Quality Governance Fellowship Programmes

The Fellowship programmes have a focus on healthcare governance and quality, and are open to all with a demonstrable interest in, and requirement for, greater insight and experience in governance. We strongly encourage applications from patients, carers and other healthcare professionals who are passionate about healthcare governance, and who will bring value to the course, and will learn and benefit from it.

The aim of the programmes is to develop future leaders in governance and quality, equipped with the authority and ability to advance change in their organisations and beyond. This will in turn help to spread excellence, and in keeping with the College’s aim, contribute to achieving the gold standard in healthcare.

2025-2026 Fellowship Programme

Applications are now open for the 2025-2026 programme commencing January 2025. The programme will provide a comprehensive understanding of the issues of governance and is aimed at a multi-professional audience of senior clinicians, Executive & Non-Executive Board members, senior managers,  governance leads or those aspiring to governance roles. 

Applications due by November 1st 2024.

Programme Structure

A 12 month programme of seminars and workshops – including a one-day induction programme and practical teaching on research methods. Subjects covered in the 10 face to face seminars will include:

  • The principles of Governance and the relationship to Clinical Governance and Health
  • Ethics and Governance
  • Patient and Public Involvement in Quality Governance
  • The Role of the Board
  • Scrutiny Regulation and Governance Systems
  • International Quality Governance 

Organisations may choose to nominate individuals, duos or trios to work together on organisationally driven priorities. There are 12 -14 places available on the course.

Participants in the programme will be expected to fund a course fee of £3,750. The participant’s employers will also be expected to provide sufficient study leave for the participant to complete the course. Furthermore, it is expected that the participants will agree “learning” terms of reference with their employer. The employer will also benefit as the project undertaken by the participant as part of the course will be required to add value to their organisation.

Additional programme learning opportunities
  • QGC lecture series - The opportunity for participants to attend the Quality Governance Collaborative events programme at the College, which includes the first annual conference
  • Mentoring - The opportunity for the participants to have one-to-one development support with a mentor

Sir William Wells Governance Scholarship

The Quality Governance Collaborative is pleased to announce the introduction of the Sir William Wells Governance Scholarship for the Quality Governance Fellowship Programme.

Sir William Wells – founding chair of the NHS Appointments Commission - has been fundamental throughout the conceptualisation and development of the Quality Governance Collaborative and has generously continued to support and contribute to the QGC vision and it is with great honour that we will be able to offer a place on the Quality Governance Fellowship in his name.

In line with the Quality Governance Collaborative and the RCPE’s charitable aims and vision, this scholarship will be open to all participants both nationally and internationally – in the hope that this will foster the opportunity to further the governance discourse and expertise within the healthcare sector and beyond - thus positively impacting on the health of patients and the wider population.

This scholarship is open to candidates who have demonstrable financial need. Through the application process candidates will be expected to prove that their participation on the fellowship will contribute to the future governance development of their country / organisation and be sponsored by their Board, or Government.

The Sir William Wells Governance Scholarship will cover the entirety of the tuition costs for the Quality Governance Fellowship Programme hosted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The travel, accommodation and subsistence costs will remain the responsibility of the participant.

The application form for The Sir William Wells Governance Scholarship can be found below.

Professor Aidan Halligan Memorial Fellowship

The Governance Role of CID

Following the continued success of the RCPE QGC Fellowship programme, the QGC has been encouraged to consider the development of a clinical independent director programme with a distinct clinically-driven focus. This dedicated programme is unique to RCPE QGC and has been created in order to further develop the skills and expertise of those working in Boards of healthcare organisations, medical directors or medically qualified non-executive directors, or doctors interested in the important governance role of clinicians and clinical input on Boards through the newly emerging role of the clinical independent director.

Launch date TBC. To register your interest, email the below application form to qgc@rcp.ac.uk

Developing the Governance role of the Clinical Independent Director

Inspired by the role of the Senior Independent Director on corporate Boards, the aim of this programme is to work with senior participants to co-develop and establish the role of the Clinical Independent Directors on health and health related Boards across the United Kingdom and internationally.

The CID programme is developed from and is grounded in the tenets of the senior independent director role on corporate Boards. It will work to reflect on and examine the new strategic and future clinical and economic modelling of those working in integrated health, social care and broader organisations- from a local, national and international perspective. The programme will also encourage debate on areas of good practice and seeks to establish a new cohort of specialists in this unique field. 

Programme Structure

An eight specialist module programme of seminars and workshops commencing November 2024  – including a one-day induction programme and practical teaching on research methods. Subject examples to be covered in the 8 face to face seminars will include: 

  • The development of the role of the Clinical Independent Director (CID) 
  • The Governance Landscape - UK & Internationally 
  • Economic Modelling for Health and Social Care Governance - The Dynamics 
Additional programme learning opportunities

It is the expectation that the cohort participants will be highly experienced medical directors and other senior medical leaders and managers and clinicians in the field of health. There are a maximum of 10 -12 places available on the course.

Other opportunities

Tailored Fellowship Programmes

Tailored Fellowship Programmes are designed to reflect governance in both international, country and regional administrations. They reflect the principles as listed above in the Quality Governance Fellowship Programme but are tailored to the desired needs of the client. For further details and pricing for these tailored fellowships please email governance@rcpe.ac.uk.

Excellence in Governance Programme

Following the continued success of the QGC Fellowship programme, we have been approached to host a dedicated programme focusing on the Governance needs of senior healthcare stakeholders. The Excellence in Governance programme is a high-level learning set for 6-8 participants per cohort. Each cohort will take place over a six-month period and will meet on six occasions and have two dedicated facilitators supporting throughout the programme and will feature contributions from leading executives from the Health and Business communities.

*Applications are by personal letter to the programme Director, including CV and are taken on a rolling basis to determine interest and programme scheduling.

Quality Governance Joint Fellowship

We are pleased to be launching the inaugural Quality Governance Joint Fellowship Programme run in a unique partnership between the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh’s Quality Governance Collaborative (RCPE QGC), the WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training - Imperial College London (WHOCC) and the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM). 

The Joint Fellowship is a 8 module programme over a 12-month period, with both project managment and leadership action learning sets. This fellowship will be taught by an extended faculty from the RCPE QGC, WHOCC and FMLM. The programme will provide a comprehensive understanding of the issues of governance and aims to develop future leaders in governance and quality, equipped with the authority and ability to advance change in their organisations and beyond.

For further details please contact governance@rcpe.ac.uk