| Founded: | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Members: | 42,000 (March 2011) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Key People: | Dr Iona Heath - President Prof Mike Pringle - Chair of Trustees Dr Clare Gerada - Chair of Council Neil Hunt - Chief Executive |
| Main Office: | London |
| Location: | 1 Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9DQ |
| Devolved Councils: | Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast |
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including licensing, education, training, research and clinical standards. It is the largest of the medical royal colleges,[1] with over 42,000 members.[2] The RCGP was founded in 1952 in London, England and is a registered charity. Its motto is Cum Scientia Caritas - "Compassion [empowered] with Knowledge."
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The RCGP is unique amongst the medical royal colleges in having both a President and a Chairman. The President takes a mainly ceremonial function while the Chairman sets the College's policy direction and leads the RCGP decision making body - the Council. The Council also acts in the statutory capacity as the trustee board of the charity.
The Council encompasses 33 groups located across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and overseas known as faculties. These are semi-autonomous units that provide local support and services for doctors, including educational events, training and personal development services. The College also incorporates devolved councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that liaise with their own national health and primary care organisations.
Paid membership of the RCGP is split into three main groups:
RCGP membership is also extended to Associates in Training (doctors in specialty training for general practice) and Life Members. The membership total currently stands at over 36,000.
The College gained over 7,000 Associates in Training (AiTs) in 2008, as membership was made compulsory for GP trainees.[3] The membership total has effectively doubled between 1998 and 2008.[3]
The MRCGP Qualification is an integrated training and assessment system run by the Royal College of General Practitioners. It aims to demonstrate excellence in the provision of General Practice. While the MRCGP was originally an optional qualification, it has more recently become mandatory for newly qualifying GPs.
The award of MRCGP in addition to meeting all the criteria of the GMC along with a payment of a fee (currently £500) may lead to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training.
The MRCGP is the culmination of the work to becoming an NHS licensed General Practitioner. After completing a medical degree and a two year foundation programme, a three year specialty training programme is undertaken. Candidates who successfully complete the MRCGP and obtain a licence to practise are eligible for inclusion on the General Medical Council's (GMC) GP Register as well as membership of the RCGP (MRCGP). This new system has been running since August 2007 and is delivered locally in conjunction with deaneries.
Training and assessment comprises three components, which cover the general practice specialty training curriculum.
Interim Membership by Assessment of Performance (iMAP) is the alternative route to membership. It enables established GPs, who cannot take the College's MRCGP exam, to gain membership though submission of a portfolio of evidence and oral examination. This route will be available to new applicants until December 2011.
The RCGP runs a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Credits scheme that offers GPs a flexible learning framework in which to produce a portfolio of work that supports the Revalidation process. Key elements of the College's work in this field include developing a quality assured appraisal system and an ePortfolio that logs evidence of GPs' learning.
The CPD scheme is supported by the Essential Knowledge Update (EKU), that provides doctors with e-learning tools, publications and other written materials on the latest developments in clinical practice knowledge.
The RCGP has also developed Quality Programmes to support GPs and their teams. These are criteria and evidence based programmes which are designed to be voluntary, supportive and developmental in function.
The RCGP builds partnerships with overseas health organisations, runs an International Development Programme and develops postgraduate assessment through an International Membership accreditation scheme called MRCGP[INT].
The College advises international doctors wishing to study or practise in the UK, and runs an International Travel Scholarship to support the study needs of members and non-members.
The RCGP publishes
Information sheets on professional issues and summary reports are frequently published. These are complemented by an enquiries service and a non-clinical guidance database on the RCGP website designed to help GPs with administration and management issues.
The RCGP's library catalogue contains MD and PhD Theses on general practice, an international selection of primary care journals and a loan collection of College publications. The library is open to all members, and to non-members by appointment.
The RCGP's archives provide an important insight into the origins of the College and the foundation of modern general practice. Exhibits include a variety of personal papers, historic books, College institutional records, and a museum collection of medical instruments dating back to the 17th century.
The RCGP provides over 20 academic and monetary awards for people at different stages of their career.[4] The awards are administered by an Awards Committee chaired by the President, and are usually presented at the College's two general meetings. The College also offers a number of International Travel Scholarships, while some regional faculties run their own awards. The college's highest award is the Honorary Fellowship, awarded to doctors and non-doctors from the UK and overseas for outstanding work towards the objectives of the College.
The College received the letters patent for its Coat of Arms in 1961. The elements promote three main themes:
The shield is derived from St. Bartholemew's Hospital and is said also to represent day and night (black/white) alluding to the 24 hour committment of GP's to their patients
The RCGP's Headquarters is based in temporary office space at 1 Bow Churchyard in the City of London.
The Clinical Skills Assessment Centre (CSA) in Croydon was opened in September 2007 and provides trainee doctors with exposure to realistic patient care scenarios. As of 31 March 2008 the Centre had assessed over 3,000 doctors.
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded in November 1952 in response to growing physical, administrative and financial pressures that demoralised GPs and undermined standards of patient care. GPs now had to provide free primary care throughout the community and act as 'gatekeepers' with responsibility for referring patients to specialist consultants in NHS hospitals.
The formation of the College received widespread support throughout the medical press and individual GPs. In January 1953 'Foundation Membership' was made available to established GPs who satisfied defined criteria, and within six weeks 1,655 doctors had joined.[5]
One of the first presidents of the RCGP was William Pickles. He spoke out in favour of the foundation of the NHS and was held in high regard worldwide for his work in epidemiology.
The College bought the freehold to 14 Princes Gate in July 1962 for £175,000, after occupying a variety of London premises in Blackfriars Lane, Tavistock Square and Cadogan Gardens.[6] The new location gave the College space for a library, meeting rooms and accommodation for members. Following a series of legal disputes, the RCGP purchased the freehold for 15 Princes Gate in 1992, doubling the size of its headquarters. The College moved to temporary London offices in Bow Churchyard in August 2010 and plans to move to a new permanent home in Euston in 2012.
On Wednesday 30 April 1980, the Iranian Embassy situated next door to the College at 16 Princes Gate was violently invaded by Arab separatists. The College was evacuated and used by the SAS as a base of operations. The SAS finally stormed the building after a hostage was killed. The siege lasted five days and received global media coverage. Seven people died in total.