Governance Review
On behalf of Council, I would like to thank Fellows and Collegiate Members for approving the changes to our Charter and Laws at our Annual Meeting on Friday 27 September.
As I noted at the meeting, governance is always about compromise, and is not a static process. Your feedback over the consultation process has been invaluable, and we are very grateful to every one of you who took the time to engage. We believe our new structure provides a good balance between our desire, as a membership organisation, to represent professional views about patient care, and our need to meet the legal requirements of charity law. It is however all an evolutionary process – we have made an important step and will engage with you in the future about the need for any further changes in the light of our – and your - experience of what we have just agreed.
As I also noted at the meeting, our current structure will remain unchanged until we receive final approval from the Privy Council regarding our Charter. When this is received, we will establish a Board of Trustees - with a majority of clinicians from Council - who will take ultimate responsibility for delivering the College's charitable purposes, and for legal, financial and risk matters. Council will then be able to focus on matters that impact the profession itself. We will also be able to implement new Laws, with your agreement, which make it easier and clearer for Fellows and Collegiate Members to hold Council and the Trustees to account.
I will update you when we hear formally from the Privy Council Office. In the meantime, and as ever, don’t hesitate to come back to me with any questions or comments.
With kind regards