The King’s Fund review was commissioned by the RCP following an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on the role of physician associates (PAs) in March 2024. The report sets out recommendations on improving leadership, management and culture, and structure and processes at the college, including a governance review that considers Board effectiveness, college byelaws and how RCP Council operates.
To deliver on these recommendations, the RCP developed a response plan with 14 actions. We publish highlight reports for the Board of trustees, RCP Council, and members and staff through bulletins and the web. Here’s how we’re getting on six months in:
1. Leadership, management and culture
We’re strengthening the RCP’s values and behaviours to support a more inclusive and positive culture:
- Creating consistent onboarding and induction processes for staff, officers and volunteers.
- Reviewing key policies like our Code of Conduct and appraisal processes to make them clearer and more inclusive.
- An action group including fellows, members, staff and patient representatives is being set up to shape and review these changes.
2. Governance review
We’re reviewing how we govern and make decisions:
- A new Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr Diana Walford CBE, has been appointed.
- Standard procedures for running EGMs and large meetings are being modernised.
- Work is underway to define the scope of a full review of our governance with external support.
- Council has approved a constitutional review, to modernise the way in which Council operates, and we’re now preparing to consult fellows and members on proposed voting changes.
3. Structure and processes
We’re improving internal processes to make the RCP more transparent and member-focused:
- A new communications reference group made up of fellows and members is helping shape improvements to how we communicate and engage.
- We're launching a redesigned version of Commentary magazine, introducing clearer updates and openness on Council business, and improving survey practices across the organisation.
- A new CRM and social media strategy are being developed to better engage with members.
4. Health and wellbeing support
We’re supporting the wellbeing of our people at the RCP:
- We’re developing a dedicated health and wellbeing survey for clinical volunteers.
- We’re exploring how to extend current support (like our employee assistance programme) to officers and volunteers.
- A new time-management toolkit for clinical roles is being piloted, and we’re planning focus groups to hear directly from those we support.
The action plan
Our action plan takes the main themes from The King’s Fund learning review and groups 14 actions alongside them. We hope to complete much of the work by the end of 2025, although governance and constitutional changes will include active engagement with the membership so take longer.
The action plan is being led by the strategy executive group – senior officers and executive directors – and reports to BoT and Council.
Theme one: Leadership, management and culture
1. Create consistency across staff and volunteer people policies
2. Review appraisal structures
3. Improve induction processes for volunteers
4. Create cultural alignment across volunteer and staff workforce
5. Develop president and chair of Board of trustees’ relationship
Theme two: Governance review
6. Commission an external review of the governance structure, including Council operations, Board of trustees’ effectiveness, standing orders and the bye-laws
7. Develop standard operating procedures for extraordinary general meetings (EGMs) and any large meetings involving fellows or members
8. Review the constitution with a focus on voting rights
9. Review the criteria for calling an EGM
Theme three: Structure and processes
10. Review and improve membership engagement and communications processes
11. Review management of member and other surveys to improve quality, consistency and design
Theme four: Staff and officer capacity, health and wellbeing support
12. Review current support services for staff and officers
13. Implement additional wellbeing programmes
14. Analyse officer and executive time commitments, providing additional support where necessary
We will continue to update regularly, including more detailed news items on key projects in the plan. For more information, contact PMO@rcp.ac.uk.
This page was last updated April 2025.
