1. Introduction
This statement sets out the steps taken by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in its operations and supply chains. The RCP is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or those we do business with.
2. Organisational structure and supply chains
The RCP (charity no. 210508) is a professional membership body for physicians, with around 40,000 members and fellows worldwide. It operates from offices in London and Liverpool, with additional regional offices across the UK. The RCP Group includes:
- The Royal College of Physicians of London (charity parent)
- RCP Regent’s Park Ltd (wholly owned commercial subsidiary).
The RCP has an annual turnover of approximately £44 million and procures around £17 million in goods and services annually. Our supply chains include professional services, office support, IT, catering and hospitality – some of which are recognised as higher risk for modern slavery.
3. Policies in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking
We maintain the following policies and procedures to prevent modern slavery:
- sustainable procurement policy: requires all suppliers to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and relevant legislation
- supplier code of conduct: explicitly prohibits forced labour, child labour, discrimination and unsafe working conditions
- employment practices: includes right-to-work checks, age verification, market-related pay reviews and wellbeing initiatives
- Living Wage commitment: all suppliers with staff on our premises must pay at least the National Living Wage.
4. Due diligence and risk management
We assess and manage modern slavery risks through:
- supplier mapping: categorising suppliers by location, size and industry to identify risk indicators
- pre-contract checks: requiring all new suppliers to disclose their modern slavery and human trafficking policies and risk mitigation measures
- contractual clauses: embedding obligations to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in all contracts and encouraging cascading of these obligations through supply chains
- affiliation with Electronics Watch: through our membership of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC), we support independent monitoring of electronics supply chains.
5. Measuring effectiveness
To assess the effectiveness of our actions, we are developing the following key performance indicators (KPIs):
- percentage of new suppliers assessed for modern slavery and human trafficking risk
- percentage of contracts containing modern slavery and human trafficking clauses
- number of staff trained on modern slavery and human trafficking awareness
- number of supplier audits or follow-ups conducted.
6. Training and awareness
We are committed to raising awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking among our staff and members. Our members are encouraged to share knowledge with healthcare colleagues, and we are expanding internal training for procurement and HR teams to better identify and respond to risks.
7. Future commitments
In the next reporting year, we aim to:
- expand procurement and contract management training for staff to include modern slavery and human trafficking awareness
- carry out supplier audits on the RCP’s top 100 suppliers (by spend)
- publish our statement on the UK government’s modern slavery statement registry
- review and update our sustainable procurement policy and supplier code of conduct on an annual basis.
8. Approval and publication
This statement has been approved by the Board of Trustees and is signed by the joint interim chief executive officers. It is published on the RCP’s website and will be submitted to the UK government’s modern slavery statement registry.
Signed,
Tom Baker, joint interim CEO
Catherine Powell, joint interim CEO
Date of approval by Board of Trustees: 18 September 2025