A picture of Bill, Mel and Declan at a committee meeting

Committees and groups

The following standing committees, in collaboration with their respective subcommittees and groups, are responsible for the development and maintenance of policies and standards in ophthalmology.

Our committees and groups guide priorities and activities that meet our strategic objectives.

The College Council is made up of officers, regional representatives and co-opted committee chairs. It represent our members in the UK and overseas, focusing on clinical management and policy development.

Each regional representative is expected to engage actively with their constituents in each region and bring to Council their views and feedback to help inform the College’s clinical and workforce activities.

Council Terms of Reference – February 2025

The following committees and groups report to Council:

The Education Committee aims to enhance the career development of ophthalmologists, aspiring ophthalmologists and eyecare professionals by providing structured materials and resources (including awards and scholarships) to supplement specialist and transferable skills. The Committee is responsible for strategic planning of events, courses and resources that support the professional development of College members, taking into account their diversity, needs and preferences.

The committee’s main activities include:

  • Defining and delivering a structured programme of professional development resources that meets the needs of those working in the specialty.
  • Providing value to College members by designing and delivering a programme of events and resources that aligns with their stated needs and preferences. This includes: clinical skills, leadership, management and teaching skills as well as career transitions such as new consultants or those taking on new roles. These are delivered through approaches including:
  • Face-to-face group events
  • Online courses and seminars
  • A library of online resources and training materials
  • Overseeing planning and delivery of the College’s Annual Congress
  • Overseeing and administering College awards and scholarships.

Education Committee terms of reference – April 2025

The Education Committee is a standing committee. The following subcommittees report to it:

The Examinations Committee is made up of College Officers, Senior Examiners, Council Members, a trainee representative, a SAS representative, a lay representative and other Fellows of the College (by secondment).

The committee’s main activities include:

  • Overseeing the College exams through scrutiny of the psychometric reports, quality assurance reports and results
  •  Appointing new examiners, ensuring a balanced pool of examiners
  •  Guiding the running of the exams through relevant policies
  • Maintaining the appropriate standards and communication with the GMC.

Examinations Committee terms of reference – February 2025

The following sub committees/working groups report to the Examinations Committee:

The Finance and Risk Committee provides a monitoring and specialist advice function for the Board of Trustees as part of their legal obligations. It is responsible for reviewing periodic financial reports, monitoring accountancy practices and the preparations for regular audits, and reviewing risk monitoring.

The committee’s activities include:

  • Ensuring best practice in financial management through monthly monitoring of financial reporting across the College and reviewing and interrogating the financial position of the College every quarter as part of submitting written reports with observations and recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
  • Ensuring that the College’s financial policies are effective and working well through monitoring expenditure and recommending revisions or updates to policies to Trustees when appropriate.
  • Ensuring the College presents itself competently for audit and external scrutiny.
  • Ensuring risk management processes are working well.

Finance and Risk Committee terms of reference – February 2025

The Quality, Audit and Standards Committee sets, maintains and improves standards of safe and high-quality ophthalmic care in the UK. The committee supports professionals to improve their services and highlight the resources needed to deliver safe ophthalmic care. The committee’s activities are driven by patient need and the desire to facilitate the best possible care for ophthalmic patients.

The committee’s main activities include:

  • Supporting members and stakeholders in the delivery of high-quality ophthalmology services for patients in the UK through the development and dissemination of RCOphth standards and guidance or advice, and support other organisations in producing their own in the areas of:
    • ophthalmic and eye care service delivery.
    • care for specific groups of disorders or for specific groups of patients, in conjunction with the scientific and research committee.
    • non-clinical /professional areas of ophthalmic service such as leadership and management, revalidation etc.
  • Identifying and determining which national clinical audits are required and their prioritisation, together with making recommendations based on the results of such audits.
  • Overseeing the delivery and development of the National Ophthalmology Database.
  • Supporting stakeholders to implement guidance and make improvements to ophthalmic service provision by providing advice on relevant standards, how to implement them and how to assess adherence through the RCOphth review service.
  • Maintaining active links and communication with key stakeholders including patients, other professions (clinical, managerial, commissioner) and national bodies such as healthcare regulators, to ensure the College inputs into the relevant external guidance and regulatory activities.

Quality, Audit and Standards terms of reference – February 2025

The following groups report to the Quality, Audit and Standards Committee:

The Scientific and Research Committee aims to promote science and research in ophthalmology and to actively promote excellence in patient care though evidence-based ophthalmology and the translation of research into innovation in clinical practice.

Its main activities include:

  • Supporting dissemination through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit, RCOphth academic journals and other College educational activities.
  • Ensuring advances and innovations in ophthalmology care are evidence-based, advising NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence) and other national bodies on technology appraisals and other guidance, as well as overseeing the clinical guideline and concise practice point development from the College via the guidelines sub-committee.
  • Advancing academic ophthalmology as a subspecialty, championing inclusion of the academic workforce in workforce planning, assisting access to opportunities for academic ophthalmology training and adherence to national guidance on academic medicine and signposting to useful resources.
  • Profiling academic ophthalmology externally through good working relationships with other academic institutions and funding bodies including UKRI, Welcome Trust, NIHR, Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

Scientific and Research Committee terms of reference – February 2025

The Scientific and Research Committee is a Standing Committee, and the following Committees report to it:
• British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit terms of reference – February 2025
• Clinical Guidelines terms of reference – February 2025
• Eye Editorial Board terms of reference – February 2025
• Paediatric subcommittee terms of reference – February 2025

The Training Committee ensures delivery of all aspects of training for the ophthalmic community so that patients are treated by safe, competent and compassionate doctors. It promotes excellence in training and working collaboratively with different stakeholders such as the GMC, Heads of School, Training Programme Directors, Deaneries and resident doctors.

The committee’s main activities include:

  • Developing, publishing and reviewing the College’s Ophthalmic Training Curriculum in conjunction with the Curriculum Subcommittee.
  • Monitoring standards of delivery of ophthalmic training and supporting trainers and resident doctors by listening to feedback and support.
  • Promoting the design and delivery of sustainable eyecare as part of the resources and standards that the committee publishes.
  • Developing, reviewing and managing the ePortfolio for resident doctors by providing an ePortfolio that can record all aspects of training and managing the annual ARCP process.
  • Co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating national recruitment in ophthalmology by working in partnership with NHSE (Severn Deanery).
  • Quality assuring the conclusion of training of resident doctors by reviewing all trainees’ applications for the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) and making appropriate recommendations to the GMC.
  • Making recommendations to the GMC on applications for Specialist Registration under the Portfolio Pathway.
  • Developing, reviewing and running skills courses for the ophthalmic community by working in partnership with the skills faculty.
  • Embedding simulation and training by developing a strategy not just for practical and surgical training but including communication and immersive team simulation.
  • Overseeing the design and delivery of Ophthalmic Local Training (OLT).
  • Managing and developing the Course Accreditation process.

Training Committee terms of reference – February 2025

The following groups report to the Training Committee: