The structure of the RCGP's UK Council
explained.
The Council of the Royal College of
General Practitioners comprises 32 elected faculty representatives;
up to 18 nationally elected members by a postal ballot of all
fellows and members; and up to 12 observers, who cannot vote.
Additional members may also be appointed by a General Meeting or by
Council and have full voting powers.
The total number of elected members and
additional members cannot exceed the authorised number of faculty
representatives without the sanction of the College at a General
Meeting.
Members of Council must be Fellows or Members
of the College, and the two Associates in Training observers
must be associates of the College.
List of Council Members
Attendance at Council meetings April 2008 to March
2009
Faculty Representatives
Every faculty is entitled to elect one of its
members as a member of Council. The timing of the election varies
in each faculty. The College Byelaws provide that where there are
more candidates for election than there are places to be filled,
the election shall be conducted by a postal ballot of all members
of the faculty. The faculty boards are themselves elected from the
membership of the faculty as a whole. There is no limit to the
length of office of a faculty representative.
A faculty is permitted to have a second
representative where its membership exceeds 5 per cent of the total
membership of the College. Five faculties as a result now have two
representatives.
If a faculty has a representative who becomes
Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer
of Council, or a Board Chairman, that faculty may be allowed
another representative in his or her place. This flexibility has
been granted as the workload of these Officers is considerable and
there is a consequent danger that a faculty might not be fully
represented.
In order to ensure full representation of
faculties on Council, faculties also elect a deputy faculty
representative who attends Council on those occasions when the
faculty representative, or additional faculty representative, is
unable to be present. The elected deputy faculty representatives
have full voting rights when attending Council Meetings.
Elected Council Members - Election Arrangements
All members of the College are entitled to
vote by ballot to elect, in any one year, six members of Council in
addition to faculty representatives. Voting takes place each year
by post and is overseen by Electoral Reform Services. Members of
Council elected by national ballot hold office for three years, so
that in any one year there are up to 18 elected members of Council.
Members are eligible to stand for election to Council provided they
have been proposed and seconded by two other members of the College
in accordance with the procedure set out in the Ordinances of the
College.
Additional Council members
Council is empowered to appoint additional
members who are often members of the College with a particular
expertise.
Observers
It is customary for a number of individuals to
be selected as Observers to Council. These include, where they are
not already a member of Council, the Editor and Deputy Editor of
the College Journal (BJGP), a representative of the Armed
Services, the two GPC representatives to the College, a
representative of the Committee of General Practice Education
Directors (COGPED), a representative of The Society for
Academic Primary Care (SAPC), a GP representative of the British
International Doctors Association (BIDA), the Lay Chairman of the
College's Patient Partnership Group (PPG), and two elected
Associates in Training (AiT) representatives. Observers on Council
are entitled to speak in debates, but not to vote.
Associates in Training (AiT) representatives
GPs undertaking training
are not eligible to become members of the College, but they are
encouraged to become Associates in Training (AiTs). Most
faculties have associates on the faculty boards, as well as some
form of associate Committee or group. There are two AiT
representatives as Observers on Council and these are the Chair and
Deputy-Chair of the AiT Committee who are elected by all the AiTs
of the College. One of the AiT observers represents the College on
the RCGP Postgraduate Training Board and the other on the GPC GP
trainees subcommittee.
Officers of Council and Board Chairmen
There are five Officers of
Council each of whom is elected annually by and from the Council
itself at its first meeting following the Annual General Meeting.
The Chairman of Council, Chairs of the Boards and Chairs of the
various Council Committees normally hold office for three years.
The Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer normally hold office
for at least five years in order to provide continuity, and up to
two Vice-Chairmen are normally appointed annually. From 2010
the two Vice-Chairs will be elected rather than appointed.
President of the College
The President and, if there is a Deputy
President, the Deputy President, is an ex officio member
of Council. The President is elected by postal ballot of the whole
membership. The term of office is three years (including any time
spent as Deputy President).
February 2009