The Confederation of Postgraduate Schools of Surgery  (CoPSS), was formed around 2009 as a meeting point for the specialty schools for surgery, created in turn as part of the Modernising Medical Careers reforms. There are 14 schools of surgery in the UK including the schools in Northern Ireland and Wales and a 15th equivalent organisation in the Scottish Surgical Training Board.

CoPSS works with its partners in surgical education and training to facilitate the development of excellent surgical practitioners by:

• consolidating a UK wide footprint as the single point of representation of those engaged with the business of the delivery of surgical training
• awareness and application of, and contribution to, the changing rules surrounding surgical training
• maintaining respect for surgeons in training
• exploring and encouraging opportunities for interprofessional learning with those non-medical clinicians with whom surgeons form the extended surgical team
• recognising the tension generated for trainees who deliver valuable clinical service now but must have time to train to assure the service of the future, and strive to achieve a balance between the two
• contributing to the development of a committed and educationally aware faculty of surgical supervisors and educational leaders