Oncology Registrars' Forum

Purpose

1. To provide representation for clinical oncology trainees within the College.
2. To encourage communication, mutual assistance and co-operation between trainees. 
3. To support communication between the College and trainees. 
4. To involve trainees in the work of the College and to make the College more accessible to them. 
5. To be a source of support, resources and guidance for trainees. 
6. To support the College’s quality assurance of training.  

Membership 

7. To consist of one representative from each region of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and one less than full time trainee representative. 
8. The Medical Director Education and Training Clinical Oncology will attend ORF meetings ex-officio.  
9. The ORF secretariat will maintain a record of each representative’s term of office and will initiate the process of appointing a successor. 
10. All clinical oncology trainees who hold substantive training posts in the relevant region will be eligible to stand as regional representative. 
11. All clinical oncology trainees who hold substantive less than full time training posts will be eligible to stand as less than full time training representative. 
12. Representatives will be elected to serve for a two year term and they will be eligible to stand for re-appointment for a second term if their first term of office concludes before their CCT due date. 
13. Representatives may serve for up to 6 months following their CCT date as long as they are still in a training post. 
14.  Regional representatives may not continue to serve if they cease training in the region that they were appointed to represent; less than full time trainees may not continue to serve if they cease training less than full time. 
15. Should a representative wish to demit office early they must provide written notice to the ORF secretariat.    

Chair and Vice-Chair 

16. The members of the ORF will appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair. The Chair and Vice-Chair will serve for a two year term renewable for up two years. All members of the ORF are eligible to stand as Chair or Vice-Chair. 

Elections

17. An election shall be held if more than one candidate wishes to stand for appointment as regional representative, less than full time representative, ORF Chair or ORF Vice-Chair. 
18. Those eligible to vote are as follows: 
    1. For regional representatives: all who hold substantive training posts in the region within the relevant region. 
    2. For the less than full time training representative: all members of the Faculty of Clinical Oncology who hold substantive less than full time training posts according to College records held at the time of the election will be eligible to vote. 
    3. For the ORF Chair and Vice-Chair: all members of the ORF. 
19. Voting will be held electronically for regional and less than full time representatives or at the ORF meetings for the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair. The voting process will be managed by the ORF secretariat. 
20. In the event of an equality of votes for regional or less than full time representative the incumbent representative will have the deciding vote. In the event of an equality of votes for ORF Chair or Vice –Chair the incumbent Chair or Vice-Chair will have the deciding vote. 

Representation on other committees 

21. The ORF will appoint members to represent them on each of the following: 

• Specialty Training Board
• Board of Faculty
• Regional Specialty Advisers Meetings
• Professional Support and Standards Board 
• Curriculum Committee 
• Audit Sub – Committee 
• Quality Assurance Committee
• Joint Collegiate Council for Oncology 
• The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors Committee 

22. The representatives of the Scottish regions will appoint one of their numbers to serve on the Standing Scottish Committee. The representative of the Welsh region will serve on the Standing Welsh Committee. The representative of the Northern Ireland region will serve on the Standing Northern Ireland Committee.
23. Standing Committee representatives will serve for a period of two years, or as long as their term of office on the ORF if shorter, and shall be eligible for re-election on a yearly basis thereafter for the duration of their term of office on the ORF. 
24. The ORF will appoint representatives to other committees or working groups as considered appropriate by the Forum. 

Operation 

25. The ORF will meet twice a year. The Forum may be convened to meet at other times by the Chair, Vice –Chair or up to 5 ORF representatives by sending at least 6 weeks written notice to the secretariat. 
26. Items for discussion may be suggested by any member of the Forum provided they are received by the secretariat and the Chair at least four weeks in advance of the meeting. 
27. The agenda and minutes will be approved by the Chair or in his/her absence the Vice-Chair.
28. If a representative is unable to attend a meeting they may send a nominated deputy from their region or in the case of less than full time trainees another less than full time trainee to attend in their place. The appointed proxy will be eligible to vote at meetings.   
29. The quorum required for valid conduct of business at a Forum meeting will comprise the Chair and eight nominated representatives.
30. The ORF is accountable to the Specialty Training Board and changes to these terms of reference must be approved by that board. 

Updated May 2014