Trustee Elections
These pages will give you all the information you need about the Board of Trustees, the election process and guidance on how to become a candidate. It includes the following sections:
- Why become a trustee?
- Eligibility to stand as a candidate
- How the elections work
- Looking towards a future
- Meet the Trustees
WHY BECOME A TRUSTEE?
Becoming one of our charity trustees provides full members with a rich opportunity to develop both personally and professionally, allowing them to give back to their profession by providing their time and expertise to contribute to the ongoing development of paramedics and their professional body.
As your professional body, the College represents you and the profession in all matters of knowledge, skills, conduct and practice.
Trustee positions are voluntary roles and are perfect for those looking for a new opportunity and offer excellent prospects for personal development.
The elections are open and we welcome and encourage full members of all backgrounds to stand as candidates for the following roles:
President
Vice President (Honorary Secretary)
Trustee (Clinical Development)
These roles are your chance to be an integral part of the organisation that is shaping the future of the paramedic profession.
The trustees will work closely with their fellow Board members to ensure the College is legally and financially sound and fulfils its purpose, with the Honorary Treasurer supporting their fellow trustees in discharging their financial responsibilities.
As part of our ongoing Diversity, Equity and Belonging strategy we continue to work towards a Board of Trustees that is representative of our membership and the communities in which we live and work.
Applications are open to all full members who are allies of minoritised groups and champion equality and diversity both personally and professionally.
We welcome applications from members from under-represented groups, such as members who are Black, Asian or have a minoritised ethnic background, LGBTQ+ members, or members with a disability. This is not an exhaustive list.
You could be a College of Paramedics trustee. You could you help shape the future of your profession by offering your skills and expertise
Why you should become a trustee:
- This is an opportunity to get directly involved in the work of the College and support the profession
- It’s your opportunity to ensure the College represents you and your community
- A chance to grow your professional networks and develop your leadership skills
- A chance to bring your unique experiences and insights to the work of the College
- An opportunity to get involved in areas of work and projects you’ve not been involved in previously
- An opportunity to be a champion for your profession who can affect change
- Support and training will be provided if you are new to boards, committees, or governance processes
- Being part of the board contributes towards your CPD
Being a trustee involves:
- Inputting strategically to the work and direction of the College. We welcome a broad spectrum of opinions from members with different backgrounds and experiences
- Preparing for meetings by reading papers
- Attending 6 meetings a year – mixture of virtual and in-person meetings
- The expectation that you will be required to serve on one of the Board committees
- Engage with the relevant paid lead on a monthly basis
- Attend the relevant College workstream conference annually
- Undergoing training and development as appropriate
Read the Charity Commission’s guidance on being a trustee here
Read about the requirement for charities to provide public benefit Public benefit here
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL ROLES
President
The President is a voluntary, unpaid role. They chair the Board of Trustees, working closely with the Paramedic Council. Together, the Board and the Council make up the Congress, which is the group of people who will vote to elect the President.
The President is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and whilst they carry no additional legal responsibilities or accountability, the role of President does include an element of leadership and is a visible representative of the College.
Candidates must have significant experience in a senior position, or proven leadership and people management skills. They need to be experienced in being a chair and understand charity governance.
Vice President (Honorary Secretary)
As well as fulfilling the key function of supporting and deputising for the President, the Vice President (Honorary Secretary) will work with employees, to ensure robust governance systems are in place both within the Board and across the organisation.
The Vice President (Honorary Secretary) is a voluntary, unpaid role. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with the President to build and maintain trust, working productively with trustees and others to develop the Board of Trustees, including having oversight of the appointment process for new Board members.
Candidates must have experience in a senior position, or proven leadership and people management skills, alongside experience in chairing or committee responsibilities and an understanding of charity governance processes.
Trustee (Clinical Development)
The Trustee (Clinical Development) is a voluntary, unpaid role. In addition to their essential duties with the Board, ensuring that the College is working towards the vision and strategic objectives, they will provide constructive and supportive critical observation of the work of the Clinical Development Directorate. They will take the time to understand the context of and intentions for this work, with the aim of being an advocate for the success of the work within the directorate.
The Trustee (Clinical Development) needs to have or be willing to gain, an understanding of charity governance processes, have a detailed understanding of the different settings in which paramedics can work, and an interest in the following:
Paramedics working in non-traditional clinical environments
Enhanced and advanced practice for paramedics
Professional and clinical development in line with the Four Pillars of Advanced Practice
Organisational culture and how this might impact development opportunities
Download the Personal Attributes and Role Description here
For more information on the Clinical Development Directorate workstreams, email Helen.BeaumontWaters@collegeofparamedics.co.uk and Carl.Smith@collegeofparamedics.co.uk
ELIGIBILITY TO STAND AS A CANDIDATE
Candidates must be a full member of the College of Paramedics and not have any legal reason why they can’t be a member of a charity board, Why some individuals can't act as charity trustees - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Candidates should be clear about how they meet the requirements of the role, which can be found in the Personal Attributes and Role Description.
HOW THE ELECTIONS WORK
The elections are a straightforward process.
If, after checking they meet the eligibility criteria to stand as a candidate and reading the Personal Attributes and Role Description, full members feel that they can bring the right skills and experience to the role and they’re willing to commit time to it, they’ve completed the first step.
The next step is to find two fellow College of Paramedics members who support their standing as a candidate to act as nominators. They will then need to register as a candidate by completing the Candidate Registration Form, in which they will be asked to complete their personal details, the names and email addresses of their nominators and a written candidate statement explaining how they meet the requirements of the role.
Candidate statements will be available to view after the closing date.
A short period follows where candidates can have contact with the Congress—members of the Board and the Paramedic Council. They will vote, and our new Board Members will be announced.
A husting event will be held, via MSTeams, on Monday 7th April from 17:00 to allow candidates to present to Congress members. More details will be provided to candidates.
The maximum tenure for a trustee is two terms, each term consisting of 2 years. At the end of their first term, trustees must consider their wider commitments, reflect on their first term, and decide whether to stand, alongside other full members of the College, to be elected for a second term as trustee.
We currently have incumbent trustees in all 3 positions who have expressed their intention to stand again in the elections.
You can download the Electoral Regulations here .
The elections are administered by an independent election service. Votes will be counted using the Single Transferable Vote system, which means second and even third or later choice votes may come into play.
How to submit your Candidate Registration Form
Please click here to complete your Candidate Registration Form. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 26th March at midnight.
Please note, you will be unable to save your registration form as you go along, so you will need to have all answers prepared before completing the form. Please email elections@collegeofparamedics.co.uk if you would like a copy of the questions the form contains.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
This is a truly exciting time to join the College’s Board of Trustees.
As the College, we will reach our 24th birthday in December 2025. The last 23 years have been remarkable in terms of the development of our profession and the strengthening of us as an organisation and professional body.
It’s essential that we continue to represent the collective voice of our members in all matters that affect the profession and the delivery of safe, system-wide, healthcare.
In order to achieve this, we need to ensure we are a strong and stable organisation capable of responding to a range of challenges, some predicted, some not. The robust governance processes already in place have enabled us to gain a Royal Charter, which is an important step on the way to becoming a Royal College. 2025 is a year of preparation, as we complete the legal transition into being a Chartered Charity as well as consult on a new strategy that will take us through to the end of 2028 and beyond.