Intensive Care Society (ICS)

Intensive Care Society (ICS)

Overview

The Intensive Care Society (ICS) is the world's oldest multi-professional intensive care association, founded in 1970. Based in London, it represents a diverse community of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other specialists working in critical care settings across the UK and internationally. The ICS serves as the professional home for those involved in intensive care medicine and provides a unified voice for the multi-professional critical care workforce. Its history of nearly five decades establishes it as a leading and authoritative figure in the intensive care sector, shaping standards, practice and professional development across the discipline.

Who Should Join?

The ICS is relevant to a wide range of critical care professionals:

• Doctors and medical practitioners working in intensive care units, emergency medicine, anaesthesia and related specialisms
• Intensive care nurses and nursing staff providing critical care
• Allied health professionals including physiotherapists, pharmacists, radiographers and other specialists supporting intensive care teams
• Trainees and students in medicine, nursing and allied health professions with an interest in critical care
• Critical care managers, researchers and educators working within intensive care services
• Organisations and institutions providing critical care services

Membership is open to professionals at all stages of their critical care career, from students and early career practitioners to experienced consultants and senior leaders. While the ICS does not restrict membership by qualification level, individual membership categories typically reflect professional registration and experience within critical care practice.

Why Join?

Joining the ICS connects you with an established, respected professional community and provides recognition within the critical care sector. Membership demonstrates professional commitment to intensive care practice and gives you access to a network of peers across medicine, nursing and allied health disciplines—a particularly valuable resource given the multi-professional nature of critical care teams.

The Society provides a collective voice for critical care professionals in policy discussions and sector engagement, meaning members contribute to and benefit from advocacy on behalf of the profession. Whether you are establishing yourself in critical care or advancing to senior roles, membership signals your standing within the profession and connects you to resources, development opportunities and peer support designed specifically for critical care specialists.

Member Benefits & Opportunities

ICS membership typically includes:

• Professional networking and peer community: Access to a multi-professional community of critical care specialists, enabling collaboration, knowledge exchange and peer support across all disciplines within intensive care
• Educational events and conferences: Participation in the Society's annual conference and other educational meetings where members can present research, share practice innovations and stay current with developments in critical care
• Professional publications and journals: Access to critical care literature, research and evidence-based resources to support practice and professional development
• Professional development and guidance: Resources, guidelines and standards developed by the ICS to inform best practice in critical care
• Visibility within the profession: Inclusion in professional directories and networks, raising your profile within the critical care community
• Advocacy and representation: A voice in the Society's engagement with government, healthcare policy and sector-wide initiatives affecting critical care services

Specific benefits vary by membership category and are detailed on the ICS website.

Industry Role & Professional Standing

The ICS holds significant authority within critical care and the broader healthcare sector. As the world's oldest multi-professional intensive care society, it plays a leading role in developing professional standards, clinical guidance and best practice recommendations that shape how critical care is delivered. The Society is actively involved in policy engagement, research advancement and professional advocacy, ensuring that the voice of critical care professionals is heard in healthcare planning and regulation.

The ICS also supports professional development and accreditation within critical care. In 2011, the Society established the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine as a separate body responsible for postgraduate medical training and accreditation in intensive care medicine—a recognition of the profession's maturity and the importance of rigorous training standards. The ICS itself continues to serve the broader multi-professional critical care community, including nurses and allied health professionals for whom it remains the principal professional association.

Membership of the ICS therefore connects you not only to peer professionals but to an organisation with genuine influence over professional standards, policy development and the direction of critical care practice. This wider role makes membership valuable for those seeking to understand, shape or contribute to the future of the critical care profession.