The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is considering changes to how we work, including our election processes. To gather the views of our membership, we’ve launched the first in a series of surveys.
Who can vote in RCP elections?
Currently, only fellows can vote for the president and other senior roles. We are seeking feedback from our membership on whether this should change.
The survey will be open from 17 April – 18 May 2025.
This survey is open to members and fellows only. To access the survey, an email with the link will be sent on 17 April to launch the survey. You can view the questions here for information only. To participate members must use the survey link to fill in the survey.
Join an online session to learn more
Fellows and members can join a short online session to ask questions and find out more before filling in the survey.
- 7 May, 17.30–18.30
- 8 May, 17.30–18.30
- 13 May, 12.00–13.00
To book a space, please email registrar@rcp.ac.uk with your RCP code and your preferred date and time.
Why is this important?
The RCP is over 500 years old and we are governed by our 1518 royal charter, national legislation (including the Medical Act 1860) and numerous bye-laws and regulations. We adhere to Charity Commission rules and regulations under UK charity law. The Board of Trustees is the RCP’s governing body and works closely with RCP Council, which leads on professional and medical matters.
The publication of The King’s Fund independent learning review in September 2024 pointed to the need for improvements in the RCP’s culture, governance, processes and the way in which we represent physicians of all generations. A constitutional and governance review group, chaired by the RCP registrar, has designed a set of questions around voting rights and elections to be put to the membership.
Once this survey closes, RCP Council will consider the results, and in September 2025, the annual general meeting (AGM) of fellows will be asked to vote on the final set of proposals. Where possible, new ways of working will be implemented from 2026. Any more significant changes, such as amending the Medical Act 1860, will take longer and require parliament to pass new legislation.
Please let us know what you think – your voice matters.