Independent Assessors

Although the RCS has no formal role in the identification of an independent assessor, it is committed to supporting healthcare organisations in dealing with concerns about the performance of an individual or surgical unit.

How can the RCS help?

The College may be able to help identify an individual to act as an independent assessor in the following circumstances:

• To assist with a performance assessment of an individual under the auspices of the General Medical Council or the National Clinical Assessment Service.
• To assist with an independent assessment of a surgical service under the auspices of external agencies such as the Health Service Ombudsman, Independent Reconfiguration Panel or the Care Quality Commission.
• To assist healthcare organisations by nominating surgeons to act on a clinical capability or disciplinary hearing of an individual about whom concerns have been raised within the framework described by the Department of Health in Maintaining High Professional Standards in the Modern NHS.

Please note the College will not normally nominate independent assessors for local investigations of an individual surgeon’s performance. In situations such as this please refer instead to the College’s invited individual review process.

Any individual identified by the College to act as an independent assessor will be working independently of the College and not as a formal College or Specialty Association representative.

Request an Independent Assessor

For further information about independent assessors or to obtain an independent assessor request pro forma, please email the Invited Review Coordinator at irm@rcseng.ac.uk.