TERMS OF REFERENCE

Functions Of Safety Committee

1. To advise on matters of patient safety in perfusion practice.
2. To provide expert opinion on safety issues highlighted by SCPS/CCPS members, themedical profession and equipment manufacturers.
3. To liaise on safety initiatives with relevant authorities and agencies, for example Department of Health, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and SCTS.    
4. To commission seminars and advise on additions to perfusion guidelines on safety related aspects of practice.
5. The Safety Committee is a sub-committee of the Executive Committee of the SCPS.  

COMPOSITION

1. The Safety Committee, known as the Committee, shall comprise:    
   -  2 members of the SCPS Executive Committee and 2 perfusionist members of the CCPS Council as determined by the respective executives.  
   -   Any members of the SCPS and CCPS maybe co-opted as required.  
   -   All other co-opted members will be non-voting.
2. The Committee may, with prior approval, co-opt any person qualified to assist or advise the Committee. Invitations to co-opted members whom the Chairman wishes to remain as co-opts on the committee should be renewed on an annual basis.  
3. The tenure of every committee member shall be two years, renewable as appropriate with the consent of the Committee Chairman and the approval of the SCPS and CCPS. The date of appointment of all committee members shall be taken to be the date of the Annual General Meeting at the Annual Congress of SCPS/CCPS.
4. The Chairman shall review the membership of the committee every year after its last meeting before the Annual Congress.

CHAIRMAN AND SECRETARY

1. The Chairman shall be appointed by the Committee for a term of two years.
2. The Chairman shall normally be a member of the SCPS or CCPS.
3. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Chairman for a term of two years.
4. The Secretary shall be a member of the SCPS Executive Committee.
5. The Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that minutes of the meetings are kept.
6. The Secretary shall take the chair at meetings in the absence of the Chairman.
7. The Chairman or Secretary shall provide a report, where necessary, for inclusion in the committee meetings of the SCPS and CCPS.
8. The Chairman or Secretary shall submit a written annual report from the Safety Committee for inclusion in the Annual Reports of the SCPS and CCPS.

MEETINGS

1. The Committee will meet four times a year. The quorum for a meeting will be three of the four members.
2. The Chairman should seek to reach decisions by consensus. In the absence of this, a vote will be held. Co-opted members shall not vote. In the event of a tied vote, the Chairman shall have a second, casting vote.
3. Following a reported incident and before considering a formal recommendation to the SCPS Executive Committee, the Safety Committee will audit across the SCPS’ constituency and consider all relevant current practice.
4. Once a reported incident has been examined and no further enquiries are required the Safety Committee will report its advice to the Executive Committee of the SCPS.

PUBLICATIONS

1. Any recommendations made by the Safety Committee and approved by the Executive Committee must be shared immediately before publication with the College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland and other relevant stakeholders, for example Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery by the Secretary of the SCPS.
2. Immediately following notification to the College an e-bulletin is to be sent to all Chief Perfusionists and the approved recommendation published in the SCPS website on the pages dedicated to the Safety Committee. Every effort will be made to ensure publication in a timely fashion.
3. The website will be a record of previous publications for retrospective review and each publication will be clearly labelled if superseded by more current advice.

REVIEW

1. The Committee shall review its Terms of Reference every year. Proposed changes shall be submitted to the Secretary of the SCPS for consideration by the Executive Committee before, if necessary putting to the SCPS membership at the Annual General Meeting.