About
All individuals undertaking College work are asked to comply with the process of declaring conflicts of interest on this form. This forms part of the expectations on volunteers set out in the College’s Code of Conduct. It is the responsibility of everyone who completes a declaration to ensure that the declaration is regularly updated with material changes in circumstances. In addition, when an issue in which you have a personal interest is being debated in a meeting, you should declare this to the meeting.
The reason for completing this form and for declaring an interest in a meeting is to ensure that any personal circumstances that might compromise an individual’s ability to be seen as acting properly are disclosed and appropriately acted upon. You should consider both your own circumstances and those of “Connected Persons” – that is, close family members whose work might have an undue influence on College work. This scheme relies on people’s goodwill and common sense in considering not whether any outside person might reasonably consider it possible that the member could have been influenced by such interests.
This form will be held by the College's Governance team and is open to inspection by any Ordinary Member or Fellow of the College.
Interests are defined as follows:
1. Personal Financial Interests
This involves financial gain for the individual personally, or for “Connected Persons” (close family members) when this might reasonably also be thought to bear on your work for the College:
- Employment: your primary employment, eg with an NHS Trust.
- Other employment/ consultancies: Consultancy, directorship, work for industry or other organisations, which attracts regular or occasional payments in cash or kind;
- Fee paid work: Any work commissioned by industry or other organisations for which the Member is paid in cash or kind;
- Shareholdings: Any shareholding in or other direct beneficial interest in industrial shares. This does not include unit trusts, pensions, or similar arrangements in which the individual has no personal influence on financial management.
2. Non-Personal Interests
A non-personal interest involves payment, which benefits or may benefit a department for which a individual is responsible, or of which he or she is a individual, but which does not benefit the individual personally. (These are sometimes known as “conflicts of loyalty”). Obvious examples are:
- Fellowships: The holding of a Fellowship endowed by industry or other organisation;
- Support by Industry: Any payment, other support or sponsorship by industry which does not convey any pecuniary or material benefit to a Member personally but which does benefit his or her position or department.
- Work at an academic department operating in the same field as the College.
3. Other Interests
This might include, for example, membership of a pressure group campaigning on an issue relevant to child health, active involvement in party politics, or trusteeship of a charity in a related field.
In order to avoid debates about issues of trivial importance, the following are excluded: lecture fees, commissioned single articles, or individual attendance at a meeting (but not more substantial sponsorship of meetings, travel fellowships, etc).
The Register
Ordinary Members and Fellows of the College, whether Committee members or not, may inspect the Register upon request.
Any queries regarding the Register should be directed to the Governance team at governance@rcpch.ac.uk in the first instance.
Data protection
In accordance with Data Protection Legislation, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you and we have measures in place to ensure your data is securely and safely stored.
Forms will be held securely for 6 years in line with the College’s retention schedule. If your conflicts change, you can update them at any time by submitting a new form.
If you have any queries about how your data is managed, please contact information.governance@rcpch.ac.uk.