RCGP Archives Overview
Institutional Records - Faculties
Faculty History
The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded on 28
February 1952. It was decided early on to have regional faculties
to relieve the College Council of local responsibilities connected
with activities of the College. These activities would largely deal
with undergraduate education, postgraduate education and research,
working in close liaison with local medical schools and
universities.
The faculties are a resource which generate social and
professional contact with peers, and facilitates contact between
GPs and those who work in local primary health care. Many faculties
are seen as local providers of general practice education. In
addition, many produce newsletters designed to keep members
informed on local initiatives and provide a medium for members to
exchange information and ideas. Faculties mirror the organisation
of central Council, the governing body of the College. Each is run
by a Faculty board and has a chairman, honorary secretary,
treasurer and a number of elected members. At least one
representative from each Faculty sits on the College Council.
The first faculty North East (later North) England was
formed on 4th April 1953. On 28th March and 2 May 1953 statements
were published in the BMJ and Lancet on proposed regional faculties
in London, Home Counties (South); Home Counties (North); Thames
Valley (Oxford); East Anglia (Cambridge); South-West (Bristol);
Midland (Birmingham); North Midland (Sheffield); East and West
Riding (Leeds); North-West Regional (Manchester); Merseyside
(Liverpool); North-East Regional (Newcastle); Welsh (Cardiff);
South-East Scottish (Edinburgh); West Scottish (Glasgow); East
Scottish (Dundee); North-East Scottish (Aberdeen); North Scottish
(Inverness) and Northern Ireland (Belfast).
By 1969 the number of faculties had grown to twenty in Great
Britain and fifteen overseas and currently [2001] there are 31
faculties in Great Britain.