One of the most important partnerships for the College and its membership is with patients. The College established a Patients Liaison Group (PLG) in 1983. It was the first College to set up a PLG, although most other Royal Medical Colleges now have similar groups. The College maintains its links with patients and their concerns through this group, now named the Patient Partnership Group (PPG), and thus ensures that the views of patients are taken into account in the development of general practice. The Group, which comprises general practitioners and lay members, advises the College on a range of medical issues and has produced several documents giving guidance.

The College in Scotland is similarly committed to working in partnership with the public on decision-making, setting policy objectives and developing patient care. In 1998 the College in Scotland set up a Scottish Patient Liaison Group (SPLG), which has since been renamed ‘Patient Partnership in Practice' (P³). The College is one of the front-runners in Scotland in taking forward initiatives to develop and ensure the best possible doctor/patient relationship in Scotland.