HAVE YOUR SAY – TIME TO VOTE

01.04.21

Following the announcement of the College of Paramedics restructure in December 2020 (see below) we are now at the point of asking our members to approve our new governing document, through a special resolution at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). The governing document is called the Memorandum and Articles of Association and approval of this will complete the restructure from a legal perspective. There will be an opportunity to vote before our EGM, with the vote closing at that meeting on the 27th April. We will then be in a position to implement our new governance processes following the AGM on the 20th July. As you may already be aware, we have a continually growing membership and we have now outgrown our current structure. This restructure has been developed to strengthen the organisation for the future, to ensure we are more agile and that we can meet the needs of a growing and increasingly more diverse membership. This is an important and vital step for all our members, and it is your opportunity to be part of the decision making process to shape the future of your professional body so please cast your vote and have your say. The Memorandum and Articles of Association document is available to download here and for more information on how to vote, using our usual service, Civica Election Services (CES), click here.

THE PARAMEDIC COUNCIL ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF FOUR NEW INTERIM REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

31.03.21
The College of Paramedics is delighted to announce the appointment of four new interim Regional Representatives to the Paramedic Council.
They are:
James Gough for Wales
Lewis Bowler for the East Midlands
Shane Woodhouse for the North East
Jon Price for the North West.

Each representative put themselves forward for the regional role and was nominated to the Council by four members within their region. The Paramedic Council has representatives from across the UK and allows paramedics to be actively involved in discussions that affect them and the future of the profession. Jon Price, who is the Clinical Effectiveness Lead at North West Ambulance Service said: “I am extremely proud to have been appointed as regional representative and I am keen to ensure that the profession within the North West is represented at the College and I’m looking forward to engaging with paramedics from across the region so that their voices can be heard.”

The Paramedic Council is the collective voice for the members and the communities they represent, ensuring that the members are present in the College vision and strategic direction. The Council plays a dynamic role in leading and shaping the College’s ongoing work and future aspirations.

In line with the new Board and Council becoming fully operational at the AGM in July 2021, the College will be looking for full members to stand as candidates for their region, and Wales, East Midlands, the North East and North West will be among these. New details about regional elections will follow in the next few weeks.

REFLECTIONS FOLLOWING THE FIRST PARAMEDIC COUNCIL MEETING

03.02.21
Rory O’Connor, Interim Chair.

I’m very proud to be a paramedic. I’m also very proud to represent and serve our professional body and its members. As a professional body we have been undertaking a significant amount of governance reform, with the aim of making our organisation more fit for purpose, agile, and to put us closer to our ever-growing membership.
One of the main outcomes of this process will hopefully be the creation of the Paramedic Council. This will allow our membership to be better represented, and allow us to accurately portray the voice of our members as we steer the direction of the professional body, and ensure it reflects the reality of being a paramedic in 2021, with all its opportunities and challenges. We are currently meeting in ‘shadow’ format pending the full ratification of the enormous changes we are proposing to College structures and governance. Members will get a chance to vote on the changes proposed, through a vote on our Articles of Association, from the 6th April.
We held our first shadow Paramedic Council meeting in February, which was well attended by your Member Representatives from around the UK, and gave a glimpse into how, as a Council, we can influence the direction of the professional body through member advocation and representation.
The Council is part of the aim to make the College more ‘regional’ and take it closer to our members. My aim, as Interim Chair of Council, is to ensure this happens, through robust and representative structures, which will form the basis of our member representation and allow members to be able to contribute more to the ongoing work of the College within your region, nation or sector, and also nationally.
We will keep members updated regularly, about new developments in our restructure, and the reality of how our work changes when the restructure is embedded.

The College of Paramedics Announces Its Interim Chair of Council

21.12.20

The College of Paramedics is pleased to announce the appointment of Rory O’Connor as its Interim Chair of the new Paramedic Council.

Rory, who currently works in primary care as an Advanced Paramedic and has been the Representative Trustee for Northern Ireland for over eight years, will take up the role with immediate effect. Rory has built up a strong political footing for the College of Paramedics in Northern Ireland and brought a strong and articulate voice to the existing Board. 

He said: “I am looking forward to working with my fellow Representative Trustees to develop the Paramedic Council into a strong voice of the membership. I am excited to contribute to the leadership, drive and collaborative working that is needed to guide the College through this period of change, as well as helping the membership engagement to continue to develop and grow.” 

As Interim Chair, Rory is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient functioning of the Council. As a member of the Board of Trustees, the Chair represents the Council and membership within the Board. Other duties include: 

Promoting an active and visible response within the organisation to current and changing health care in the UK and abroad.

Ensuring that each and every council member has the opportunity to articulate, and advocate for, the College member perspective.

Making certain that the Council plays an instrumental part in guaranteeing strategy is developed and delivered with the membership interests at its core. 

Encouraging high levels of regional engagement with members.

Tracy Nicholls, CEO of the College of Paramedics said: “The election for Chair of the Paramedic Council saw an excellent field of candidates who have all contributed an enormous amount to the College of Paramedics. Rory’s appointment will now enable the Paramedic Council to be formed. And there’s no doubt in my mind that his passion for our members and his drive and determination will continue to shine through. Rory is an advocate of inclusivity and brings with him a wealth of personal and professional experience to both the Council and the Board. We look forward to supporting Rory in his new role and wish him great success.”

GOVERNANCE RESTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT

15.12.20
The College of Paramedics is today formally announcing a major restructuring of its governance model, implementing a plan that has been in development over the last year, following a major governance review by the Board of Trustees.

The restructuring is in response to the College’s growing membership which now represents 20,000 members in the UK, the fact that the profession has developed and diversified in its scope and work settings, and the need for a stronger, more inclusive membership focus.

With the proviso that membership will be in agreement at the AGM 2021, the following changes will be implemented:

• The Board of Trustees will be reduced from 15 Representative Trustees and eight Trustee Officials to nine Trustees whose focus will be on overseeing the charity’s work within a robust policy, governance and financial framework.
• The members’ representatives will now form the Paramedic Council and be the voice of the membership. The Council will play an instrumental part in ensuring that strategy is developed and delivered with membership interests at its centre. The Council will be supported by Head Office staff to develop connections with members within their region or sector and build effective groups and networks.
• The Chief Executive and her team (the Chief Executive Group) will be able to deliver the services and workstreams of the College within a refreshed reporting and governance system.
• Working together, the Board of Trustees, Paramedic Council and Chief Executive Group will provide collective leadership for the College of Paramedics and ensure the effective running of the charity, delivery of strategy and active membership representation.
• Mirroring the Paramedic Council will be the Student Council which will have representatives from each region to provide a distinctive student voice within all that the College of Paramedics does. The Paramedic Council and Student Council will work together, with the Chair of the Student Council being a member of the Paramedic Council and one member of the Paramedic Council having an advisory position on the Student Council.

Tracy Nicholls, CEO of the College of Paramedics said: “These changes are the result of a Trustee-led project which will ensure our members remain at the heart of the College. We strive to represent members on all aspects of the profession and the new governance arrangements will allow the College to be more flexible and agile in its business as our membership grows. My thanks go to all those who have worked so hard to bring this together and to all of those talented and dedicated people who have either stood for elected positions or who have worked tirelessly in the background to make this happen. I look forward to presenting this to members at our next Annual General Meeting for approval.”