What we do

A message from Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of RCGP Council and a practising GP in Lichfield.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair "I am immensely proud to be Chair of this College, representing and supporting over 52,000 hardworking and dedicated family doctors in delivering quality care to patients.

I have been a GP for over 15 years now and I still think it's the best job in medicine.

GPs are expert medical generalists. Every day in our surgeries, we are managing conditions that even a decade ago would have been automatically referred to hospital consultants.

We are the only doctors in the NHS who have the skills and expertise to care for the 'whole person', and the only doctors in the NHS who have the opportunity and the privilege to build up lifelong relationships with our patients.

But being a GP can also be incredibly stressful and pressurised – that's why the College is here for you and with you at every stage of your career.

That's why we are campaigning on your behalf for more investment, more GPs and support staff, for the resources you need to do your jobs, so that the profession you enter is strong and sustainable.

We are here to steer you through your professional development and ensure that you are supported in your learning so that you can deliver the best possible care to your patients.

But patients need safe doctors so we are also here to make sure you look after your own health and wellbeing.

Thank you for choosing general practice – and thank you for being members of our wonderful College community.

By working together, we can make general practice and being a GP the best it can be, now and in the future."

We are the professional membership body for GPs in the UK. Our purpose is to encourage, foster and maintain the highest possible standards in general medical practice.

We support GPs through all stages of their career, from medical students considering general practice, through to training, qualified years and retirement.

As a member of the RCGP, you'll get support to: