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Clinical Science Professional Bodies List

Professional Bodies representing the profession of Clinical Scientist

Physiological Sciences

British Academy of Audiology (BAA)

The British Academy of Audiology (BAA) is the largest professional body in the UK representing clinical scientists in audiology. It focuses on ensuring continued support of high quality and current evidence-based practice, provided through postgraduate education and training, research, newsletters, and conferences. BAA also works closely with the HCPC and the Academy for Health Care Science (AHCS), contributing to the development of professional standards and providing advice to clinical scientists in audiology.

Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (SCST)

The Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (SCST) are the only professional body dedicated to representing the cardiac science workforce within healthcare science in the UK. SCST’s aim is to uphold excellence and innovation in knowledge and practice of cardiac science and technology for the public benefit. It achieves this through the promotion of high quality education and the setting of appropriate standards in all aspects of the role/service delivery. SCST works closely with the AHCS, National School of Healthcare Science and specialist interest groups in setting the educational standards and providing advice for the cardiac science workforce on CPD. SCST also work on developing appropriate standards for services with Improving Quality in Physiological Services and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. SCST has continually advocated the need for high-quality service and current evidence-based practice.

Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP)

The Association for Respiratory Technology & Physiology (ARTP), through standards of training and quality assurance, are the professional guardians of physiological measurement issues in respiratory medicine in the UK. With over 35 years of experience in the design and delivery of lung function services, ARTP provides the only national, professionally recognised, qualifications in respiratory function testing and spirometry in the UK. ARTP also recommends standards for the design and delivery of lung function services through position papers from ARTP working groups to influence the structure, function and content of lung function facilities in the UK. An important function of the ARTP is the provision of opportunities for CPD. The ARTP organises meetings and courses on many respiratory topics. Nationally ARTP informs and influences major organisations about the delivery of lung function services. Furthermore, ARTP links with equivalent national organisations around the world to deliver global standards in respiratory healthcare involving respiratory technology and physiology. ARTP works in conjunction with the British Thoracic Society to produce national guidelines and standards for good practice in the performance of respiratory measurement.

Association of Neurophysiological Scientists (ANS)

The Association of Neurophysiological Scientists (ANS) is the professional body representing clinical scientists working in the field of neurophysiology. The principle aims of ANS are to represent its members at a national level, set standards of practice, promote career development, set education and training standards, and award professional body qualifications. ANS, formerly known as EPTA, was founded in 1949 with initially 21 members and now has in the order of 500 members. The majority of members are based within clinical departments in the UK and Republic of Ireland, although membership does spread worldwide. With over 60 years’ experience, ANS provides the only professionally recognised broad ranging practical examinations in neurophysiology in the UK.

Association of Gastro-Intestinal Physiologists (AGIP)

The Association of Gastro-Intestinal Physiologists (AGIP) is the professional body that represents clinical scientists working in the field of gastro-intestinal physiology. The AGIP has a long association with the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and is a fully integrated section of the BSG. Diagnostic services in GI physiology tend to be established in secondary and tertiary care centres and the departments work closely with upper GI surgery, coloproctology and pelvic floor services.

United Kingdom Continence Society (UKCS)

The United Kingdom Continence Society (UKCS) is a multidisciplinary group of health professionals, including clinical scientists, from all areas connected with urinary and faecal continence. The society exists to improve standards, promote training and encourage research and exchange of information in continence care. Originally founded in 1994 as ICS-UK, a UK branch of the International Continence Society, the first meeting was held in Bristol, under the chairmanship of Professor Paul Abrams. The society has since grown to over 400 members. These include specialist nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, care of the elderly physicians, clinical physicists, GP’s, urology and urogynaecology consultants and their trainees. The Society continues to host an annual research meeting every spring which is open to members and non-members. This provides a platform for participants to present their work in continence research and developing treatments. UKCS is keen to promote knowledge and understanding of incontinence to the wider public, including patients and those responsible for the formulation of healthcare policy. The Society offers certification in urodynamics and in support of this hosts courses on urodynamics around the UK

Society of Vascular Technology (SVT)

The Society for Vascular Technology (SVT) was established to advance non-invasive vascular diagnostic services by promoting training and research in vascular technology and to disseminate the results of such research for the benefit of the public. In bringing together all those engaged in providing vascular laboratory services, SVT now functions as the national scientific and educational society for clinical vascular scientists working in Great Britain and Ireland. SVT was formed in March 1992 to promote education, training and research in the field of vascular science, developing a national standardised professional training and an accreditation scheme. The accreditation certification provides employers and patients with the confidence that the individual has reached and maintains the national standards set for vascular ultrasound investigations. SVT were one of the parent bodies of the Consortium for Accreditation of Sonographic Education in 1993. 

Life Sciences

The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ACB)

The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ACB) is the professional body encompassing clinical scientists within clinical biochemistry, clinical immunology, clinical microbiology, haematology, and histocompatibility and immunogenetics. Its role is to ensure that laboratory medicine serves patients effectively through the development and sharing of knowledge, expertise, innovation and best practice. The aims of the ACB are to strive to be the pre-eminent clinical organisation for laboratory medicine in the UK, ensure they meet the educational and professional needs of their membership. To promote patient-focused best practice in laboratory medicine through encouraging research and innovation as well as the implementation of evidence-based practice, further develop local, national and international relationships with other professional, healthcare, science and government organisations in order to facilitate improvements to the service that clinical scientists within these fields provide for patients. To promote the importance of laboratory medicine to the wider community and sustain a financially healthy organisation, ensuring efficient use of resources

British Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (BSHI)

The British Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics (BSHI) was formed in 1989. BSHI now has a membership of over 450 which includes biomedical scientists, clinical scientists, physicians, surgeons, researchers and academics. There are BSHI members in all the histocompatibility and immunogenetics (H&I) laboratories in the UK and Ireland and many European laboratories. BSHI became a company limited by guarantee in 2007 and achieved charitable status in 2008.

Association for Clinical Genomic Science (ACGS)

The Association for Clinical Genomic Science (ACGS) was established in December 2012 from a merger of the Association for Clinical Cytogenetics and the Clinical Molecular Genetics Society with the vision of bringing together scientists working within genetics into one professional association. The ACGS is the largest of the constituent groups of the British Society of Genetic Medicine; its aims include:

  • the promotion, encouragement and advancement of the study and practice of clinical genomic science
  • the advancement of education, research and innovation in clinical genomic science
  • the development and promotion of standards in clinical genomic science

Association of Biomedical Andrologists (ABA), the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE), and the British Fertility Society (BFS)

Professional bodies for reproductive science include the Association of Biomedical Andrologists (ABA), the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE), and the British Fertility Society (BFS). ABA and ACE comprise clinical scientists only and have in excess of 1200 members. ABA formed in 2004 as a professional body to provide support for clinical scientists who undertake clinical andrology in their daily work; whilst ACE formed in 1993 to provide an aligned role to support for clinical scientists who undertake clinical embryology. ABA and ACE provide training and CPD for clinical scientists in andrology and embryology, develop guidelines and represents the profession with other bodies and regulatory authorities as well as helping to regulate the profession. The professional bodies work closely with the HCPC, contributing to the development of professional standards and provide advice to clinical scientists on keeping up to date CPD records. Furthermore, reproductive science is presented at the Royal College of Pathology where members sit on various committees. Members of ABA and ACE are also key players in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the UK’s independent regulator of fertility treatment, where the professional bodies are recognised as professional stakeholders.

Physical Sciences

The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM)

IPEM is a professional association and learned society with around 4,500 members who are physicists, engineers and technologists working with applications of physics and engineering applied to medicine and biology. Their members work in hospitals, academia and industry, and IPEM has a unique role in linking the three areas. As a charity, IPEM’s aim is to advance the application of physics and engineering to medicine for the public benefit and to advance public education in this field. They do this by supporting and publishing research, and supporting the dissemination of knowledge and innovation through project funding and scientific meetings; and by setting standards for education, training and CPD for clinical scientists and clinical engineers. IPEM also produces information for the public about the role of physicists and engineers in the healthcare services, and hold a series of public lectures each year. Members are also involved in outreach events for young people and university students, to promote clinical science careers.  

Bioinformatics

The British Chartered Institute for IT (BCS)

BCS Health and Care was formed to cover all aspects of informatics in support of health. BCS Health and Care provides leadership in this sector, acting as a source of professionally recognised expertise, under-pinning the outward-facing role of BCS, and ensuring that contributors to health informatics are recognised and respected. BCS Health and Care has a crucial role in helping to shape the future of health care. The expertise of the BCS Health and Care community puts clinical scientists in a good position to offer guidance on how to integrate local health economies to create data liquidity and enable transformation in the way that care is delivered. BCS Health and Care is a founding member of the Professional Record Standards body. A key part of the BCS Health and Care mission is to inform the public and help ensure that everyone can benefit from IT. As the health care sector advances further in the use of data, BCS Health and Care has a responsibility to inform the public on how their data will be used, the steps taken to protect their data and how they can safely and securely manage their own information. The use of information in healthcare can only be fully harnessed by ensuring the professionalism of the IT workforce who create and manage the IT systems. BCS provides the support required to the IT profession, and BCS Health and Care is creating an engaging professionalism programme for the IT workforce in health care.