Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (Great Britain)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

From the guide to the Photographic material of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1920-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

Overseas doctors' training schemes (ODTS) were instituted by the Department of Health after the Second World War to arrange postgraduate training in the UK for overseas doctors. Under the schemes the Department arranged training posts for doctors from overseas, monitored training and negotiated with the Home Office over visas. During the 1970s the Royal Medical Colleges were also developing their own procedures for assisting and advising overseas doctors wishing to train in the UK. In the late 1980s responsibility for developing their own training schemes, including sponsorship, was passed to the Royal Medical Colleges.

In 1983 the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists decided to expand its existing arrangements, which had hitherto been confined to the placement of postgraduates financed by funds from overseas in unpaid supernumerary posts. Double sponsorship schemes were therefore initiated, the overseas sponsor normally being the national or regional representative committee of the College; in countries without such committees, sponsorship by Fellows or Members, or exceptionally, deans of medical schools was considered. Placement of sponsored trainees and their subsequent supervision was the responsibility of the College's Director of Postgraduate Studies. In 1986, a Sponsorship Officer was appointed.

In 1994, the ODTS section within the College acquired a careers side, run by a Careers Officer, who produced careers advice and guidelines. The section was renamed as the Overseas Doctors Training Fellowship in 2001, and maintained records of overseas doctors who had passed the MRCOG.

The Overseas Doctors Training Scheme (ODTS) came under the responsibility of the Postgraduate Training Department, and was open to doctors planning to take the membership examination of the College (MRCOG), as well as to others wishing to visit the UK for further experience. The scheme was also known as 'The Sponsorship Scheme' and requirements for entry were that the doctor should hold a medical qualification acceptable for registration with the British General Medical Council, together with 18 months recognised post-registration training, sponsorship by a Fellow or Member of the College, and possession of good written and oral English skills.

Acceptance on the ODTS allowed the applicant restricted exemption from the requirement to pass the test of professional knowledge and competence in English. The RCOG found training posts for applicants by submitting curriculum vitaes to consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists in the NHS. The training took the form of apprenticeships type of training, with relatively few formal teaching sessions, and was either at senior house officer or registrar grade for a period of six months, renewable for another six months if performance was found to be satisfactory.

In 2008 the scheme was renamed the International Doctors Training Programme.

From the guide to the Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists relating to the Overseas Doctors Training Scheme, 1981-2000, (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

At the First Annual Meeting of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in May 1930, the Executive Committee established a Finance, Examination, and Procedure and Publication Committee to begin the organisation of the new College. By 2007, the standing committees of the RCOG amounted to some 35 committees and boards, which carried out the decision-making work of the College, supported by the College management departments. These committees were established to formulate policy in relation to the particular functions and interests of the College.

From the guide to the Records of the Standing Committees of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1926-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

Special working groups or ad hoc committees and sub-committees were set up at various times, usually by Council or the Finance and Executive Committee, to investigate and report on particular issues of concern to the College. Servicing the working groups and committees was the responsibility of the College's Administration Department.

From the guide to the Records of Working Parties and Sub-committees of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1936-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

Maintenance of the College building was originally the remit of the College Premises Department, which grew out of necessity from ad hoc committees during the move of the College from premises in Queen Anne Street, London to purpose-built accommodation in Sussex Place, Regent's Park, designed by the architect, Louis de Soissons.The department oversaw further changes to the College building, culminating with the building of an award-winning underground Education Centre in 1991.

In 2009 the Premises Department became known as the Estates Department, in order to differentiate it from the Facilities Department, who managed all the meetings and events held in the building.

The Estates Department managed the maintenance of the College building at Sussex Place, as well as outside space, office accommodation, security and health and safety.

From the guide to the Records relating to Building and Central Services of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1936-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

An Executive Committee was established as a standing committee of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1926. By June 1930 it had combined with another standing committee, the Finance and Establishment Committee, to form the Finance and Executive Committee.

The office of Honorary Treasurer was created by Council under the 1929 bye-laws of the College, which state that the Honorary Treasurer's duties were to be as follows:

to pay all monies received by him on behalf of the College into a College account;

to keep accounts of all monies received and expended and report monthly to the Finance and Executive Committee;

to prepare quarterly reports to Council;

and to maintain an Income and Expenditure account and balance sheet.

At an Executive Committee meeting in October 1929, it was decided that the Treasurer be given authority to arrange with the Auditors for one of their clerks to keep the necessary financial books of the College for £50 per annum. The President and Honorary Secretary were also authorised to obtain any clerical assistance found necessary. From this beginning the Accounts Department, renamed the Finance Department in 1999, developed. The Department, headed by the Chief Accountant, and more latterly by the Head of Finance, offers financial support for the activities of the Honorary Treasurer and is responsible for banking all income which includes subscriptions, examination and course fees, and sales from publications; paying all the College's purchase invoices; co-ordinating the budgeting process; and preparing the annual statutory accounts.

From the guide to the Records relating to the Financial Management of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1923-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The Certificate of Incorporation of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists as a limited company and the first Memorandum and Articles of Association were approved on 13 September 1929. The first Royal Charter was granted in 1947, with a supplemental Charter in 1948. Further amendments were made to the Charter, Articles of Association, Ordinances and By-laws between 1963 and 2010.

From the guide to the Legal and Constitutional Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1927-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists acts as a pressure group and as an advisory body for the Department of Health, its predecessors and various government agencies, on particular issues relating to obstetrics and gynaecology. It also liaises on these issues with private and international organisations concerned with women's health and the medical profession.

From the guide to the Records of RCOG Committees with Government and Professional Medical Bodies, 1944-2000, (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

This area was traditionally the responsibility of the Director of Corporate Affairs. The College employed freelancers for occasional press work until 2000 when they decided to appoint a permanent Press Officer. In 2006 the College set up a Corporate Communications Department, reporting to the Directorate of Corporate Affairs. In 2008 the department's name changed to Communications and External Affairs.

Communications and External Affairs are concerned with College activities relating to communications, public relations and external affairs, including the promotion of the College to the media and the public, liaising with the media, issuing press releases, position statements, organising press conferences, and maintaining a register of RCOG spokespersons, lobbying MPs and civil servants, and organising ministerial briefings and events, researching the news agenda, forecasting issues that will affect RCOG, and managing the socio-political consequences, and promoting recruitment into obstetrics and gynaecology to medical students and young doctors.

From the guide to the Records relating to Communications and External Affairs of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1929-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

Production of RCOG publications was initially the responsibility of a Publications Officer/Editor within the Administration Department. As the function expanded in importance with the establishment of the RCOG Press and the College Bookshop in 1993, a Publications Office was set up within the department; in 2000 the office became a separate department.

The Publications Department co-ordinates all print and publication requirements of the College, both on paper and electronic medium. It has direct responsibility for publishing RCOG Press titles and the College Journal, The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, proceedings of study groups and the RCOG Yearbook. It also handles the printing of working party reports and all other material produced by the College, and was responsible for publication of The Diplomate (now defunct).

From the guide to the Published material from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1992-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

In 1971 the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists established a Family Planning Sub-committee to discuss proposals for the RCOG, together with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), to issue a joint certificate of training in family planning based on assessment in family planning clinics. It was agreed that those doctors already recognised by the Family Planning Association (FPA) should be accepted under the new scheme, and that the FPA should be represented on the committee. The committee was superseded in 1972 by the RCOG/RCGP Committee on Contraception and Family Planning.

In April 1973 it was decided that the committee should be renamed the Joint Committee on Contraception of the RCOG and RCGP, normally abbreviated as the Joint Committee on Contraception (JCC). The personnel of the committee remained unchanged, being dominated by representatives of the two eponymous royal colleges, with representatives from the FPA and the Society of Community Medicine. In December 1974 the RCOG agreed to take over the secretarial work for the JCC and office space was allotted for this purpose.

In 1993 the JCC was superseded by the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care (FFPRHC) which continued its work of granting diplomas, certificates and fellowships in recognition of specialist knowledge and skills in family planning and reproductive health care. It also promoted conferences and lectures, provided members with an advisory service and published The Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. In 2007 it was renamed the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

From the guide to the Records of the Joint Committee on Contraception of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of General Practitioners, 1955-1993, (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

At the First Annual Meeting of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in May 1930, the Executive Committee established a Finance, Examination, and Procedure and Publication Committee to begin the organisation of the new College. By 2007, the standing committees of the RCOG amounted to some 35 committees and boards, which carried out the decision-making work of the College, supported by the College management departments. These committees were established to formulate policy in relation to the particular functions and interests of the College.

From the College's earliest years, joint committees and working groups were set up at the behest of one or more of the medical colleges or bodies to discuss matters of mutual concern. Minutes were usually kept and distributed to all participants, and published reports were frequently produced. A Committee Secretary from the Administration Department serviced the RCOG's contribution to these joint committees and working groups, maintaining the College's own records of proceedings.

From the guide to the Minute Books of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1929-1987, (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

From the College's earliest years, joint committees and working groups were set up at the behest of one or more of the medical colleges or bodies to discuss matters of mutual concern. Minutes were usually kept and distributed to all participants, and published reports were frequently produced.

A Committee Secretary from the Administration Department serviced the RCOG's contribution to these joint committees and working groups, maintaining the College's own records of proceedings.

From the guide to the Records of the Joint Committees and Working Parties of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1936-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The first scientific meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was organised as part of the programme to mark the opening of its new building in Regent's Park in 1960. The College's Scientific Advisory Committee was appointed to organise future meetings and courses; museum demonstrations were the responsibility of the Pathology Committee. These two committees merged in 1966.

In 1968 responsibility for postgraduate symposia and museum demonstrations passed to the newly created Postgraduate Medical Education Committee, and responsibility for scientific meetings passed to the newly created Scientific Programme and Central Congress Committee. In 1973 the Postgraduate Medical Education Committee was renamed the Postgraduate Committee, and became responsible for all meetings and scientific programmes. From October 1974, however, the Scientific Advisory and Pathology Committee acquired some responsibility for the initiation of scientific meetings, and became responsible for the revived programme of study groups. From 1981, the Scientific Advisory Committee became primarily responsible for all scientific and educational meetings, but the Postgraduate Committee continued to advise on their organisation.

The Postgraduate Committee was disbanded in 1992, and arrangements for postgraduate education meetings, courses and seminars and for meetings of study groups became the responsibility of the Postgraduate Medical Education Department of the College. This was later superseded by the Conference and Postgraduate Meetings Department. Production of printed proceedings of study groups became the responsibility of the Publications Editor in the Administration Department, and this function was later taken over by the Publications Department.

From the guide to the Education and Research Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1923-[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was established in 1929, and received its Royal Charter in 1947. Under its Articles of Association, a Council was established to manage the affairs of the College, comprising of a President, Treasurer and Honorary Secretary, together with elected Fellows and Members. The number and composition changed over the years, most notably with the inclusion of two Vice-Presidents, but the function remains the same, namely to elect Fellows and Members, acquire property, appoint and remove examiners, officers, clerks and agents, to nominate trustees, to act for the College and other related activities.

The internal management of the College was initially undertaken by the College Secretary, a position which developed over the years into the role of a Chief Executive, assisted by a Deputy College Secretary, later a Director of Corporate Affairs.

From the guide to the Central Administrative Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1925 -[ongoing], (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)