FAQs – CSEM UK

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Proposed New College, organised into sections to make them easy to browse.

Multidisciplinary Inclusion & Representation

The FSEM diplomas are not restricted to medical practitioners and have already been sat and successfully passed by non-medics.

There are three Faculty Diplomas which will become the College Diplomas in:1) Exercise Medicine

2) Team Care

3) MSK Medicine

These Diplomas are professional qualifications (knowledge based exams) designed to demonstrate specialist competency and often support career progression. They do not confer an academic degree like a university Diploma but serve as a recognised benchmark within your profession. These Diplomas are open for application to medics and all MTD professionals.

The roles of a College are to set standards and provide assessment. Colleges are not regulatory bodies. CSEM is committed to meaningful representation for FCPs. Their vital role is recognised and we have established working bodies with key stakeholders in this space, including:

CSP
ARMA
MSK Partnership Group
MACP

CSEM will also explore creating a dedicated FCP space within the MSK Medicine Committee of the college to provide guidance, advocacy, and ensure this workforce has a strong voice in shaping future standards.

This is currently under discussion with relevant partners and stakeholders. CSEM will support as it can and discussions will continue. The FSEM diplomas are not restricted to medical practitioners and have already been sat and successfully passed by non-medics, and would be appropriate for nurses, exercise physiologists and S&C professionals.

The training and diploma examinations available from CSEM are open for application to medics and all multidisciplinary professionals (MTD). FSEM and CSEM do not accredit any profession, the specialty of SEM is accredited and regulated by the GMC. The role of CSEM will be to advocate for our key agenda and the multi-specialty and multi-disciplinary workforces within our membership.

CSEM will continue to deliver the multi-professional education opportunities that are offered by both BASEM and FSEM already. FSEM and to be continued by CSEM, already offer an active diplomate educational offering and 3 diplomas (exams) in MSK medicine, exercise medicine and team care open to the whole multi-disciplinary membership. The roles of a College are to set standards and provide assessment. Colleges are not regulatory bodies.

For doctors, FSEM currently it runs medical training with The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK. It is the GMC who finally accredit and regulate, not FSEM or CSEM.

We are increasingly offering areas of accreditation such as GPwER accreditation and would be willing to work with other partners in the future to extend beyond.

The new College structure will ensure that there is visibility throughout the College with appropriate elected positions on Council and representation throughout all the committees and working groups. Every membership category and therefore all professional groups will be represented on council (link to council structure). All CSEM committees will be multi-professional as are the current FSEM MSK, Exercise Medicine and Team Care committees. The diploma exams are open to all allied health professionals. FSEM’s Team Care Committee have produced minimum standards for employers of doctors, which are now published. We have not yet done this for AHP’s but this is planned with appropriate consultation.

Professional Identity, Titles and Scope of Practice

With so much change happening - what is our position on protecting our title? With many members and fellows operating in the private sector are we clear and trying to protect our title as specialists (Consultants). There are so many people working in the MSK space who have self appointed themselves a “Consultant”. Usually this is physiotherapists who have not achieved acquired the title within the NHS on merit. It’s incredibly confusing for patients and undermines our level of training. What is your position on ensuring the Consultant physician in SEM is recognised for the level that it is in the private MSK space?

The title “Consultant” is unregulated by the GMC, and we cannot control its use in the private sector. The GMC, however, does hold a specialist register for SEM which is regulated.

We are committed to clarifying what it means to be a Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine by promoting our rigorous examinations, recognised postnominals, and providing clear information on our website as well as professional standards for sport. We will continue to educate patients, insurers, and providers to ensure transparency and uphold the value of specialist training and qualifications.

AHPs, including Physiotherapists, can hold Consultant Practitioner roles where capability has been evidenced at Level 8 (Doctoral) across the four pillars of AHP practice (clinical; education; research & audit; leadership & management) aligned to the NHSE Framework. Those AHPs working in NHS Statutory, or NHS-commissioned services will only be able to use this title following assessment against the NHSE Framework. The title of ‘Consultant’ in AHPs/Nurses is not protected and we recognise the problems that this can cause.

No, your job title will remain Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) doctor. The college name reflects the breadth of the specialty, including musculoskeletal medicine, but the recognised professional title continues to be SEM.

We are sorry you were put off completing a portfolio pathway to CCT. SEM covers all sport and performing arts. Our membership includes doctors and AHP’s involved at multiple levels in a hugely diverse range of Olympic and paralympic sports, other team sports and performing arts. This includes winter sports, climbing, boxing and other martial arts as well as motorsports.

It is a challenging landscape in the NHS across all specialties, not just SEM. One of the benefits of the new College is to work together as a specialty to demonstrate the role of SEM in the future NHS. A louder unified voice is key to being heard and listened to. FSEM, both independently and as part of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, continually drives forward and highlights the need for high level clinical leadership by consultants and specifically the SEM consultant. We have produced workforce planning documents and guidance to support the development of further NHS consultant posts and to help those of you wishing to expand in your area. We have expanded the SEM training scheme across the country and SEM training has been successfully reintroduced to Scotland.

Membership, Postnominals and Member Status

No. If you’re a member of CSEM in good standing, your postnominals will become MCSEM; if you are not a CSEM member you are not able to use pre-existing membership associated postnominals from FSEM.

Yes, the postnominal will be DCSEM, MCSEM or FCSEM, Hon.FCSEM, Int.FCSEM for members in these categories and in Good Standing

No, absolutely not. Membership of the new college will be based on recognised qualifications, and there will be legacy provisions to ensure that those who have contributed significantly to SEM, including through prior training and experience, are fully valued. The legacy membership will be determined by a medically led standards committee. Criteria for legacy membership can be found here. The college aims to unite and recognise all professionals who meet the standards.

The full criteria for new membership of the College; and the new fees and benefits can be found here:

Training Pathways, Career Development & Support

FSEM already do this through portfolio pathway (formally known as CESR). The Portfolio Pathway will continue this and investigate the need for more formal mentorship where appropriate for the Portfolio Pathway.

A CCT in SEM is awarded to those who have completed formal specialist training and a CCT is also awarded to those who have successfully completed a portfolio (previously CESR) application. There is no difference. Both routes confer a CCT in SEM and both routes will be eligible for Fellowship by CCT.

Yes, this is already available through FSEM. The Faculty and therefore the College, will provide mentorship, supervision, and structured pathways to support professional development for those working in SEM outside formal training programmes like our GPwER accreditation pathway. The new college will continue to build on these opportunities to ensure inclusivity and integration across the specialty.

In addition, CSEM will offer an SEM review as part of any formal appraisal process to appraise practitioners working in sport as part of their whole scope of practice.

We recognise the challenges around indemnity. The new college will work to align indemnity guidance with recognised standards and provide clarity for insurers, aiming for appropriately trained professionals to obtain cover. This work has started and will continue.

There appears to be a lack of future-proofing for the specialty, particularly for younger doctors. While it is understandable that a founding board may comprise individuals with long-established, secure careers, the healthcare landscape has changed significantly. Many early-career and mid-career doctors now face increasing job insecurity, and even experienced GPs are struggling with workload, remuneration, and role erosion.

Medical Royal Colleges have traditionally acted as strong advocates for their medical workforce. How does this College intend to fulfil that role for Sport and Exercise Medicine doctors when non-medical professionals, such as physiotherapists, are granted voting rights and potentially board representation, and are increasingly being employed in roles traditionally held by doctors because they are cheaper?

Our commitment is to protect and strengthen the future of SEM as a medical specialty. As a medical college, medical leadership is structurally embedded into our governance. Senior leadership and Fellow-level board roles are reserved for Fellows by CCT. This guarantees that the advocacy, strategic priorities, and standards-setting functions of the College remain medically-led. At the same time, working with our allied professionals allows us to present a unified voice on MSK, sport, and exercise medicine – an approach that strengthens, rather than weakens, our influence within the wider healthcare system.

Government and senior NHS stakeholders are more easily influenced through agenda led arguments. All three of our agenda can never be delivered by one group alone, so multi-disciplinary and multi-professional advocacy remains paramount in order to be credible and raise standards across our agenda.

Governance, Fellowship & Medical Leadership

The elected members of CSEM council will preserve a medical majority and will be comprised of the following elected positions: All these positions will hold one vote on council.

5 Office Bearers (President, 2 Vice-Presidents, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary – all of whom are Fellows by CCT)
8 Fellows (by CCT)
1 SEM Resident
6 Members
4 Diplomate Members
1 Associate Member

Fellowship By Election represent their original membership category when voting or to be elected on to council. For example, if a Diplomate was awarded Fellowship by Election, they would revert to their previous membership category for voting rights. Honorary Fellows will only hold voting rights and ability to apply for council roles within the membership category (if any) they held prior to award of honorary fellowship.

Honorary Fellowship is an awarded to a person of eminence who has rendered exceptional service to the science, practice or development of SEM. Honorary Fellows need not be medically qualified. These are our current list of Honorary Fellows of FSEM.

Fellowship By Election is awarded via election to a small number of individuals who demonstrate exceptional contribution to SEM, as assessed by the College Standards and Membership Committee. These outstanding professionals will already be committed to the values of CSEM.

The large majority of Fellows will still be awarded to doctors who have gained CCT in Sport and Exercise Medicine and are on the GMC specialist register.

CSEM will remain a medically led College, with Council providing a structure that ensures the Fellowship maintains the professional direction of the College. This council led structure mirrors other professional organisations and ensures a medical leadership through the standing orders of the charity. It is also a College that recognises the power and influence of a unified larger voice and understands the importance of multi-disciplinary expertise in delivering our charitable aims (put in a link). Doctors will continue to hold key responsibilities for representing Sport and Exercise Medicine within the Council framework, helping to uphold the profession’s integrity and standards while fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone involved in the college and our three agenda.

Why will non-medical, non-doctor colleagues be eligible for Fellowship post-nominals (e.g. FCSEM)? For doctors who have completed CCT training and hold GMC specialist registration, this risks devaluing the meaning of Fellowship and our years of specialist training. No other UK medical college grants the same to non-doctors. The explanation that these would be “extraordinary fellowships” is not acceptable — what is the genuine rationale, and how will the College preserve the distinction and credibility of medical Fellowship?

Fellowship is for doctors who have gained a CCT in SEM.

Non-medical colleagues will not be able to apply for Fellowship. An extraordinary Fellowship by election may be awarded to acknowledge exceptional contributions, subject to approval by a medically led Council and Standards Committee. This is appropriately a small number.

FSEM is already active in promoting and safeguarding the role of medical doctors through its work with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) and by setting standards via accreditation and guidance documents. The College will continue to advocate for the unique expertise of SEM doctors across the NHS, military, sport, and private sectors to ensure their roles remain recognised and valued.

Both BASEM and FSEM have thriving, multidisciplinary memberships. We firmly believe that, to raise standards in our three pillars, we must speak with a unified, multidisciplinary and multispecialty voice. Musculoskeletal medicine, athlete and team care and exercise medicine are all huge agenda which can only be properly served at both a clinical and leadership level by a strong, unified and cohesive team approach.

As with all medical College’s we will maintain medical leadership in accordance with the requirements of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC). This means that the President and two Vice-Presidents of CSEM must be GMC-registered Medical Fellows (by CCT).

The College embeds medical leadership at its core, restricts senior governance roles to medical Fellows, and maintains established medical pathways such as Fellowship by CCT. This protects SEM’s identity as a medical specialty while enabling constructive multidisciplinary collaboration

College Strategy & Future Planning

CSEM is now registered with Companies House and the new board has been appointed. The Charity Commission can take up to 6 months to approve our application.

The application was submitted to CCEW in February 2026. Subject to approval, a subsequent application will be made to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Following this, there are still steps to take (including the final member votes for transfer of assets). We will continue to communicate with our members about the progress and what it means for members.

The College reformation aims to create a single, stronger organisation, to unify efforts in advancing the SEM agenda in the UK. The robust consultation process carried out showed that our vision is aligned and that a joint organisation would have national strategic and political advantage. Broadly speaking BASEM, over its long history, promotes and supports the breadth of professionals working in SEM with a particular focus on education. Through its courses, conferences, awards, and its journal, the British Journal of Sport and

Exercise Medicine, BASEM has led the way for SEM education and careers support in the UK. FSEM has previously focussed on standard setting, training, examination and governance of SEM specialists and the wider workforce. More recently, FSEM has stepped further into education of health care professionals through its highly regarded Moving Medicine initiative. By combining BASEM’s focus on education and membership support with FSEM’s role in specialty training, standard setting, and advocacy, CSEM can ensure better representation, streamlined governance, and improved influence across healthcare and government.

Yes, that is our aim. To obtain a Royal Charter in the UK, an organisation must petition the Privy Council, show a long history of achievement and public benefit, and submit draft charter documents for approval by the Sovereign on ministerial advice. Using the word “Royal” in a title requires separate permission from the Cabinet Office, as it is a legally protected sensitive word. This process can take several years.

The following acronyms appear in this document and are explained here for reference:

AHP = Allied Health Professionals
AoMRC = Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
ARMA = Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
ARRS = Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme
BASEM = British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
BMA = British Medical Association
CCEW = Charity Commission for England and Wales
CCT = Certificate of Completion of Training
CESR = Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (now called the Portfolio Pathway)
CPS = Centre for Public Scrutiny
CSP = Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
FCP = First Contact Practitioner
FSEM = Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK
GMC = General Medical Council
GPwER = GPs with Extended Roles
MACP = Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists
MCT = Managed Clinical Training
MSK = Musculoskeletal
NHSE = NHS England
OSCR = Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
PCN = Primary Care Network
RCGP = Royal College of General Practitioners

Have a Question About CSEM?

As we prepare to launch the College of Sport, Exercise and Musculoskeletal Medicine (CSEM), we want to hear from you.

If you are a member of BASEM, FSEM or future CSEM Member and have any questions or queries about CSEM – whether it’s about membership, structure, benefits, or what this means for you, we encourage you to get in touch.

For any general enquiries contact FSEM (enquiries@fsem.ac.uk) or BASEM (enquiries@basem.co.uk)