Royal College of General Practitioners.

The Royal College of General Practitioners was founded on 28 February 1952. It was decided early on to have regional faculties to relieve the College council of local responsibilies connected with activities of the College. These activities would largely deal with undergraduate education, postgraduate education and research, working in close liaison with local medical schools and universities. The faculties are a resource which generate social and professional contact with peers, and facilitates contact between GPs and those who work in local primary health care. Many faculties are seen as local providers of general practice education. In addition, many produce newsletters designed to keep members informed on local initiatives and provide a medium for members to exchange information and ideas. Faculties mirror the organisation of central Council, the governing body of the College. Each is run by a Faculty board and has a chairman, honorary secretary, treasurer and a number of elected members. At least one representative from each Faculty sits on the College Council.

The first faculty North East England was formed on 4th April 1953. On 28th March and 2 May 1953 statements were published in the BMJ and Lancet on proposed regional faculties in London, Home Counties (South); Home Counties (North); Thames Valley (Oxford); East Anglia (Cambridge); South-West (Bristol); Midland (Birmingham); North Midland (Sheffield); East and West Riding (Leeds); North-West Regional (Manchester); Merseyside (Liverpool); North-East Regionanl (Newcastle); Welsh (Cardiff); South-East Scottish (Edinburgh); West Scottish (Glasgow); East Scottish (Dundee); North-East Scottish (Aberdeen); North Scottish (Inverness) and Northern Ireland (Belfast).

By 1969 the number of faculties had grown to twenty in Great Britain and fifteen overseas and currently [2001] there are 31 faculties in Great Britain.