History of the College

Full Chronology of The RCGP

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Before the NHS

Foundation of the College

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2007

1976 <
1950		Formation of the General Practice section of the RSM.
25^th March 1950		Publication in *The Lancet* of "General Practice In England Today – A Reconnaissance" by Joseph S. Collings. Collings concluded that whilst specialist medicine had been growing and developing there were no standards for general practice, no incentives to go into it and that the demands of national insurance have put an intolerable strain upon the GP "An attempt should be made to define the future province and function of general practice within the frame work of the National Health Service. This deliberative task should, in the first instance, be undertaken by the people most concerned – namely "ordinary" general practitioners."
April 1951		John Hunt was appointed to a committee on general practice of the Royal College of Physicians of London.
June 1951		George MacFeat publishes a proposal for a College in the BMJ "The family doctor" which John Hunt replied to. This indirectly led to John Hunt writing his memoranda on the subject to the BMA.
Oct 1951		The General Practice Review Committee of the British Medical Association considers memoranda by FM Rose and John Hunt both arguing for a college.
28 Feb 1952		Steering committee brought together. "General Practitioners … are essential to the heart and soul of medicine. It is increasingly realised that this development and emancipation of general practice is not only a question of professional pride and status but is an urgent economic need. Only by developing a higher standard of general practice, and by making full use of properly trained general practitioners (with access to hospital and laboratory facilities), can the present overcrowding of outpatient departments and excessive specialist consultations be avoided."
NOV 1952		FOUNDATION OF THE COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS AS AN UNICORPORATED ASSOCIATION AT 14 Blackfriars Lane, London EC4 [The Society of Apothecaries].
17 Dec 1952		Finance & General Purposes Committee elected
1 Jan 1953		The Practitioner: "The foundation of this College is an outstanding event in the history of British medicine…".
1 Jan 1953		Foundation membership opened. Membership was at first restricted to doctors in the Medical Register who had been i) 20 years in general practice or its equivalent as a general medical officer or ii) 5 years in general practice and who gave an undertaking to accept postgraduate instruction for the equivalent of three days a year or five and a half days every two years or iii) 5 years in general practice and who possessed a higher postgraduate degree or diploma. The entrance fee was 10 guineas.
21 Jan 1953		Research Committee formed. The founders of the college wanted it to encourage, guide and co-ordinate research into the problems of general practice. The college was to be a centre for family doctors to pool knowledge and experience. Advertisements were placed in TheBMJ and The Lancet asking for those who were interested in research to place their name on the college’s research register. A panel was formed to co-ordinate research and give advice and guidance. Early topics to be investigated were "value of the use of sulphonamides and antibiotics in the prevention of the complications of measles" and " a collection of morbidity statistics."
21 Jan 1953		Undergraduate Education committee formed. It contacted all the medical schools in Britain asking whether there were any arrangements for general practitioners to teach students general practice; how many hours lectures on general practice took place; whether students visited practitioners in their rooms and on rounds. The committee published its findings in the BMJ 1953 [II: 36] Teaching of General practice by General Practitioners "We believe that the time has come for medical schools and general practitioners to combine, in .. mutual understanding, over the training of family doctors. Both should recognise their responsibility for the quality of general practice in this country."
21 Jan 1953		Postgraduate Education committee formed. This was to encourage postgraduate instruction as a prerequisite for practice and training a qualified doctor for a career in general practice; continuing a practitioners education throughout the working life, encouraging specialist interests, providing a centre for practitioners to meet and exchange ideas. It was hoped that the college would be a clearing house for ideas, equipment and information for general practitioners.
21 Jan 1953		Regional Organisation committee formed.
18 Feb 1953		Full Foundation Council created.
April 1953		Research Newsletter launched. It proposed the establishment of research fellowships and prizes. Originally it was distributed only to members of the research register and aimed to keep members in touch with the with the activities of the Research Committee. By 1956 it was being published quarterly and was made available to the general public at a cost of 3s 6d per copy but was free to College members. It was later split into two publications - The Journal of the College of General Practitioners [later BJGP] and Between Ourselves.
11 Jun 1953		Interim Scottish Council formed.
14 Nov 1953		First AGM. A message of support was sent to the Queen on her coronation.
4 Dec 1953		Scottish Council constituted
Dec 1953		First annual report published in The Practitioner.
1953		Gavel made from an ancient plane tree from the island of Kos, the home of Hippocrates, presented by the Greek ambassador.
1953		College based in rented rooms at 54 Sloane Street.
Sep 1954		Membership recorded as 2,967 (2539 members and 428 associates).
20 Nov 1954		First James Mackenzie lecture by W.N. Pickles "Epidemiology in Country Practice".
20 Nov 1954		Examination committee founded "to give full and detailed study to an examination as a possible method of entry to Membership of the College…".
1954		Epidemic observation unit founded.
1954		Research study groups formed including respiratory tract diseases; hereditary diseases; ear, nose and throat; psychosomatic diseases and asthma in children.
1954		The Undergraduate Education committee reported and proposed a medical curriculum.
1954		Foundation of 12 regional faculties bringing total of faculties to 22. Foundation of 5 overseas faculties.
12 Oct 1955		Otago faculty founded
19 Nov 1955		First annual Butterworth medal awarded to Dr. Maclean. "The influence of home conditions during the first five years of life on the physical and mental health of children."
19 Nov 1955		Interim Australian and New Zealand councils formed.
1955		Appointment of panel of architects to give advice on surgery design.
1955		Undergraduate Education committee carried out a preliminary survey into the problems of medical manpower.
1955		Metropolitan and Home Counties Sub committee formed to consider the problems of general practitioners working with students in the London area.
20 Nov 1955		Symposium on general-practitioner obstetrics held following AGM.
1955		Recommendations on the medical curriculum sent to General Medical Council including each medical school to have a general practice observer. Each medical school to have a department of general practice which would have equal standing to other medical departments. All students should visit general practice surgeries and have lectures by general practitioners. All students should be given an insight into every day medicine as it is practiced outside hospitals.
1955		Provisional basis for a syllabus published.
1955		Proposed relocation of college to south side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
May 1956		Between Ourselves launched as an alternative to the Newsletter. It was produced by members of the Research Committee and circulated to members of the Research Register. It included current research, in-house reports on research not suitable for inclusion in the Newsletter.
28 Oct 1956		Conference on Undergraduate Education held.
30 Oct 1956		Wellington Faculty formed.
Nov 1956		Victoria Faculty formed.
1956		Kenyan faculty established but faced an uphill task with no university or medical school in the area.
1956		Faculties formed in South Ireland, Western Australia and Canterbury.
1956		The Northern Ireland faculty started offering students at Queen University Belfast a course on social problems as they affect the work of the general practitioner.
1956		The Welsh faculty arranged a course of Sunday morning ward rounds, clinical discussions and demonstrations in 16 hospitals which were attended by 216 different general practitioners.
1956		Equipment and premises sub-committee formed.
1956		First morbidity survey.
1956		Measles investigation reported. The Lancet commented "This is a venture to be warmly welcomed; for it should provide information about a group of patients not available for study by hospital research teams. If the type of work is new, so are the difficulties facing those who undertake it and the report makes this clear." (Lancet, 1956, 2, 345).
1956		New South Wales faculty start a subscription to purchase a building 147 Macquarie Street, Sydney. "It should make an excellent headquarters for our college in Australia, until such time as all the Australian faculties are formed and combine to found a sister college of their own."
1956		Members and associates asked to submit ideas for a college coat of arms and motto.
1956		Acute chest infections study group reports [BMJ 1956, I, 1516].
1956		The Ministry of Health invited the college to investigate, with the Royal Medico-Psychological Association, current problems concerning "Psychiatry and the General Practitioner".
1956		Undergraduate Education committee set up a register of general practitioners who are willing to accept students.
1956		Postgraduate Education committee’s survey of members on continuing medical education found that over 90% were in favour of introducing medical students to general practice with 56% favouring this before qualification and 60% during the pre-registration year. Each faculty to have a postgraduate education committee to organise training within its area.
1956		Chronic bronchitis study group formed.
1956		Epilepsy study started.
1956		Midlands faculty carry out research into the use of vitamin b12 to treat herpes zosta.
1956		Questionnaire on incidents of pink disease published in research newsletter.
1956		South West England faculty research into daffodil dermatitis.
1956		The Epidemic Observation Unit reported on an outbreak of 200 cases in Lowestoft of an illness characterised by pyrexia, headache, neck rigidity and vomiting.
19 Feb 1957		First meeting of New Zealand Council.
5 May 1957		Tasmania Faculty formed.
1957		First Pfizer postgraduate grant awarded of £30 a year for each faculty "to encourage the continuing education of its members and associates".
1957		Lease taken on 41 Cadogan Gardens, Sloane Square. Room set aside to display plans of practice premises and articles of practice equipment.
1957		First Upjohn travelling fellowship awarded of £200 for not less than two weeks postgraduate study at a hospital, clinic or health centre.
1957		South West faculty carry out obstetric survey.
1957		South East Scotland faculty publish a report on "The Teaching of General Practice to Medical Students."
1957		Proposals that all members and associates should undertake continuing education to maintain their membership.
1957		South East faculty produce a post graduate handbook.
1957		Working party of the Research committee formed to plan a study of the incidence of diabetes mellitus in the community.
1957		Scottish council start a maternity services enquiry.
1957		Prototype Obstetric record card designed with 20,000 being produced. Clinical summary card discussed.
Feb 1958		Research Newsletter becomes Journal of the College of General Practitioners.
4 Feb 1958		The six hundred members of the six faculties in Australia achieved their aim in creating an autonomous Australian College of General Practitioners."The sense of sadness is mitigated by the knowledge that a firm and affectionate bond exists between the mother and daughter colleges, and that our action has been in the best interests of general practice and medicine generally".
1958		Planning permission received from London County council for the new headquarters of the college to be 47-48 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
1958		The College library renamed "The Geoffrey Evans Library".
1958		Ethical Subcommittee formed.
1958		Ad hoc committee on the cost of prescribing its terms of reference being "having regard to the increased costs of prescriptions issued in the National Health Service, to investigate factors contributing to this cost and to make recommendations."
1958		Pilot survey of the records unit.
1958		John and Valerie Graves establish the medical recording service to make records of lectures on subjects of general interest to practitioners which could then be loaned out to members and associates who had difficulty attending courses and lectures.
1958		Publication of the undergraduate education handbook.
23 Nov 1958		Conference on Dyspepsia.
1958		Memorandum by postgraduate education committee on non-clinical subjects on which the aspiring general practitioner should become conversant.
1958		Retirement study into rates of morbidity experienced after retirement.
1958		Commencement of studies into farmers lung and hypertension.
1958		Formation of cancer study group.
1958		Report in financing of general practice research.
Nov 1959		College appeal launched.
1959		Commonwealth co-coordinating committee
1959		Photocopying service started based at Royal College of Surgeons.
1959		Drug addiction working party.
1959		Faculties of East Cape, Cape of Good Hope and Witwatersrand formed.
1959		Hospital and preventative medicine working party
1959		Publication of "Classification of Disease"
1960		Migraine study
1960		Glaucoma survey
1960		Inaugural College of General Practitioners Lecture "Family Life and Family Practice in the USSR" by J H Hunt.
1960		Butterworth gold medal essay "Television and Health"
1960		Conference on accident management and general practice
1960		Conference on mental health and the family doctor
1960		Study group on alcoholism
1960		Faculties of Natal and of Orange Free State formed.
1960		Survey of clinical forensic medicine
1960		Chair of Cape of Good Hope faculty [F E Hofmeyr] announces that "All college prizes in South Africa would be open to all doctors and students and that no one would be debarred on the grounds of race, colour or creed."
8 Feb 1961		Incorporation of college.
Mar 1961		Grant of coat of arms.
13 Sep 1961		Northern Transvaal faculty formed.
1961		Examination committee formed. "An examination would give those who wished to be really good general practitioners something worthwhile to plan and work for in preparing for a career in general practice. The syllabus should be in breadth rather than depth, have clinical determined by the scope of family doctoring."
1961		Medical film group established to look into possibility of making 8mm films on subjects of interest to general practitioners.
1961		Chronic bronchitis working party reconstituted.
1961		Rubella among family contacts survey
1961		Symposium on "Training of the family doctor for his work in the community".
1962		Working party on register of special interests
1962		Working party to review college administration
1962		Working party on establishment of university departments of general practice.
10 March 1962		Ugandan faculty established.
2 Dec 1962		Inaugural meeting of Irish council.
1962		Practice equipment and premises committee renamed practice organisation committee to reflect that its work "was concerned with the whole business of running a general practice efficiently".
1962		Formation of research foundation to help finance general practitioner research.
1962		Draft syllabus for college examination.
1962		Memorandum for the guidance of general practitioners in the student attachment scheme – produced by Northern Home Counties faculty.
1962		East Anglia faculty symposium on "Nutrition in General Practice".
1962		North East England faculty symposium on "Arthritis in General Practice."
1962		Northern Home Counties faculty symposium on "The Family Doctor and Care of the Aged".
1962		Publication of "Training for General Practice: a guide to the non-clinical aspects".
1962		Records and statistical unit for continuous morbidity recording in general practice and the provision of statistical advice to members established in Birmingham. It was run by D L Crombie with a statistical advisor [K W Cross], a full time statistician, an assistant and a secretary. Illnesses were recorded in "E" books. The unit initiated a method of studying the prevalence of communicable and certain respiratory diseases by means of weekly returns from the observer group. [Birmingham Research Unit Archives]
1963		Right Reverend George E Reindrop, Bishop of Guildford appointed Honorary College Chaplain [he retired in 1988]
1963		Headquarters moved to 14 Princes Gate.
1963		Corporate seal struck.
1966		College registered as a charity
1963		Yorkshire faculty symposium on "Hazards of middle age"
1963		South East England faculty symposium on "Rehabilitation"
1963		Publication of "A guide to research in General Practice"
1963		Welsh faculty symposium on "Aetiology of congenital anomalies".
1963		Toxic reaction register
1963		Amended classification of disease published [JCGP 1963, 6, 204].
1963		Establishment of research advisory service
1963		Measles vaccine trial
1963		Conference on "The use of the tape in medical teaching"
12 Jan 1964		Inaugural meeting of Wessex faculty.
May 1964		East of Ireland symposium on "Problems of sex in general practice"
3 May 1964		General meeting held in Dublin [the first outside London]. A discussion was held on "Are too many general practitioners indifferent to the aims of the College?" There was general agreement on how important it was to interest younger doctors in the work of the college and to persuade them to join.
Sep 1964		Symposium of South East Scotland faculty on "Preventative medicine and general practice."
25 Nov 1964		Visit by Lady Churchill to Princes Gate.
1964		Symposium at Thames Valley faculty on "Antibiotics in general practice"
1964		Future of general practice working party was formed to consider the ramification of the Gillie report.
1964		Recommendation that family doctor should always be notified when a patient is discharged from hospital.
1964		Tamar Valley soil study
1964		Public Welfare Foundation prize competition ended.
1964		Preliminary survey on 8mm film.
1964		College of General Practitioners Club formed.
1964		Survey on the "Outcome of Pregnancy" to correlate the various aspects of the environment of mothers in early pregnancy.
1964		Course for young practitioners "Early Years in General Practice".
1964		Series of evening discussions held at Princes Gate.
1964		Symposium on "Art and science of general practice"
1964		Exhibition on "Disposable equipment in general practice"
1964		Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education committees merge
Nov 1964		In a reversal of past policy it was agreed that Members could use the initials M.C.G.P.
1965		Symposium "Advising the family"
1965		Health Education working party
1965		Present State and Future Needs published by the Future of General Practice Subcommittee as Report from General Practice Number 2 [Chaired by John Fry]
1965		Cystic fibrosis survey
1965		Oral contraception working party.
1 Nov 1965		First College examination.
1965		Epsom College schoolchildren survey.
1965		Mental illness survey
1965		Professor Richard Scott gave annual James Mackenzie lecture entitled "Medicine in Society" "the present state of affairs in general practice in every country was the concern of nearly everyone and not only of family doctors themselves, and that medicine could flourish only when society was willing and able to pay the price of providing resources, manpower and administrative machinery for ensuring that the doctor had the education, the time and the tools to do this job properly."
1965		Publication of "General practice today, its conditions, contents and satisfaction" under auspices of practice organisation committee.
1965		Publication of "Special Vocational Training for General Practice"
8 Mar 1966		North London faculty meeting "Medical aspects of sport" Roger Bannister.
3 June 1966		Symposium on "The architecture and organisational needs of general practice premises with emphasis on group practice".
27 July 1966		Conference on "Oral contraception".
1966		Medical recording service starts using tapes instead of records.
1966		Survey of medical centres. "The advent of medical centres appears to have made it easier for general practitioners to make fuller use of their local hospital and its various departments.
1966		Working party on education in psychology and psychiatry, before and after qualification.
1966		Formation of Research department. "The maintenance of high standards of research recording in general practice has never been so difficult. There are now fewer doctors in practice and their capacity to meet the needs of their patients is severely strained. Research work must never be undertaken at the expense of patient care and is an addition to the practitioner’s heavy load. If standards are to be maintained every possible step must be taken to lighten the extra commitments that so many general practitioners now voluntarily assume."
1966		Publication of "Preventive medicine and general practice, the quality of medical care."
1966		Publication of "General practice in the new towns of Britain".
1966		Publication of "The early stages of chronic bronchitis."
1966		Half a million raised through college appeal.
1966		Epidemic observation unit inquiry into reactions to measles vaccines
1966		Epidemic observation unit inquiry into febrile convulsions
1966		Epidemic observation unit inquiry into intra-uterine rubella
1966		Completion of air pollution study
1966		Completion of multiple sclerosis study
1966		Completion of roadside lead health study
1966		Surname study (S.W. England/Eire/Newfoundland) to study morbidity patterns with families of same name.
1966		South East faculty complete hernia study
1966		Committee on Fellowship founded
1966		College grace composed "God be praised for food and friends: Inspire our skills: Kindle our compassion. Amen".
1966		Research and education advisory service working party.
1966		Diploma working party
1966		Congenital abnormalities survey.
1966		Completion of student attachment survey
1966		Recording systems working party – to consider the principles of record systems for medical care in relation to advances in data handling.
1966		Nutrition in pregnancy survey.
Nov 1966		Demonstration of car radio telephones at AGM.
1967		Nurse referral study
17 Apr 1967		"Royal"prefix added to College title.
1967		Formation of Education Foundation Board [later merged with the Research Foundation Board to form the Scientific Foundation Board]
23 Jun 1967		Plaque unveiled to commemorative John F. Kennedy living at Princes Gate.
1967		Faculty review working party
1967		Obstetric working party "The future of maternity services in Britain is uncertain… it is impossible to predict whether hospital obstetric departments will be able to maintain a full complement of medical staff at registrar and house-officer level in the years immediately ahead, or whether general practitioners will be more or less inclined to pay a role within these services."
8 Oct 1967		South East Wales faculty formed.
1967		Formation of Welsh soils discussion group
Nov 1967		Resolved that all applicants for membership must sit an examination.
Dec 1967		Conference "The exploration of teaching in general practice".
1967		Publication of "Design guide for medical group practice centre".
1967		Completion of oral contraceptives and venous thrombosis study.
1967		Fellowship nomination committee formed.
7 Jan 1968		Inaugural meeting of Welsh council.
19 May 1968		First William Pickles lecture "The passing of the ‘eight’ train" by Patrick Byrne.
Jun1968		Implementation of vocational training conference
1 Jul 1968		Foundation of South African College of General Practice.
1968		Education newsletter
1968		District general hospital working party
1968		College tutors working party
1968		Scottish conference on "Morbidity recording".
1968		Manchester research unit established.
1969		Canadian working party
1969		Working Party on Report of Royal Commission on Medical Education [Todd commission] "If there is to be a programme of professional training for this branch of medicine, extending over several years after primary qualification, resources must be developed to meet new needs… the greatest need will be for doctors who are capable of teaching, but willingness and nascent ability are not sufficient. Unlike other branches of medicine there is not an established tradition of teaching within general practice itself…in the changing climate of practice the single-handed doctor is becoming the exception rather than the common-place. Group practice has obvious advantages for teaching but it also poses problems; not only must individuals be selected but also ‘teaching practices’… If growth [of the college] is to be maintained and membership is to remain a desirable attainment for doctors of the future, the College must be prepared and equipped to examine much larger numbers than it has handled heretofore… this will add new strains on its resources both in manpower and in organisation."
1969		Australian working party
1969		Course "Research methods in general practice".
June 1969		Course "Problems of general practice".
1969		Group practice working party and conference
1969		Practice characteristics study
1969		The use of ancillaries study
1969		Committee on Fellowship proposals to widen criteria [JRCGP 1969, 18, 50)
1969		Hospital Working party publishes "An enquiry into hospital beds available to practitioners."
1969		Outcome of laryngectomy study
1969		Academic review working party. This was a wide reaching committee which looked at what the College had achieved in the areas of examination, education and research, publications, relationships with other bodies and looked at when was going to be the changes and priorities for the next ten years. This resulted in "Present State and Future Needs" published in 1970.
1969		Publication of "The practice nurse"
1969		Publication of "General practice teaching of undergraduates".
1969		Symposium "Ethics and the practice of medicine".
1969		Symposium "The evaluation of the quality of medical care in Britain – problems and methods".
1969		Mace presented to college by Annis Gillie. The mace was blessed by the Bishop of Guildford "Oh god who hast given to men the skills of healing and the gift of compassion, bless we pray thee this mace – a symbol of the office and work of the Royal College of General Practitioners and grant to those who bear office in it wisdom and right judgement."
1969		Sixteenth James Mackenzie lecture by Dr G K Hodgkin entitled "Behaviour – the community and the GP". "’We in our college have gradually gained our confidence and medical recognition by first defining and then preaching that general practice is an academic discipline in its own right. But if the academic status of general practice is to rise, it is necessary to develop an active area of research in a field unique to general practice; to be fully effective this unique field must have wide spread interest and application. It is my thesis that the study of human behaviour provides the general practitioner with just such a unique and interesting field of research."
April 1970		Symposium "Screening of women".
June 1970		GMC agreed that MRCGP & FRCGP become registrable qualifications
1970		Second National Morbidity Survey starts with 57 practices covering a population of 300,000.
1970		Medical Recording Service foundation established.
1970		Completion of schizophrenia study
1970		Joint committee with RCP on "The place of the general practitioner in the hospital"
1970		Visit of members of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
1970		Malta faculty founded.
1970		Continuing Education subcommittee formed
1971		Joint Working Party [with DHSS et al] on the Redesign of Medical Records in General Practice - this working party recommended that A4 records be introduced but the government decided in 1975 that it was to expensive to make the change.
1971		Scottish general practice research unit formed at Dundee University.
1971		Armed forces subcommittee established
1972		Investment committee established
1972		Ugandan faculty dissolved.
Feb 1972		Conference " Family Planning in the Seventies"
March 1972		5 day Multidisciplinary Course for health visitors, GP’s and social workers held at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor chaired by N C Mond
March 1972		Advanced course in General Practice [two week course – 20 sessions - for MRCGP candidates who had been principles in general practice for 5 years but had not had vocational training)
July 1972		Symposium on the prescribing and use of psychotropic drugs
1972		Publication of "General Practice and Abortion"
1972		Publication of "General Practitioners and Contraception in 1970-1971"
1972		Working party on the possible appointment of a director of education at College headquarters.
1972		Publication of "General Practice in the London Borough of Camden - report of an enquiry 1968."
1972		Working party on the problems of late entrants and women doctors in relation to vocational training.
1972		Working party on research into educational problems.
1972		Publication of "The future general practitioner – learning and teaching"
1972		Publication of Teaching Practices
1972		Establishment of Wolfson Foundation overseas visiting professorship
1972		Working party on National Health Service re-organisation
1972		Establishment of Sir Harry Jephcott visiting professorship
1972		Update award for ancillary staff
1972		Banting and Best memorial medals to commemorate the jubilee of the discovery ofinsulin. The medals to be awarded to writers of the best essays on "The management of maturity onset diabetes in general practice."
1972		Establishment of Fraser Rose gold medal for the most outstanding candidate in membership examination.
1972		London Teachers workshop
1972		The Scope of General Practice Course ran by John Stevens [24 weeks day release]
1972		HRH Prince Philip elected President.
1972		Urban mineralization study
1972		Viral diseases in pregnancy study
1972		Medical education research unit
1972		Obstetric working party
1972		Meldon reservoir study completed.
1972		First scientific meeting of departments of general practice held at Cardiff
1972		Evidence to Working of the Abortion Act Committee [Lane Committee]
1972		Undergraduate education subcommittee proposes an Association of Teachers of General Practice.
1972		Research register discontinued
1972		Study by Scottish general practitioners research support unit "The effect of the first health centre in Dundee on patterns of medical care.".
1972		Annual loans of medical recording service 16,000 from a total of 800 titles. Cassettes overtaking tapes as the medium of choice.
1973		HRH Prince Philip resigns as President and become Patron of the college.
1973		Vocational training committee renamed Higher Training committee in general practice
1973		Research advisor asked to convene new research committee of WONCA
1973		Publication of second edition of "Glossary of terms and definitions used in research in general practice."
1973		Study group on the organisation of general practice (Godber committee)
1973		Armed services subcommittee disbanded.
1973		Tripartite working party on vocational training
1973		Working party on evidence to Merrison committee – regulation of the medical profession.
1973		Joint working party on obstetrics for the family doctor
1973		Working party on recognition of vocational training schemes
1973		John Hunt fellowship "Dean of Studies" established
1973		Joint certificate in contraception
1973		North East faculty renamed of North of England.
1973		Correspondence courses working party decided that there was insufficient demand for such a scheme.
1973		Working party on needs for continuing education, including methods of self-assessment.
1973		Study on the long term effects of influenza
1973		Vocational training subcommittee establishes four standing groups: content; teaching; planning and standards
1973		Pilot trials for proposed abortion study
1973		Publication of "teaching practices"
1973		Confidentiality working party
Feb 1973		Joint meeting with Marriage Guidance Council
Feb 1973		Health Centre Entrants Course
March 1973		Content of General Practice Course run by Paul Freeling and Marshall Marinker based on the "Future General Practitioner"
April 1973		Joint Congress in Family Medicine with Canadian College meeting on Postgraduate Education held at Central Hall, Westminster
April & Oct 1973		Courses in “Early Years in General Practice” run by Terence Lee
Nov 1973		Course on "The health centre project"
Nov 1973		Course on "Marriage guidance"
April 1974		Rockefeller conference
1974		Working party on evidence to the enquiry on the future role and functions of dieticians; their education and training."
1974		Working party on "Battered babies" by South West faculty
1974		Working party on evidence to "The Royal Commission on civil liability and compensation for personal injury."
1974		Joint working party on "Paediatric training for general practice"
1974		Employment and social services subcommittee of the expenditure committee, House of Commons – enquiry into emergency and accident services working party.
1974		Working party on general practice and community medicine
1974		Publication of "The development of higher training programmes" by North of England faculty
1974		Joint college hospital visiting
1974		Postgraduate Training committee "to advise the College through the postgraduate councils and regional postgraduate committees, of the standards required for postgraduate training programmes for general practice; to accredit training programmes and posts furnishing an educational experience suitable for assessment by the MRCGP examination."
1974		Interim report of the oral contraception study
1974		North and West London faculties merge.
1974		First report of second morbidity study published
1974		Tonsillectomy study
1974		Bereavement study
1974		Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire faculty established.
1974		Essex faculty established
1974		North and East London faculties merge.
1974		Education study groups convened on undergraduate education; "to prepare a statement on the content of undergraduate medical education which may best be learned in the study of general practice or may best be taught by general practitioners." education overlap with other caring professions; [by Scottish council] education research;"to prepare a report on the college’s needs and priorities in educational research" problem orientated medical records;"to prepare a report on the use of problem orientated medical records as an educational tool." medical recording service; community hospitals; "to prepare a report on the additions to the content of vocational training and continuing education consequent on the introduction of the community hospital in primary care." Balint seminars; "to prepare a report on the future use of Balint seminars in vocational training and continuing education." higher education;"to prepare a report on the development of a higher training programme" health education;"to prepare a report on the scope of health education in general practice and the future role of the college in this field". experimental courses "to plan and execute and evaluate experimental educational courses in London" [replaced Headquarters courses subcommittee"] - first meeting June 1974 Nuffield project"to identify and educate course organisers"
30 Sep - 4 Oct 1974		Experimental RCGP Teachers Course led by Bill Styles, Raymond King and Jack Henneman
1974		Genetic markers study
1974		Practice organisation report on "The function of the physiotherapist in the community"
1974		Practice organisation report on "Computer facilities and the practitioner"
1974		Practice organisation report on "The GP team and community hospitals"
1974		Practice organisation report on "The role of the health visitor"
1974		Publication of oral contraceptives and health
1974		Beckwith-Smith fellowship "part time research fellowship for an Epidemiology study of local and general features in the environment study of local and general features in the environment which are thought to influence the personal health of patients."
Oct 1974		Advanced course in General Practice
1975		Joint report on Nursing in the Community
1975		Working party on Abortion (amendment) bill
1975		Publication of first issue of "Research Intelligence"
Jan 1975		Joint Study course on the GP and the Geriatrician
March 1975		Ages of Man II [School days] Course
21-25 April 1975		Teachers Course
28 April- 2 May 1975		Advanced Course in General Practice
2 May 1975		Symposium on clinical audit
July & Oct 1975		Early years in general practice course
22-26 Sep 1975		Course for "General Practitioners Trained outside of Great Britain"
8 Oct 1975		Course "On Dying Well"
18 Oct 1975		Migraine in Childhood symposia
27-28 Nov 1975		Course on Communication and Language in General Practice
18-19 Dec 1975		Bone and Joint Rehabilitation Course
1975		North Midlands faculty renamed Trent faculty.
1975		Library publish "New Reading for General Practitioners"
1975		Epidemic Observation Unit established by Dr Grob at the University of Surrey.
1975		Swansea Research unit established.
1975		Statement on Abortion (Amendment bill)
1976		Boards of Censors and Education merge
Feb 1976		GMC conference on the recommendations of the Merrison committee.
Feb 1976		Postgraduate Training Committee to become independent and known as the "Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice." [JCPTGP].The new committee would advise the councils for postgraduate medical education and the regional postgraduate committees of the standards required for vocational training programmes in general practice. It would also recognise training programmes furnishing an educational experience suitable for evaluation through the MRCGP examination.
March 1976		Ages of Man Course III "the Years of Struggle" (19-35 Years)
June 1976		MRCGP Exam orals held in Edinburgh as well as London
1976		Joint Board of Censors and Education policy paper on "Hospital posts recognised for the MRCGP examination"
1976		Research and practice organisation committees create liaison group on primary care.