SOPPA
This chapter establishes the minimum standards for Core Faculty involved in the SOPPA Fellowship Programme. The quality of the fellowship depends primarily on the quality, availability and commitment of its faculty.
Core Faculty are permanent consultants who have an ongoing educational responsibility for fellows. They are distinct from visiting faculty and must actively participate in:
Every Core Faculty member must satisfy all of the following criteria without exception.
Permanent appointment within the institution or formally contracted academic appointment recognised by the centre.
Maintained active perioperative clinical practice with demonstrable ongoing patient care responsibilities.
Demonstrated commitment to competency-based education and contemporary standards in medical training.
Documented participation in academic activities including teaching sessions, journal clubs, and academic governance.
Consistently available for direct supervision of fellows during clinical duties and on-call commitments.
Good professional standing with no unresolved disciplinary action, regulatory sanction, or fitness-to-practise concern.
Core Faculty carry obligations across four interconnected domains that together constitute the educational fabric of the fellowship.
Oversight & Entrustment
Structured Academic Education
Evaluation & Feedback
Professional & Personal Development
Core Faculty are expected to model scholarly conduct and foster a research-engaged learning environment.
Support fellow participation in research, audit or quality improvement projects.
Encourage scientific presentation and publication where feasible.
Model ethical conduct in research as a standard of professional practice.
Core Faculty are expected to continuously invest in their own educational development alongside clinical CPD.
Interview faculty directly regarding the curriculum, content delivery, and teaching methods.
Verify supervision arrangements including rota coverage and escalation pathways.
Review completed assessment forms for quality, timeliness, and feedback content.
Confirm faculty participation in academic activities via attendance records.
Obtain confidential feedback from fellows regarding faculty effectiveness and supervision quality.
Inactive Faculty: Listed as Core Faculty but not educationally active.
Poor Supervision Records: Inadequate documentation of clinical supervision episodes.
Irregular Assessments: Infrequent or inconsistent completion of WBAs.
Inadequate Feedback: Generic or non-specific feedback provided to fellows.
No Protected Time: Insufficient protected educational time for faculty teaching.
Increase Active Participation: Mandate minimum teaching and assessment activity per faculty member.
Implement Faculty Development: Enrol faculty in structured educational development programmes.
Improve Documentation: Implement standardised recording systems for teaching and assessments.
Revise Workload: Restructure allocations to formally protect educational responsibilities.
Faculty Database: Centralised record of qualifications, roles, and current educational responsibilities.
Responsibility Mapping: Visual mapping of educational responsibilities to individual faculty members.
Annual Update Workflow: Structured workflow for annual faculty data verification and renewal.
Audit Trail: Historical record of all faculty changes, appointments, and removals.