Specialty Training Board (Clinical Oncology)

• Dr L Hanna (Medical Director, Education & Training, Clinical Oncology)

• Dr K Halliday (President)
• Dr T Roques (Vice President, Clinical Oncology)
• Dr P Jankowska (Medical Director, Professional Practice, Clinical Oncology)
• Prof P Hoskin (Chair, Fellowship Exam Board)
• Dr D Johnston (ORF Co-Chair)
• Dr R Shakir (Chair, CO Curriculum Committee)
• Dr K Tipples (National Recruitment Lead)

• Dr K Crawford
• Dr G Radhakrishna
• Dr C Lim
• Dr S Needleman

• Dr A Cameron
• Dr D Fackrell
• Dr C Harrison
• Dr A Law

• Ms C West

• Dr S Jagdev (Chair, Medical Oncology SAC)
• Dr C McGibney (Rep of the Faculty of Radiologists of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
• Prof G Menon (Lead-Dean for Clinical Oncology)

Terms of reference

The primary responsibilities of the CO STB are:

1. To engage as appropriate with medical undergraduates and undergraduate medical societies, and those in pre-specialty training, and promoting clinical oncology as a career.

2. Arrangements for recruitment into UK specialty training.

3. Approving changes to the specialty training curriculum for Clinical Oncology, as proposed by the CO Curriculum Committee and submitting updates to the CO Curriculum to the relevant regulatory body for formal approval when required.

4. Overseeing the work of the CO Curriculum Committee in reviewing and developing an integrated training assessment system including workplace-based assessment. 

5. Collaborating with responsible bodies for approving and reviewing arrangements for the quality assurance of training.

6. Ensuring the delivery of the Fellowship Examinations for the specialty through the Fellowship Examination Board.

7. Overseeing the processes by which the College makes recommendations for the award of Certificates of Completion of Training to the relevant regulatory body.  

8. Developing guidance by which the College makes recommendations for the award of Certificates of Eligibility for Specialist Registration, as advised by the Equivalence Committee, and making recommendations to the relevant regulatory body.

9. Overseeing training-related awards, fellowships, bursaries and prizes.

10. Developing and defining additional pathways and infrastructure for doctors to join the specialty of clinical oncology, at all career stages.

11. Overseeing fellowship opportunities created to support training and workforce from time to time as necessary.

The CO STB has wider responsibility for:

12. Working with the CO Academic Committee as needed, to support academic development and encourage research-active and academic clinical oncologists within the UK.

13. Developing for consideration by the CO Faculty Leadership Team new initiatives in the education and training of clinical oncologists and undertaking any other projects or activities at the request of the Faculty Leadership Team.

14. Establishing and reviewing arrangements for communicating with trainees, training programme personnel and others.

15. Approving for issue any publications associated with its work.

16. Reporting at least once a year to the Faculty Leadership Team on its work.

Subsidiary bodies

The CO STB should:

17. With agreement of the Faculty Leadership Team, establish such boards, sub-committees and working groups as are required within the resources approved by the Trustee Board to enable the work outlined above to be effectively undertaken. Current subsidiary bodies are outlined in annex A.

18. Oversee the work of those boards, committees and working groups to which the CO STB has given delegated responsibility.

19. Ensure that each such group has clear terms of reference setting out its role, function and delegated responsibility, approve any changes to those Terms of Reference as required and ensure that role descriptions are in place for membership of those groups. 

20. Consider proposals for new projects and workstreams from its boards, committees and working groups, as appropriate.

Membership

21. There will be four members elected by means of nomination and election processes that parallel those that apply to the election of members of other RCR boards and committees.

22. Elected members serve for terms of three years and no more.

23. There will be up to four appointed members who will all be Fellows of the Faculty of Clinical Oncology resident in the UK, and in active clinical practice at the time of their appointment.  All appointed members must have experience of providing postgraduate training and/or experience in wider global recruitment, as well as an interest in curriculum development, quality assurance or assessment.

24. Appointed members serve for terms of three years and can be appointed for one further term of up to three years where appropriate and by the agreement of the Chair.

25. All elected and appointed members will be expected to be actively involved in the work of the Board and, when required, to sit on the Curriculum Committee or other sub-committees that are formed to carry out specific workstreams.

26. There may be one lay member.

27. Ex-officio members are:

1. the President 
2. all Clinical Oncology Officers
3. the Chair of the CO Curriculum Committee
4. the Chair of the CO Fellowship Examination Board
5. the Chair of the Oncology Registrars’ Forum
6. the CO Recruitment Lead
7. the CO Quality Assurance Lead.

28. There may be up to two co-opted members.

29. Co-opted members may be co-opted at the CO STB’s discretion, if the Board considers that particular sections of the membership are under-represented, or if particular skills or expertise are sought.  If the Board determines that there is no particular under-representation, it shall be under no obligation to make any co-options.  

30. Co-opted members will serve for a period of office appropriate to the role for which they have been co-opted, as agreed by the CO STB, but this will not exceed three years. 

31. Observer members are:

1. The Lead-Dean for Clinical Oncology
2. The Chair of the Medical Oncology Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC)
3. A representative of the Faculty of Radiologists of The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. 

32. All members of the CO STB shall cease to hold office if they fail to attend two consecutive meetings of this Board without providing an explanation which the Chair of the CO STB considers satisfactory.

Chair

33. The Board will be chaired by the Medical Director, Education and Training, CO.

34. The duties of the Chair include

1. Chairing all meetings
2. Ensuring that the purpose and terms of reference are observed
3. Engaging all members of the Board in the work being done
4. Ensuring regular reports are made to the Faculty Leadership Team
5. Ensuring that relevant matters are drawn to the attention of the Vice-President, the Faculty Leadership Team or Officers as appropriate
6. Ensuring that the Faculty of Clinical Radiology is appropriately consulted or involved on matters that affect both specialties and the resultant outcome is coordinated and, as far as possible, consistent across the Faculties
7. Acting as media spokesperson for the College in respect of matters within the remit of the Board at the request of the President or the Vice-President, Clinical Oncology. 

Operation

35. The CO STB will meet not more than three times per year on dates to be agreed unless exceptionally required to transact urgent business.

36. Meetings may be held in person or by remote attendance.

37. CO STB members may be called upon to consider or determine matters electronically between meetings and are expected to contribute to such considerations or decisions as part of their duties as Board members.

38. Where proposals or initiatives discussed by the CO STB would incur expenditure or future financial commitment by the College which is not within the approved budget, these should be referred for consideration under the out-of-budget expenditure procedure, as agreed from time to time by the Trustee Board. 

39. CO STB members must not speak on behalf of the College unless authorised to do so.

40. CO STB members must abide by any stated or implied confidentiality that attaches to the work of the Board during or after any period of membership.

41. CO STB members must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 as regards processing (as defined in the Act) of any personal data where it is made available to them as part of their work.

42. At meetings of the CO STB, one-third of the voting members plus one shall form a quorum. For the purposes of forming a quorum and in the event of a formal vote, voting members are those holding elected, appointed and ex-officio positions on the Board.

Updated: September 2024

Approved: October 2024