"Working together to improve patient care"

Why a Foundation?

The General Practice Foundation is an RCGP initiative which offers general practice nurses, managers and physician assistants the opportunity to be a part of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Through access to a wide range of educational material and association with the College, the Foundation aims to support the professional development of the wider primary care team and to enhance levels of patient care.

Background

Profession leads were recruited in autumn 2008 and sub-groups were formed for each professional group to develop proposals for their individual areas. The leads and College representatives formed a steering group which has been responsible for overseeing the work of the sub-groups and for developing the Foundation to date.

Working with Others

The leads involved individuals who are able to represent organisations or groups of individuals in the sub-groups. The Management sub-group, for example, has included the Chief Executive from the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) and focused on working in partnership with that organisation to develop proposals. The nursing sub-group has involved representation from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the three devolved countries and the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health (England).

The Fora

Forum of Practice Management : Open to any manager working in Practice Management in General Medical Practice in the UK

Forum of Nursing in General Practice : Open to any registered nurse working in General Medical Practice in the UK

Forum of Physician Assistants : Open to anyone working as a Physician Assistant in General Medical Practice in the UK