College of Paramedics

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{{Infobox union

| name = College of Paramedics

| location_country = United Kingdom

| affiliation =

| members = 20,750 (2025)

| leader_title = Patron

| leader_name = The Prince of Wales

| full_name =

| native_name =

| image = File:College of Paramedics logo.png

| founded = {{Start date|2001}}

| dissolved =

| merged =

| headquarters = Bridgwater

| key_people = {{ubl|President: Jon Price, Chief Executive: Tracy Nicholls, Chief Operating Officer:

Lewis Andrews}}

| website = {{official website}}

}}

The College of Paramedics is the recognised professional body for paramedics in the United Kingdom. The role of the College is to promote and develop the profession across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The college represents the paramedic profession across key organisations such as: – Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC),{{cite web|publisher=Health Professions Council|url=http://www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/professions/index.asp?id=10#profDetails|title=About Registration - Professions - Paramedic|access-date=20 February 2015|archive-date=20 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220213431/http://www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/professions/index.asp?id=10#profDetails|url-status=live}} the Department of Health and the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee (JRCALC).{{cite web|publisher=Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee|url=http://jrcalc.org.uk/committees_main_members.html|title=Main Committee Members|access-date=31 December 2009|archive-date=24 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724191238/http://jrcalc.org.uk/committees_main_members.html|url-status=live}}

History

Paramedicine in the UK began with regional schemes in the 1970s, the AEMT oversaw examinations and registration.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} A pass rate of 5% due to the wide syllabus and negatively marked high standards prevented the NHS from adopting the scheme, it would have cost too much and taken too long.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} Individuals had been self funding up to then and using days off as well as leave to undertake hospital training.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} The NHS introduced a national course in 1986 for 'extended care ambulance staff.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}' Existing Paramedics sat a conversion examination in November 1986 with the first certificates being awarded alphabetically{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}. Courses began in the following year. The introduction of professional national registration of paramedics in 2000 led to a demand for the formation of a new professional body.{{cite journal|url=http://ajp.paramedics.org/index.php/ajp/article/view/354|journal=Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care|volume=4|issue=1|year=2006|title=The Need for a Professional Body for UK Paramedics|first1=David|last1=Whitmore|first2=Roland|last2=Furber|access-date=25 July 2016|archive-date=6 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106061319/https://ajp.paramedics.org/index.php/ajp/article/view/354|url-status=live}}

Paramedics were the only professional group in the initial registration to not have clear representation by a central professional body. Two members of staff from the then Essex Ambulance Service, Stephen Dolphin and Richard Lane,{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} established a professional association to represent the paramedic profession and undertake the self-regulation of paramedic standards and education required by the HPC.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} The name of British Paramedic Association (BPA) was agreed at an inaugural meeting held at AMBEX in 2001.{{cite web |url=http://www.britishparamedic.org/aboutbpa/ |title=About us |publisher=British Paramedic Association |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072008/http://www.britishparamedic.org/aboutbpa/ |archivedate=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} In 2009 the organisation's name was changed to the College of Paramedics. This reflected the association's ambitions to be the professional voice of pre-hospital ambulance clinicians, and also to act as the driving authority for increasing the quality of prehospital clinical care education, training, proficiency and continuous professional development.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

In November 2015, the college was awarded registered charity status.{{cite press release |url=https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/news/the-college-has-been-awarded-registered-charity-status |title=The College has been awarded Registered Charity Status |publisher=College of Paramedics |date=23 November 2015 |accessdate=25 July 2016 |archive-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822020621/https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/news/the-college-has-been-awarded-registered-charity-status |url-status=live }}

{{As of|2017|6}}, the college had a total membership of 12,700 – around 35% of registered UK Paramedics.{{cite journal |title=Strategic Plan 2014: a five-year strategy for the College of Paramedics |journal=Journal of Paramedic Practice |volume = 6|issue = 7|pages = 376–378|doi=10.12968/jpar.2014.6.7.376 |date=2 July 2014}}

Objectives

To strengthen and develop the profession and represent the interests of paramedics{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
To raise awareness of the paramedic profession's contribution to patient care
To encourage and share good clinical practice and high standards of care
To develop and expand the potential of the profession in its contribution to patient care
To represent the views of the profession, employers and other important and influential external bodies
To encourage high standards of professional education and development
To commission, report and analyse research in out-of-hospital patient care

College governance

The board of trustees is appointed to ensure the college serves the interests of its members and the paramedic profession. It is responsible for the governance, oversight of business and the setting of the strategic direction for the profession.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

The board is supported by an executive team and staff.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

Notable Individuals

On 15 January 2025, it was announced that the Prince of Wales had become patron of the college.{{Cite web |date=15 January 2025 |title=His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales joins the College of Paramedics as Patron |url=https://collegeofparamedics.co.uk/COP/News/2025/His%20Royal%20Highness,%20The%20Prince%20of%20Wales%20joins%20the%20College%20of%20Paramedics%20as%20Patron.aspx |website=College of Paramedics}}

Membership

There are three levels of membership available within the college:{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Full – available to Paramedics (registered with the HCPC).
Student – available to those who are currently undertaking a Health and Care Professions Council approved course leading to eligibility to apply to the register.
Associate – available to anyone with an interest in the paramedic and pre-hospital care profession.

Post-nominals and fellowships

The college authorises the use of the following post-nominals by members:{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

MCPara – Member of the College of Paramedics
FCPara – Fellow of the College of Paramedics. The title of Fellow of the College of Paramedics is awarded to Paramedics who have made outstanding contributions to either the development of Paramedic education; improving professional practice; or outstanding contributions towards the objectives of the College of Paramedics.

Publications

The college has published policy, including;

A Curriculum Framework for Ambulance Education (2006){{cite web |url=http://teaching.shu.ac.uk/hwb/paramedic/mentors/pdf/BPA_Curriculum.pdf |title=A Curriculum Framework for Ambulance Education |publisher=British Paramedic Association |date=February 2006 |accessdate=25 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205912/http://teaching.shu.ac.uk/hwb/paramedic/mentors/pdf/BPA_Curriculum.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} (newer versions have been produced but are not open access or freely available to the public)
Position statement on intubation (2008){{cite web |url=http://www.jrcalc.org.uk/intubation_paper_v4.pdf |title=College of Paramedics (British Paramedic Association) updated position paper following JRCALC recommendations on paramedic intubation |publisher=College of Paramedics (British Paramedic Association) |date=22 September 2008 |accessdate=25 July 2016 |archive-date=28 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528160622/http://jrcalc.org.uk/intubation_paper_v4.pdf |url-status=live }}
Administration of drugs by Paramedics and Student Paramedics (2011){{cite web |url=https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/downloads/250811_-_Administration_of_drugs_by_paramedics_and_student_paramedics_MC.pdf |title=Administration of drugs by Paramedics and Student Paramedics |publisher=College of Paramedics |date=26 August 2011 |accessdate=25 July 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025019/https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/downloads/250811_-_Administration_of_drugs_by_paramedics_and_student_paramedics_MC.pdf |url-status=live }}

The college are active participants of a range of groups, including the Joint Royal College Ambulance Liaison Committee and the AACE Clinical Practice Guidelines.{{cite web | title=JRCALC Clinical Practice Guidelines | website=aace.org.uk | date=2013-10-11 | url=https://aace.org.uk/clinical-practice-guidelines/ | access-date=2024-06-14 | archive-date=2 June 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602053510/https://aace.org.uk/clinical-practice-guidelines/ | url-status=live }}

The college is also a member of the Royal College of Physicians hosted Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party and Guidelines Development Group, leading the pre-hospital guidelines development sub-group. The college has been the key partner in the development of the Professional Guidance on the Content of Ambulance Clinical Records.{{Cite web|url=http://www.england.nhs.uk/2014/12/18/ambulance-recs/|title=NHS England » Professional Guidance on the Structure and Content of Ambulance Records|date=18 December 2014 |access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=1 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301004322/http://www.england.nhs.uk/2014/12/18/ambulance-recs/|url-status=live}}

Representation

The college represents the views and interests of the paramedic profession on various groups:{{cite web |url=https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/member-services/representation |title=Representation |publisher=College of Paramedics |accessdate=25 July 2016 |archive-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822021615/https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/member-services/representation |url-status=live }}

Higher Education Ambulance Development Group (HEADG)
National Heads of Ambulance Education Group
Joint Royal College Ambulance Liaison Committee (JRCALC)
JRCALC Clinical Guidelines Group
UK Stroke Forum
Allied Health Professions Federation (AHPF)
Department of Health
Ambulance Workforce Forum
Connecting for Health (CfH)
National Ambulance Education & Development Forum
Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Ambulance Infection Control Group
Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
The Trauma Care Council
The National Ambulance Research Steering Group
The Faculty of Pre-hospital Care Board
The 999 EMS Research Forum Board
Cardiovascular, Stroke and Vascular Specialist Collections of NHS Evidence (formerly the National Electronic Library for Health)