With clinical pressures rising and workloads stretching further each year, many physicians are understandably cautious about taking on additional responsibilities beyond patient care. Time is limited, energy is finite and the costs of over-commitment are real. Yet some roles outside day-to-day clinical work can offer a different vantage point on how medicine is organised, led and represented.
In this piece, Dr Aidan O’Neill reflects on his decision to become an RCP New Consultants Committee (NCC) representative and later regional adviser (RA) at a point when his professional and personal commitments were already substantial. What began as a cautious step into committee work became an opportunity to engage with wider system-level issues, represent colleagues in Northern Ireland and reassess his own longer-term career direction.
Before becoming a consultant in rheumatology and acute medicine in NI in 2019, I didn’t have much involvement with the RCP. I was a member – having graduated from St George’s, University of London in 2009 – and attended the occasional educational update or workshop as I progressed through my specialty training.
All that changed in 2021, however, when a colleague approached me about my interest in applying to become the RCP’s NCC representative for NI. At this point I was, like many others, not short of work and additional responsibilities. We were recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, I was setting up a new fracture liaison service within the trust and, with three young children at home, I had a busy family life also.
However, I had made a promise to myself quite early in my career, that should an opportunity arise that excites me, I would say ‘yes’. Saying yes is often daunting, but it can also be incredibly empowering. It can naturally lead to spreading yourself too thinly, feeling overwhelmed and unable to give your best to each role. But it can also open doors, expand networks and inspire interests you never would have previously considered.
After applying and successfully being appointed to the NCC, I attended meetings regularly and provided updates on behalf of NI to the group. I often feel that NI, as a nation, is at risk of appearing isolated when it comes to wider health discussion and I embraced the challenge of being an advocate for training and working here.
In my role, I had the responsibility for dictating the content of our regional new consultant forums and, although time consuming and a challenge to put together, it was so rewarding to be part of these forums knowing you played a big part in the content and design of the day. It gave me the opportunity to chair sessions, manage Q&A segments and, on occasion, share my own reflections and experiences.
In addition to our online forums, I played a significant role in organising our local Update in medicine conferences and became a vocal advocate for the RCP in general in NI. I have given interviews to radio, TV and journals, to discuss everything from the RCP’s action plan for reform of healthcare in NI, to the impact of corridor care for patients and staff. Working together with the other two UK royal colleges, we produced ‘The time is now’, a robust and thorough document which outlines a vision for healthcare in NI, backed up with data and feedback from consultant members. This is something I felt especially proud of and it gave me the opportunity to meet with healthcare leaders in NI and be the representative and advocate for doctors that I had always set out to be.
This increased presence within healthcare in NI allowed me the opportunity to represent the college at meetings with the GMC at Stormont and to contribute to the health department’s winter preparedness plan for 2025–26.
I was appointed deputy chair of the NCC and alongside Dr Katie Honney, our chair, developed a fantastic working relationship that led to some brilliant work emerging from our representatives. We wanted members to have a greater sense of understanding and connection to the college and to provide more content relevant to their training and professional development. RCP Launchpad, new consultant forums, blogs and podcasts were just some of the ways I feel we have accomplished this.
As a deputy chair of the NCC, I had the opportunity to attend RCP Council regularly over the past few years. During a particularly tumultuous time for the college, this has proven to be a fascinating insight into how the RCP works and the people who make it up. It gave me deeper appreciation for just how much work goes into the day-to-day running of the RCP and how wide and varied debates can be. Listening to the perspectives of physicians from a broad range of backgrounds and specialties is vital if we want to shape a college that represents all its members, and I am confident that sentiment is front and centre of its vision going forward.
I am now in my sixth year as a consultant and sadly can no longer be classified as a ‘new’ one. After completing my term in the NCC I have taken on the role of RA for NI. Luckily, I had already worked extensively with my fellow RAs over the past few years and I’m really excited about what we can do together over the next few years. Work has already begun preparing our next Update in medicine conference and we want to continue to build on the great work that has already been done in raising awareness of the RCP here in NI.
When it comes to my own development, there is no doubt that my roles in the RCP have had a huge effect on my own ambitions and aspirations. I have a strong interest in the role and impact of wider health policy, the impact of health inequalities and being an advocate for a valued, supported health workforce. I have made connections and friendships within the RCP that will persist throughout my career, and it is inspiring to feel part of something larger.
Which brings me back to my initial promise. Our day-to-day work is incredibly challenging. Waiting lists are long, rotas are short staffed and patients are being cared for in increasingly unsafe environments. We are at huge risk of burnout and often it feels like there just isn’t enough time in the day to do our job.
But we must take time to pursue our own interests and goals, even if sometimes it feels like stepping out of our comfort zone. Doing so may spark an interest or passion that will stay with you throughout your career.
Recruitment for new NCC representatives will open at the end of March, offering consultants early in their careers the chance to represent their region, contribute to meaningful national work and gain invaluable leadership experience. Further details will be shared soon.
Dr Aidan O’Neill
Consultant rheumatologist and RCP regional adviser for Northern Ireland
