Advisory Appointments Committees



AAC info for medical staffing - AAC info for College assessors

In this section you can find guidance relating to the College’s role in the local appointment of Consultants, visa the Advisory Appointments Committee (AAC) process.  In addition to the College’s statutory responsibilities which are outlined below, the AAC process forms an important part of the College’s commitment to maintaining and developing high professional standards in Emergency Medicine.

 

England

The Statutory Instrument relating to the appointment of consultants1 outlines the core membership of every Advisory Appointments Committee for substantive Consultant posts in England2. The College is required to provide employers with a list of names for potential external assessors.  This process is not required under law for Foundation Trusts, but the College welcomes the fact that most Foundation Trusts continue to follow the AAC process.

The College Regional Advisors also provide assistance to employers in preparing job descriptions for substantive posts for consultants, and specialty (Staff grade and associate specialist).

 

Northern Ireland3

The College provides assessors and job description approval as for England.

 

Scotland4

Consultant appointments in Scotland are governed by the National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) (Scotland) Regulations 2009. This legislation provides for a single external advisor from the specialty on each consultant appointment panel. The external advisor must not be employed within the health board area that the appointment is being made in. The external advisor is involved in the consultant recruitment process as a full panel member and is required to provide comment on the job description, and take part in short-listing and interviews. External advisors are used on panels for honorary consultant and specialty doctor posts if requested by a recruiting health board or university; however this is not required by law.

 

Wales5

The College provides assessors and job description approval as for England.

Please e-mail philip.mcmillan@collemergencymed.ac.uk if you have any queries regarding the AAC process.

 

1.  Statutory Instrument 1996 No 701. The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations (as amended by S.I. 2002/2469, S.I. 2003/1250, S.I. 2004/696 and S.I. 2004/3365)

2. Foundation Trusts are exempt from the 1996 regulations and subsequent amendments but are encouraged to work together with the Medical Royal Colleges for the appointment of consultants.

3. Statutory Rule 1996 No. 562 Appointment of Consultants Regulations (N. Ireland) 1996

4. Scottish SI 2009 No. 166. The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) (Scotland) Regulations 2009

5. National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 W.227 (No. 3039)