Your Representatives on Council

AiT Committee Chair - Clare Taylor MRCP

Clare graduated from Cambridge in 2002 and did a 4 month GP house job in a rural practice near Huntingdon. She spent 6 months as an A+E SHO then went on to complete a medical rotation at Addenbrookes in Cambridge and gained membership of the Royal College of Physicians. Realising her destiny was in General Practice, she did a year of Paediatrics in Kent then moved up to Birmingham where she now works as an Academic GP Registrar. She is chairs the Associates in Training committee and is an AiT representative on College Council.

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who voted for me in the ballot for the job of GP Registrar on College Council. I’m thrilled to be able to represent Associates in Training from across the UK at a time of such change.

Most of us are still reeling from the Medical Training Application Service debacle that shook the whole profession. We as GP trainees faired better than most of our colleagues in hospital medicine but I am sure no one would dispute the collective anger and upset felt by all junior doctors across the UK over the past year. The Tooke Report, “Aspiring to Excellence”, has helped to address some of the fundamental failings of MTAS and the broader issue of Modernising Medical Careers. RCGP Council considered the recommendations made by Sir John Tooke in great detail and has sent a formal response. As GP registrars on Council we were able to contribute to this debate and ensure the views of juniors were heard at the heart of the College.

Despite the problems of the recent past, I feel it is important now to look forward to our future as the next generation of family doctors. General Practice is finally being acknowledged as a specialty in its own right and rightly so. The work of GPs day in, day out is vital to the effective running of the NHS and has in the past been unrecognised. Recently, the introduction of the new curriculum has aimed to provide a clear guide to the huge amount of knowledge and clinical skills we need to be excellent generalists. The new MRCGP examination has replaced the old system of summative assessment +/- old MRCGP with a new clinically focused competence based exam. The number of acronyms (AKT, CSA, COT, CBD, DOPs) seems endless but I hope once trainees and trainers alike get used to the new style it will prove to be a far better way of ensuring we are well trained.

The College is very keen to involve the large number of new Associates in Training AiT). There is a newly appointed board of AiTs which includes representatives from all regions of the UK to ensure local issues can be addressed at a national level. We are keen to hear any views you have on life as an AiT, good or bad, so please get in touch by e-mail. I look forward to representing you over the next two years.

AiT Committee Deputy Chair - Rafik Taibjee

Rafik started university as a law student but quickly realised his heart lay elsewhere.  He qualified from Birmingham in 2004, and has been a trainee in the region ever since and is an ST3 in the Sandwell and Dudley area.

Rafik is also a member of the BMA UK General Practice Committee, a Quality Assurer with PMETB and the GMC.

Thank you for the privilege of being one of your representatives on the College Council.  Being elected to this role by the AiT Committee was an important moment for me, as for many years I’ve been actively representing junior doctors at the BMA, and seen it work to improve our pay and working conditions.

However, we need trainees to get involved with the bigger picture.  What will our jobs be like in 10 years?  The decisions about this are happening now, and I believe the RCGP will be instrumental in guiding us to make the best decisions keeping the interests of patients at our heart.  Just this year we are discussing federated practices, revalidation and extending training to five years.

The College has lots to offer.  In a few years time we will all be new GPs, possibly working in isolation, with a steep learning curve.  The RCGP can support us by making this transition as smooth as possible.  Through being involved I’ve been funded to go on two leadership and managements courses, developed an interest in medical education, and met some inspirational people, at RCGP Conferences, for example.

Having been through the new assessments of the nMRCGP, I have experienced the benefits and the drawbacks of introducing a new system.    Through effective communication with the RCGP we can improve things, and we are lucky to have such an enthusuastic AiT Committee.  Please use your regional representatives, and let us know your views.  But better still, get involved with the RCGP through your regional faculties.  Make the College what you want it to be; make it provide the support you need; make sure your voice is heard.

Email Clare and Rafik at ait@rcgp.org.uk