance Operational Group. This may include conditions and recommendations for the provider.
Step 4 RCS Quality Assurance Operational Group
If the QAOG supports accreditation for the application, it makes a re/accreditation recommendation to RCS Council. This may include conditions and recommendations for the provider.
Step 5 RCS Council: final decision
RCS Council makes the final decision on awarding accreditation. If awarded, accreditation lasts for three years. Accreditation may be accompanied by conditions to be met and/or recommendations to be considered by the applicant. The accreditation is accompanied by ongoing monitoring of educational provision.
| Accredited course provider | Course | Period of accreditation | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Colorectal Ltd | Transanal Haemorrhoidal Dearterialisation Course | Initially accredited Februry 2012. Reaccredited January 2019 - January 2022 |
Mr Pasquale Giordano, Consultant Surgeon and Senior Lecturer |
| Warrington & Halton NHS Foundation Trust | Anaesthesia, Trauma and Critical Care course | Initially accredited July 2013. Reaccredited December 2016 - November 2019 |
Dr Mark Forrest, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care |
| Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Trauma and Burns Course | Initially accredited July 2014. Reaccredited January 2018 - December 2020 |
Mrs Veronica Bowes, Specialist Training Coordinator |
| Guys & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust | St Thomas' Cadaveric Hand Trauma Course | Initially accredited December 2014. Reaccredited January 2018 - December 2020 |
Mr Jamil Ahmed, Associate Specialist in Plastic and Hand Surgery |
| Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust | Masterclass of Intramedullary Nailing: Tips and Tricks | Initially accredited December 2014. Reaccredited April 2018 - March 2021 |
Prof Subhash Halder, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon |
| Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London | Oncoplastic Breast Surgery and ADM Reconstruction | October 2015 - September 2018 |
Mr Michael Douek, Consultant General Surgeon |
| National Organ Retrieval Service | National Organ Retrieval Course | Initially accredited February 2016. Reaccredited January 2019 - January 2022 |
Professor Rutger Ploeg, NHSBT National Lead for Organ Retrieval |
| Ashford & St Peter's NHS Trust | Chertsey Ilizarov Course | April 2016 - March 2019 | Mr Arshad Khaleel, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon |
| Postgraduate Orthopaedics | Postgraduate Orthopaedics | April 2016 - March 2019 | Mr Paul Banaszkiewicz, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon |
| Papworth Hospital | International DCD Heart Symposium | December 2016 - November 2019 | Mr Stephen Large, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon |
| Leighton Hospital, Crewe | Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair Course | December 2016 - November 2019 | Mr Magdi Hanafy, Consultant General Surgeon |
| University College London Hospital | UCLH Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma course | February 2017 - January 2020 | Professor Mark McGurk, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon |
| Southmead Hospital, Bristol | Southmead Plastic Surgery for Surgical Trainees course | February 2017 - January 2020 | Mr Robert Warr, Consultant Plastic Surgeon |
| Venue: Barts Cancer Institute, London | FRCS (Tr & Orth) Viva Course for Orthopaedic Surgeons |
January 2019 - January 2022 |
Mr Jeh Mahaluxmivala, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon; Administrator: Madge Chambers |
| Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford | Bristol and Oxford Surgical Trials intervention Course (BOSTiC) | July 2017 - June 2020 | Professor David Beard, Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) |
| Vesalius Clinical Training Unit, Centre for Applied Anatomy, Southwell Street, Bristol BS2 8EJ | Operative Skills in Neurosurgery | March 2019 - March 2022 |
Director: Mr George Malcolm, Consultant Neurosurgeon |
| Venue: UCH London Education Centre | Reconstructive Techniques in Urology |
To June 2018 | Directors: Mr Dan Wood, Consultant Urological Surgeon, UCH, London; Miss Suzanne Biers, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge |
| Advanced Trauma Nursing Course |
A four-day course for registered nurses, paramedics and ODPs, alongside doctors on the ATLS course |
July 2018 - June 2021 |
Chair: Mr Robert Pinate MSc BSc RN |
| MRI PRO |
Online learning, containing 300 interactive Q&A prostate MRI cases |
January 2019 - January 2020 |
Professor Jeremy Grummet, Urological Surgeon and Director of Clinical Research in Urology at Alfred Health |
| Queen's Hospital, Romford |
Trauma and Essential Surgical Skills |
January 2019 - January 2022 |
Mr Saswata Banerjee, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon |
| Global Clubfoot Initiative |
UK Clubfoot - Training leves 1 & 2 |
Janaury 2019 - January 2022 |
Mrs Rosalind Owen, Executive Director at Global Clubfoot Initiative |
| Canterbury Christchurch University |
Foundations in Surgical Skills and Anatomy for the Physician Associate |
January 2019 - January 2022 |
Mrs Roz Tucker, Physician Assistant |
| Vesalius Clinical Training Unit |
Operative Skills in Neurosurgery |
March 2019 - March 2022 |
Mr George Malcolm, Consultant Neurosurgeon |
| BOSTAA | Advanced Arthroscopic Knee |
March 2019 - March 2022 |
Mr Panos Thomas, Consultant Knee and Sports Surgeon, and Professor Fares Haddad, Hip and Knee Reconstructive Surgeon |
Contact
If you have any queries about Course Accreditation that are not covered in our standards and frequently asked questions, please contact the Quality Assurance Department at qa@rcseng.ac.uk or on 020 7869 6236/6208.