Framework for Involvement of the College with other
Organisations
Background
The Royal College of General Practitioners is ready to assist
and offer advice to any organisation that aims to improve the
quality of patient care. This includes the Government of the
day or its agencies, and the NHS or its agencies. The College
is an independent organisation and a registered Charity. In
order to ensure that the College can fulfill its Charitable
Objectives and maintain its independent position, we have prepared
this Framework for Involvement with other organisations. It
aims to inform those with whom we work of our position and to
assist those who speak on behalf of or who represent the
College.
The RCGP will take appropriate opportunities to work in
partnership with other primary care organisations and to offer its
views by way of documents or oral contributions.
The RCGP will inform its members, other general practitioners
and the public about our views and seek and use their opinions
where possible to help formulate our position or policies on any
issue.
The RCGP will put forward and espouse policies and position
statements that are in the interests of GPs’ patients, the NHS and
primary care.
The RCGP will also prepare discussion papers in order to
explore ideas and innovations that might affect general practice
and patient care.
The Framework
This framework for involvement sets out a broad approach to
working with other organisations and for expressing our
views.
- The RCGP will analyse any policy proposals from
any organisation or individual primarily from a patient
perspective. We will look to support changes that will
improve patient care and the experience of care.
- The RCGP will also analyse such proposals from
the perspective of the National Health Service as a whole across
the UK, assessing their implications for the long-term future of
the service.
- Lastly, the RCGP will analyse the proposals from
the viewpoint of the discipline of general practice seeking to
support those changes that are in the interests of patient care,
the NHS and our profession.
- In doing these analyses, the RCGP will stand by
its values and beliefs as an independent organisation; will be
rigours in its judgments, using facts and evidence when available;
and will honestly express its view. We will be generous and
supportive when we can, and clear in our reasons for opposition
when necessary. On occasions, having done our analyses we may
decide not to be involved or not to comment.
- We will publish our statements and policies
analyses using the appropriate media.
- We will promote our views and policies and our
views on the policies espoused by others by means of documents and
responses and through meetings both formal and informal and via the
various external bodies where the College is
represented.
In a fast-developing discipline such as general practice, the
College will not necessarily have reached a position on all issues
or topics. Accordingly or for other reasons, where a
spokesperson or representative of the College does not have a
corporate view from the College, he or she is at liberty to express
a personal view making clear the status of any views so
expressed.
|
Professor David Haslam
Chairman of Council
|
Dr Maureen Baker
Honorary Secretary of Council
|
July 2002