New College Information
Proposed New College
On 18th May 2023, members of BASEM and FSEM voted on the future of our two organisations and how we might best work together to further the SEM agenda in the UK. Both FSEM and BASEM voted at our respective General Meetings, and we had an overwhelmingly positive result, with an overwhelming majority of members of both organisations voting in favour of reforming as one College.
Currently both BASEM and FSEM still exist as separate entities and will continue to operate as usual, providing our members with their usual services and benefits.
Timelines of the reformation so far
2020
The dissolution of BASEM and FSEM and the reformation of one entity was first proposed to membership.
2021
BASEM made changes to their Articles of Association to allow members to make decisions based on the number of voting members present. BASEM & FSEM members voted to look into the possibility of the two organisations reforming as one.
January 2022
A meeting was held with the Office Bearers and Chief Executive of the Faculty, and Representatives of BASEM’s Board and Chief Executive, to discuss the proposition of reforming as a College.
February 2022
A steering group of the BASEM Chair, BASEM Chief Executive, FSEM President and FSEM Chief Executive was created.
March 2022
A call for members to be involved in the consultation groups of both the advantages and disadvantages of reforming as a single entity or staying separate.
May 2022
Eight working groups were created consisting of BASEM and FSEM members to look at specific areas for consideration.
February 2023
After many months of consultation, the eight working groups submitted their reports to the steering group.
March 2023
The consultation outcome document was consolidated, and the report was shared with our memberships.
April 2023 (work began in November 2021)
FSEM became an independent Charity, demerging from RCSEd to allow FSEM to undertake this vote.
April 2023
Members were able to submit questions on the consultation report findings, and for further information about the College.
Additional communication was circulated to members on specific topics – exams, membership structure and specific membership categories such overseas membership. This provided a more detail response ahead of the Q&A session.
May 2023
Representatives from both BASEM and FSEM Boards held a live Question and Answer session, chaired independently, to answer all questions submitted by members.
May 2023
A vote was held separately during both organisations General Meetings. Both memberships voted strongly in favour of the two organisations dissolving and the reforming of one single entity.
June 2023
FSEM started to create two new Diploma Exams for a new route to membership in the new College (Diploma in Exercise Medicine, Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine, Diploma in Team Care).
November 2023
As agreed both organisations were due to review each others organisation through a legal Due Diligence process to identify if there were any significant legal, financial or reputational risks that we would need to revert back to the membership on.
April 2024
Both staff teams met in Edinburgh to start working together as one large team, they meet at least a month and have another in-person meeting set up for the summer.
May 2024
Both Boards agreed plans to create a steering group that would be made of both Boards and additional non-Board members with the relevant skills and experience. It was also agreed to recruit an external Chair to help manage this stewardship group. The recruitment of this group and the external chair is now ongoing.
FAQs
Members of FSEM, who are in good standing and hold the postnominals MFSEM(UK) will be automatically eligible for full membership of the new College.
Members of BASEM who are not members of FSEM already, will be automatically eligible for Associate Membership of the new College. Members of BASEM who have successfully passed the FSEM Musculoskeletal Medicine Diploma, Exercise Medicine Diploma or Team Care Diploma, will be eligible for the Diplomate Membership Category.
Legacy Clause
Under the agreed legacy clause, members of BASEM, who are not members of FSEM already, will be eligible to apply for full membership. Applications for this will be open for the first year of the new organisation forming. These applications will be assessed by the new College’s Standards Committee who will follow these broad principles in their assessment process.
Under this legacy clause:
- All applicants will have been upstanding members of BASEM since 31.03.2022, and continue to remain members of BASEM, paying BASEM fees until such time as a new organisation is created.
- Membership will be reserved for those who have made a significant contribution to SEM over at least 5 years.
- Membership will be reserved for those who have a post graduate university qualification in sport, exercise and musculoskeletal medicine, which is comparable to the current FSEM membership examination.
- Membership will be open to the wider multi-disciplinary team.
This does not apply to Diplomate Membership and Fellowship whose eligibility requirements are set out separately in the outcome document.
The name of the new College and associated branding has not yet been decided but we will ask members to vote on the name of the new College. Keep an eye on your BASEM-FSEM communications for any further updates regarding this.
As detailed in the Outcome Document all staff members will have the opportunity to TUPE to the new College. The staffing structure and requirements will be worked out as a priority once the Steering Group is in place, but it is thought that the current roles within each organisation will continue to exist with just some adaptations to account for a broader scope. BASEM and FSEM staff now meet regularly for collaborative working in our current charities as well as building the new team in the new College.
The steering group will likely be made up of a mixture of both current Boards but is not limited to – the Board will be chaired by an external person, and appointments will be made of relevant skills and experience. The steering group, staff and external support, will drive forward the reformation to one single entity and will reports back to the two existing Boards. Their purpose initially will be to establish the new organisation, establish its charitable objects, register it with the appropriate regulators, establish the structure of the new Board, Councils, and Committees and start the process of establishing working systems.
Documents that were sent to members before May 2023
The Outcome Document – published March 2023
Proposed Membership structure – published before the vote in April 2023.
Examinations, key points to clarify – published before the vote in April 2023
Eligibility of Membership of the new College – published before the vote in April 2023
Additional information for Overseas Members – published before the vote in April 2023
Specific Membership Queries
We took the opportunity to discuss how the proposed changes might affect you based on your job role.
For SEM Consultants – published before the vote in April 2023.
For General Practitioners – published before the vote in April 2023.
For Allied Health Professionals – published before the vote in April 2023.
For SEM Specialist Registrars – published before the vote in April 2023