Faculty of Clinical Informatics

Faculty of Clinical Informatics
Name	Faculty of Clinical Informatics
Formation	2014
Type	Professional body
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Location	London
Leader title	President

Faculty of Clinical Informatics is a professional body established to represent and support clinicians and health professionals working in digital health, medical informatics, and health information technology. It operates within the United Kingdom health ecosystem and engages with international partners, professional societies, regulatory authorities, academic institutions, funding bodies, and patient advocacy organizations to promote standards, education, and research in clinical informatics.

History

The Faculty emerged amid policy debates articulated by NHS England, Department of Health and Social Care (UK), Health Education England, Royal College of Physicians (London), Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Surgeons of England, and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in response to digital transformation campaigns such as NHS Five Year Forward View and NHS Long Term Plan. Founding and early governance involved contributors from University College London, King's College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, Queen Mary University of London, Newcastle University, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, University of Leeds, and University of Southampton. Influential conferences and meetings included gatherings at Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, British Medical Association (BMA), Health Informatics Europe, HIMSS UK, International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), and the British Computer Society (BCS). Early leaders and advisors had connections with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Care Quality Commission, General Medical Council, Health and Social Care Information Centre (NHS Digital), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, European Commission, World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Medical Research Council, NIHR Clinical Research Network, and Economic and Social Research Council.

Mission and Objectives

The Faculty sets objectives aligned with policy frameworks from NHS England, Department of Health and Social Care (UK), and standards from General Medical Council and Care Quality Commission while engaging with global stakeholders such as World Health Organization, European Medicines Agency, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and World Bank. Its mission emphasizes workforce development in collaboration with Health Education England, professional guidance with input from Royal College of Physicians (London), Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Surgeons of England, and interprofessional partnerships with British Medical Association (BMA), Royal Society, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and Association of Medical Directors. Strategic objectives reference digital initiatives including NHS Long Term Plan, interoperability efforts involving Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, and data governance dialogues with Information Commissioner's Office and Health Data Research UK.

Membership and Fellowship

Membership categories mirror professional pathways recognized by organisations such as General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Royal College of Physicians (London), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Faculty of Public Health, Institute of Biomedical Science, Royal College of Pathologists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and British Computer Society (BCS). Fellowship designations align with criteria used by Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Academy of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Clinical Informatics (UK)—operationally distinct bodies such as The Lancet editorial boards, BMJ editorial advisory panels, and advisory roles in NHS Digital. Senior fellows often hold appointments at institutions including University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Education and Accreditation

Educational programmes and accreditation pathways are developed in partnership with Health Education England, Royal College of Physicians (London), Royal College of General Practitioners, British Computer Society (BCS), University College London, King's College London, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Birmingham, University of Leeds, University of Nottingham, University of Southampton, Queen Mary University of London, Newcastle University, and Queen's University Belfast. Curricula reflect competencies referenced by General Medical Council and accreditation standards influenced by Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), Higher Education Funding Council for England, Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB), and continuing professional development frameworks of Royal College of Nursing and Faculty of Public Health. Training pathways integrate digital health conferences like HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, Health Informatics Europe, and specialist workshops hosted by Wellcome Trust.

Professional Standards and Certification

Professional standards and certification frameworks are informed by guidance from General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Care Quality Commission, Information Commissioner's Office, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and international benchmarks such as World Health Organization recommendations. Certification programmes align with competence frameworks used by British Computer Society (BCS), ISQua, International Organization for Standardization, and standards referenced by European Commission digital health initiatives. The Faculty engages with regulatory and policy fora including NHS England, Health Education England, Department of Health and Social Care (UK), Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and British Medical Association (BMA).

Research and Publications

Research priorities intersect with funding streams and partnerships from Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Trust, Health Data Research UK, European Research Council, Horizon 2020, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NHS England Research and Development, and collaborative networks such as Health Foundation, King's Fund, Nesta, Alan Turing Institute, Oxford Martin School, Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research, and UCL Institute of Health Informatics. Outputs are disseminated through journals and platforms including The Lancet, BMJ, Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature Medicine, NPJ Digital Medicine, Journal of Medical Internet Research, BMJ Health & Care Informatics, Health Affairs, PLOS Medicine, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Lancet Digital Health, British Medical Journal, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Digital Medicine, and conference proceedings from HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition and International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) meetings.

Governance and Organizational Structure

Governance structures reflect models used by professional colleges and learned societies such as Royal College of Physicians (London), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society, British Computer Society (BCS), General Medical Council, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The Faculty interacts with NHS bodies including NHS England, NHS Digital, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), Integrated Care Systems, and academic partners at University College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, King's College London, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Birmingham, and Queen Mary University of London. Advisory boards and committees have included representatives with affiliations to Health Education England, Care Quality Commission, General Medical Council, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Medical Research Council, NIHR, Wellcome Trust, and international bodies such as World Health Organization and European Commission.

Category:Medical associations based in the United Kingdom