ACEM Representatives on External Bodies

COR823 V2.1

 

Timeframe for review:                 Every five years, or earlier if required

Document authorisation:            ACEM Board

Document implementation:        Chief Executive Officer

Document maintenance:             Governance and Risk

 

Version	Date	Pages revised / Brief Explanation of Revision
v1	Apr-2022	Approved by Board
v2	Jun-2022	Minor revisions
v2.1	Apr-2025	Removal of terms EMC, EMD, EMAD, and DipPHRM to reflect changes to training program titles

 

From time to time the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; ‘the College’) is requested or invited to nominate representatives to participate on committees, subcommittees, reference groups and other similar entities of external bodies.  Invitations of this nature fall generally into two distinct categories:

a. those where the appointment and associated commitment is ongoing or for a fixed period of several years; and

b. those where the appointment/commitment has a specific, time-limited task and the body is dissolved when that task is complete.

This policy does not extend to members who serve in a private capacity on an external body(ies), utilising their knowledge and expertise as a specialist Emergency Physician, (e.g. providing expert advice to a court) and who do not and are not expected to represent the College.

Requests to provide representatives to external bodies will only be accepted in written form and will not be progressed until the following information is provided to the College:

• the nature and duration of the commitment (i.e. whether the commitment is ongoing or for a fixed period);
• whether the person is to be appointed in a personal capacity, or to represent the College;
• the expected frequency, duration, location and/or medium of meetings;
• whether travel and related expenses are met by the external body;
• the extent to which ACEM will be kept informed of the work of the entity for which the representative is requested through reports from the external body and/or the nominated representative; and
• whether a sitting fee or reimbursement for time involved is available.

 

2. Terminology

ACEM/the College

means the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

Chair

Means the Chair of the governing body by which an ACEM member or trainee is appointed as a representative on an external body.

College member

means a person admitted as a member of the College pursuant to the provisions of the ACEM Constitution and associated regulations, and, for the purposes of this policy, also includes trainees.

External body

means a committee, subcommittee, reference group, working group or similar that is convened and administered by an entity, howsoever established, other than that of ACEM.

Governing body

means the ACEM Board, the Council of Advocacy, Practice and Partnerships (CAPP), or the Council of Education (COE).

Trainee

means an individual enrolled in an ACEM training program and, for the purposes of this policy, undertaking College requirements for the purpose of attaining eligibility for election to Fellowship of the College.

 

An ACEM representative on an external body has a responsibility to:

• provide relevant professional input to the business of the external body through participation in meetings, consideration of issues etc.;
• consult with the Chair of the relevant governing body and, at the discretion of the Chair, other members of the relevant governing body or other College entity(ies), to determine ACEM’s policy or position or to discuss issues under consideration by the external body;
• make clear when they are presenting a personal opinion, and when expressing a view on behalf of the College;
• where appropriate, present ACEM’s view or position on any professional issue being considered by the external body; and
• if required, to respond to any significant issue for which an established ACEM position is not known to exist, draft a proposal and seek the approval of the relevant ACEM governing body prior to advising the external body; and
• ensure they do not bind or otherwise commit the College to a stated position, decision, agreement or similar, whether formally or informally without the express written authority from the College to so.

 

4. Appointment process

In order to ensure a transparent and effective process for selecting an ACEM representative for appointment to an external body:

• all such requests received by the College will be directed to the Office of the CEO and President;
• the CEO will inform the President and, where applicable, the Chair of CAPP or COE of any request for the appointment of an ACEM representative to an external body;
• the President and, where applicable, the Chair of CAPP or COE shall determine the most appropriate mechanism, which may include direct appointment by those individuals, by which an appropriate ACEM representative shall be sought, having particular regard to the timeframe associated with any request;
• should a call for expressions of interest be made, whether to an identified group of College members (e.g. the members of a regional faculty board, the members of CAPP, etc.) or more broadly (e.g. all Fellows or other class of members in active clinical practice), the process by which an individual is selected shall be in accordance with that previously determined by the President and/or the Chair of CAPP or COE as applicable.  Where expressions of interest are evaluated by a governing body, committee or other College entity, any recommendation on appointment shall be reviewed and a final decision made by the College President and/or the Chair of CAPP or COE as applicable.  The decision of the College President and/or the Chair of CAPP or COE is final and shall not be subject to reconsideration, review or appeal under the College’s Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Policy.

The CEO, Deputy CEO or relevant Executive Director will notify the external organisation of the ACEM nominee and will provide the nominee with confirmation of that appointment and relevant College information regarding ACEM’s requirements and expectations of its external representatives.

The Office of the CEO shall ensure that a Register of Appointments is maintained and that the appointment is entered into the profile of appointees on the College central data base.

 

There are also occasions when ACEM is invited to nominate a panel of two or three persons for appointment to an external body, with one of those nominees being selected for appointment subsequently by a Minister or other relevant Authority.  In these instances, whilst the appointee has been nominated by ACEM, the appointee is selected on the basis of individual expertise and experience and is appointed in his/her own right and not as a representative of the ACEM.  Determination of the persons to be nominated in such cases shall be dealt with as outlined in Section 4 (above).  Unless otherwise provided for, in such circumstances the individual appointed is not representing the College; rather, they are appointed in a private capacity.

 

All reasonable travel and accommodation expenses incurred in attending meetings arranged by government agencies, e.g.: Department of Health and the Australian Medicine Council, are usually met by those organisations.  Travel and accommodation costs likely to be incurred by ACEM representatives appointed to other external bodies will be a consideration when a request is made and a decision regarding whether, or not, to progress a nomination for appointment is made.

ACEM will only be liable to cover such costs and expenses when it has explicitly agreed to do so at the time of appointment or by other explicit arrangement.

 

Some of the business of some government bodies may be sensitive and members may gain knowledge or insights which could benefit them financially.  The applicable government (e.g. Commonwealth, State, Territory) usually requires that outside representatives sign a deed of confidentiality, non-disclosure and conflict of interest.  The specific deed setting out the terms and conditions for each body may require also that members provide a confidential declaration of their past, current and anticipated interests in a prescribed form.  The College understands that this will likely limit the extent to which information regarding the work of the entity is able to be provided to the College and this will form part of the considerations as to whether or not, to progress a nomination for appointment.

Unless otherwise agreed, persons appointed shall observe appropriate confidentiality arrangement in relation to all information obtained in the course of their appointment, however, may share information with the College where that is otherwise permitted.

 

8.1 Deed of Undertaking

Members appointed as an ACEM representative to an external body are required to complete a Deed of Undertaking approved by the Board for this purpose and return this to the College prior to commencing in the role.

8.2 Reporting

ACEM representatives are required to provide the Chair of the governing body by which they were appointed as an ACEM representative twice-yearly in the months of June and December or at other time(s) as agreed with the Chair with a brief report of meetings attended or as requested from time to time.  The Chair shall determine whether those reports are forwarded to the Board, CAPP, COE or other appropriate ACEM entity for information.

Where not precluded from doing so by the processes or guidelines of the external body, an ACEM representative shall also:

• provide the Chair of the governing body by which they were appointed as an ACEM representative with meeting agendas in advance of the meetings, highlighting any issues on which they require a briefing with regard to ACEM’s position or policy; and
• provide the College with final minutes of meetings of the entity to which they have been nominated as a College representative.

 

9. Review of ACEM external representative appointments

Where an appointment as an ACEM nominated representative is ongoing, the continuing appropriateness of the appointment of an ACEM representative to an external body, will be reviewed at the February meeting of the ACEM Board, normally, but not necessarily, in the year in which the membership of the Board at that meeting includes the Immediate Past President.

 

Individuals who are appointed as an ACEM representative and who no longer wish or are able to continue their appointment are required to advise the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the governing body by which they were appointed as an ACEM representative in writing of their intention to step down.  The decision to appoint a new ACEM representative and the process by which this occurs shall be dealt with as outlined in Section 4 (above).

The ACEM Board reserves the right to discontinue the appointment of an ACEM representative to an external body, regardless of whether the appointment is ongoing or for a fixed period, where the work of the external body no longer accords with the mission, vision, values and/or College position on a particular matter(s), and/or the involvement of an ACEM representative is, for whatever reason, no longer considered appropriate.  In such circumstances both the ACEM Representative and the external organisation will be notified in writing by the Chief Executive Officer of this decision.

Notwithstanding Section 9 (above), at the discretion of the ACEM Board or the Chair of the governing body by which they were appointed, in consultation with the College President, an individual’s appointment as an ACEM representative to an external body may be revoked at any time by resolution of the Board.  In such circumstances, the individual concerned shall be given a notice of the resolution to be considered by the Board and a copy of any business papers circulated regarding the resolution not less than 14 days prior to the date of the meeting and provided with the opportunity to make a written submission for consideration by the Board at its meeting.  In such circumstances both the ACEM Representative and the external organisation will be notified in writing by the Chief Executive Officer of this decision, and the decision to appoint a new ACEM representative and the process by which is occurs shall be dealt with as outlined in Section 4 (above).