RCGP East Anglia Wellbeing Community Group Lead

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) convened a Short Life Working Group (SLWG) In October 2017 to develop a strategy with priorities to guide the College in addressing wellbeing for its members and general practices. The College has since developed Membership, CPD and Digital Strategies, each of which will help move this work forward and allow for greater discernibility across the College. The areas below aim to draw valid Wellbeing priorities from these strategies to ensure cross- college alignment.

The SLWG concluded their work, held several events, and had widespread engagement from members, stakeholders, and specialists in their field. The group outlined a set of priorities which were signed off by the Membership Experience Board (MEPB) in 2019. The group will aim to aid the College in achieving these priorities and ensure they are done with the GP practitioner in mind.

Roles and representative structure

The RCGP Wellbeing Community group will be made up of the following roles:

• Wellbeing Chair
• RCGP President/Officer representation
• Regional Wellbeing Champions
• Student/FY Representative
• AiT Representative
• First5 Lead Representative
• Retired GP Lead Representative
• Membership Communities Manager

Additional roles:

• Other members/staff who are outside the above criteria will be allowed to join the group as Co- opted members once they submit a short personal statement explaining their interest in Wellbeing to the secretariat. As Co-opted members they will not be obliged to attend meetings.

Responsibilities

Each Member will be expected to:

• Attend meetings of the Wellbeing Community groups
• Attend the Community Summit induction day – (expenses paid where necessary)
• Act as a point of contact for Staff and Members locally or nationally and engage with them to discuss ways where the College could improve Wellbeing amongst GPs
• Respond to group emails, contribute ideas for discussion and respond or comment on policies.

Chair(s):

• Lead the group to enable it to fulfil its purpose
• Plan and prepare the group meetings with others as appropriate
• Act as a spokesperson and figurehead as appropriate
• Ensure an effective relationship between the group, RCGP staff and external stakeholders

Chair meetings ensuring:

• A balance is struck between timekeeping and space for discussions
• The main priorities are dealt with and decisions made
• The implementation of decisions is clearly assigned and monitored

Recognition

For the group’s hard work, members will be invited to exclusive events, and have access to a wide range of training opportunities including public speaking and social media. They’ll also receive opportunities to be involved with and attend the RCGP Annual Conference. Representatives of the group can also sit and attend other meetings on behalf of the College and attend additional events/conferences throughout the UK.

Term of office

Tenure on the group will be three years with an expected committed level of engagement expected including the attendance of meetings. This will be subject to review on an annual basis.

Meeting arrangements

The RCGP Wellbeing Community group will meet quarterly where possible. Outside of the meetings, members are expected to take responsibility for their agreed actions.

The group members will share responsibility representing the RCGP on internal and external committees and groups where necessary.

Reporting

The group will report to the Strategic Development Group 1, and Secretariat support will be provided by the Public Relations and Corporate Communications team within the College’s Policy and Engagement directorate.

Review

The group will be reviewed on an annual basis or as requested by members of the executive committee.

Aims and objective of the group:

• To raise awareness and address the current general practice crisis including the growing need for regulations and increasing workload
• To prevent GP suicide and burnout by ensuring that wellbeing resources are easily available at the point of need
• To educate and promote the need for self-care and seeking help, whilst addressing harmful attitudes to this
• To Increase job satisfaction by supporting practices and sharing best practice
• To Champion GP compassion within the profession

How to apply

Fill in the nomination form below or for more information, get in touch with Annemarie McCarty.