Royal College of General Practitioners

Overview
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) was founded in 1952 in London, England. It is a registered charity that aims to maintain the highest standards of general medical practice in education, training and research in the UK.

It has achieved the establishment of vocational training, research, creation of clinical guidelines, and the promotion of primary care. Much of this was initiated by the first president of the then College of General Practitioners, Dr. William Pickles, who was one of the few members of the British Medical Association (BMA) who spoke out in favour of the foundation of the National Health Service (NHS) and was held in high regard world wide for his work in epidemiology, while working at his GP practice in Wensleydale.

The RCGP awards the Quality Practice Award (QPA) to GP practices in the UK to show recognition for high quality patient care by all members of staff in the team.

The college publishes the British Journal of General Practice, formerly known as The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners.