Professional Practice Board (Clinical Oncology)

• Dr P Jankowska (Medical Director, Professional Practice, Clinical Oncology)

• Dr L Hanna (Medical Director for Education and Training (CO))
• Dr S Harden (President)
• Dr R Shukla (CO Deputy SAS Grade Adviser)
• Dr S Thomas (CO Lead SAS Grade Adviser)
• Dr N Thorp (Vice-President, Clinical Oncology)

• Prof M Beresford
• Dr K Franks
• Dr R Shakir
• Dr E Toy

• Dr D Abdulwahid (SACT Quality and Safety Adviser)
• Dr R Batool (Co-Chair, ORF)
• Dr P Dickinson (Radiotherapy Quality and Safety Adviser)
• Dr E Kenney-Herbert (Radiotherapy Consent Form Adviser)

The Clinical Oncology Professional Practice Board (PPB) has delegated responsibility from the Clinical Oncology Faculty Leadership Team.

Overall purpose

To advise on and deliver the relevant strategic priorities of the Faculty Leadership Team by being the authoritative voice of good practice in Clinical Oncology (CO).

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the CO PPB is the production and management of standards[1] to support members and Fellows, reduce unwarranted variation in clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. This includes:

1. Determining priorities for standards that will support quality, safety and professional effectiveness for:

• workforce - addressing capacity and demand management; productivity; job planning; skill mix and training requirements; wellbeing, support and retention initiatives (including - but not limited to - mentoring and outreach programmes); the role of team-working and overseeing the RCR's Continuing Professional Development scheme (including support for appraisal and revalidation).
• service delivery and development - covering cancer treatments (radiotherapy and systemic anti-cancer therapies), including adapting to technological, scientific and/or therapeutic advancements (addressing Artificial Intelligence where relevant and appropriate).
• specialist clinical approaches - relating to a particular anatomical category, service delivery setting or patient group.
• safety and quality - including compliance with legal requirements, timely replacement of equipment, maintaining the policy on and process for invited service reviews, and national radiotherapy consent forms.

2. Developing and delivering standards that are agreed by the CO PPB for the above purpose, through appropriate formats and media.

3. Encouraging and promoting the use of standards by members and Fellows, and the wider oncological community.

4. Assessing the uptake, implementation and effectiveness of standards.

5. Reviewing standards on a regular basis to ensure their currency and accuracy.

Other responsibilities of the CO PPB include:

6. Reviewing and deciding on requests for RCR endorsement of standards produced by other organisations that are relevant to the work of clinical oncologists (as delegated by the CO Faculty Leadership Team).

7. Oversight of Awards and Visiting Fellowships (where these are determined by the CO PPB).

In carrying out its responsibilities the CO PPB will:

8. Undertake projects or activities at the request of the CO Faculty Leadership Team.

9. Report to the CO Faculty Leadership Team at least once per year on its work.

10. Liaise with other RCR Boards, Committees and/or Professional Networks when needed or appropriate.

11. Seek advice and expertise from other professional groups or bodies when needed or appropriate.

Subsidiary bodies

12. With the agreement of the CO Faculty Leadership Team, the CO PPB may establish, and oversee the work programmes and activities of, any other committees or time-limited working groups as are required within the resources approved by the Trustee Board to enable it to effectively fulfil the responsibilities outlined above.

13. The CO PPB must ensure that each such committee or working group has clear terms of reference setting out its role, function, time-limit and delegated responsibility. The CO PPB must approve any changes to those terms of reference as required and ensure that role descriptions are in place for the membership of those committees or working groups.

Membership

14. There will be two 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.

15. Elected members serve for terms of three years. Upon expiry of their term, they may not stand for re-election until a period of at least one year has expired.

16. There will be up to four appointed members with interest, experience and expertise relevant to the CO PPB's four priorities for standards development, as stated in paragraph 1.

17. There will be one appointed member, nominated by the Oncology Registrars' Forum (ORF) to represent the views of resident doctors.

18. Appointed members 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.

19. Appointed members serve for terms of three years. Their appointment may be extended for one further term of up to three years by exception and by the agreement of the Chair.

20. Ex-officio members are:

1. the President
2. all Clinical Oncology Officers
3. the CO Specialist and Specialty doctor Lead.

21. All members of the CO PPB 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 PPB considers satisfactory.

Chair

22. The CO PPB will be chaired by the Medical Director, Professional Practice, CO or by another CO Officer in their absence.

23. 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 CO PPB in the work being done
4. Ensuring regular reports are made to the CO Faculty Leadership Team
5. Ensuring relevant matters are drawn to the attention of the Vice-President CO, the Faculty Leadership Team or Faculty 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 co-ordinated 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 CO PPB at the request of the President or the Vice-President, CO.

Operation

24. The CO PPB will usually meet not more than three times per year, on dates to be agreed, unless exceptionally required to transact urgent business.

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

26. CO PPB 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.

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

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

29. CO PPB 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 these are made available to them as part of their work.

30. All members of the CO PPB are entitled to vote, should a vote be necessary in the course of business.

31. At meetings of the CO PPB, one-third of the members plus one shall form a quorum (including at least one Officer ex officio).

Approved by Clinical Oncology Faculty Leadership Team: June 2025

Review date: September 2026

[1] The term 'standards' is used here to cover a range of outputs, products and resources that support both individual members and Fellows, and teams/departments to deliver high-quality professional practice, continuously improve quality and reduce unwanted variation in clinical practice. These include (but are not limited to) practice guidelines, consensus statements, advisory documents, mentoring schemes and the Quality Standard for Imaging (QSI).