FPM Board Elections

There are no current vacancies on the Faculty Board

Voting for the 2023 Board elections has now closed. Future vacancies will be advertised on this page. 

FPM Board Election 2023 Results

We received two applications for  one vacancy on the Board. Voting for the election closed on Tuesday 15th August at 12pm. The results have been confirmed and independently verified and one candidate has been duly elected. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote during the 2023 FPM Board Elections. 

We are pleased to announce that Dr Helen Makins has been elected to the Board. Dr Makins will commence her term on 8th March 2024. 

The Faculty would like to thank Dr Devjit Srivastava for standing and for his continuing support and work with the Faculty. 

The table of results can be found below and a full breakdown of the election results is available

Candidate Votes  
Dr Helen Makins 117 Elected
Dr Devjit Srivastava 111  

 

Cheltenham Hospital, Cheltenham

nominated by Dr Nishi Patel and Dr Sarah Harper

Q1: What experience do you have in local, regional and national committees, projects and initiatives?

I have worked exclusively as a pain medicine consultant for several years.  This has given me the opportunity and privilege to work on pain-specific initiatives locally, nationally and internationally:

  • Current clinical lead for chronic pain at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHSFT.  Service developments include nurse-led medication optimisation clinics; development of a paediatric pain/FND service; coaching skills training for pain MDT; implementation of ACSA pain standards.
  • Work with Gloucestershire CCG/ICB and third sector, to improve services for patients with pain in primary and secondary care. This includes development of a social prescribing project for children with pain.
  • Appointed ICB clinical lead for outpatients, currently working collaboratively with multidisciplinary clinicians and commissioners to optimise referral management and communication between primary care and all specialities.
  • Former Essential Pain Management (EPM) lead at the FPM and have contributed to the widespread use of a standard structure to teach pain management, developing materials for online and face to face UK courses.
  • Director of multiple EPM courses in West Africa and member of the ANZCA/WFSA EPM international steering group.
  • Member of the FPM Training and Assessment Committee, leading a project to introduce a communication course for pain clinicians.


Q2: What would you aim to do if elected to the Board?

If elected, I would share my experience and work collaboratively to

  • Promote and protect the identity of pain doctors and the services they work in.
  • Listen to members to ensure that the FPM continues to address the evolving challenges faced by pain clinicians.
  • Provide support to those who choose or are required to change practice in the light of new evidence or resource pressures.
  • Further the evolution of exemplar educational and assessment resources for all colleagues.
  • Consider how the FPM, its members and their departments could support collaborative working with wider stakeholders, including commissioning bodies.

Board member Responsibilities

Excerpt from the Regulations of the Faculty of Pain Medicine (Part IX)

1    Attending meetings.  Members are expected to attend all meetings.  Members who consistently fail to attend meetings without prior leave may be removed from the Board by the Dean.  Members will also be expected to attend other major functions of the Faculty such as the Annual Meeting for Fellows and Members.

2    Delegates.  Members may not send delegates to attend in their place unless agreed by the Chair or the Dean.

3    Confidentiality.  Members of the Board should observe total confidentiality with respect to any discussions or papers considered confidential or sensitive, except where disclosure has been formally permitted.

4    Disclosure of interests

4.1    General conflicts of interest.  Before applying for the Board, members are expected to consider whether any current roles they hold would compromise the performance of their duties for the Faculty.   For example, it would be expected that Board members would not hold full roles on the Boards or Councils of similar organisations or societies.  This could pose both a conflict of interest and, in conjunctions with Regulation VI:7, is likely to affect the individual’s capacity to take forward Faculty activities. 

4.2    For individual areas.  All Members should disclose to the Chairman any relevant conflicting interest of any kind (financial or otherwise) arising in relation to any item on the agenda.  Where a relevant interest has been disclosed, the member may, subject to the Chairman’s agreement, remain during and participate in any debate on the item concerned, but must not vote.  

5    Members may be: 
a.    appointed to Faculty Committees or working groups;
b.    required to commit to events (either chairing or presenting);
c.    required to become the Responsible Officer for a consultation process;
d.    asked to represent the Faculty on external bodies;
e.    asked to contribute to the written material of the Faculty.

6    It is recommended that Members discuss their appointment with hospital colleagues and senior management.

7    Resignations

7.1    A member of the Board may tender their resignation at any time prior to the completion of their term of office.  The resignation will not take effect until accepted by the Board.

7.2   Any member of the Board who ceases the clinical practice of Pain Medicine would normally demit office from the Board at the next election.

Want to know more?
Meet the current members of our Faculty Board.