Rural GP Association Scotland (RGPAS)
Trustees’ Annual Report
19 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 Year One
Charity contact information
Rural GP Association Scotland (RGPAS) Scottish Charity Number: SC053200
Registered Address: Cairndow Postcode PA27 8DF
Telephone number 07496 698135 Email address hello@ruralgp.scot Website http://www.ruralgp.scot @ruralGPscot
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Charity Trustees 2024 on initiation of the SCIO
RGPAS has 3 Trustees supported by a wider board / committee who represent the membership of RGPAS
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Dr Alida MacGregor (Chair)
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Dr Charles Siderfin (Treasurer)
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Dr Kate Dawson (Secretary)
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Objectives and activities
RGPAS is a forum for :
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Mutual, self-support for rural GPs
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Rural practice education and research
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Discussion and debate around rural healthcare issues
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Political representation and campaigning for rural General Practice
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Encouragement and training support for students interested in rural practice.
The annual RGPAS Conference is centrally important to bring together the disparate membership, providing the opportunity to :
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Meet face to face to develop friendships and create professional networks.
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Learn through the activities of the conference programme.
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Discuss topical issues.
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Hold the AGM and agree priorities for the coming year
RGPAS membership brings:
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Access to RGPAS members and the activities outlined above.
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A source of professional and personal support for practitioners who, by the nature of their work, are geographically isolated and often significantly challenged by the breadth and depth of care they need to deliver and the level of responsibility they hold.
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The opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues and contribute to the educational, research and political activities of the association to enhance and strengthen rural general practice.
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Access to the RGPAS private support forum and the development of communities of practice for discussion.
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Structure, governance and management
RGPAS successfully became a SCIO in 2024
RGPAS has a “Two-Tier” constitution which came into effect on 19[th] March 2024.
Trustee recruitment and appointment
The structure of the organisation consists of:- (a) the MEMBERS - who have the right to attend members' meetings (including any annual members’ meeting) and have important powers under the constitution; in particular, the members appoint people to serve on the board and take decisions on changes to the constitution itself;(b) the BOARD - who hold regular meetings, and generally control the activities of the organisation; for example, the board is responsible for monitoring and controlling the financial position of the organisation.
The board consists of a diverse number of member representatives including Rural GPs, Newly qualified GPs and Medical Student representatives from Scottish Medical Schools.
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Achievements and performance
RGPAS has hosted an annual conference in some form since 2000, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a successful hybrid conference was hosted online. Most recently, the attendance at the conference has grown and is now at a critical point where membership subscriptions and ticket prices no longer cover
conference outgoings.
A modest increase to membership subscriptions in 2022 and conference ticket prices in 2023 has gone some way to subsidise the overall cost.
Becoming a SCIO this year will allow RGPAS to increase revenue from grant funding without needing a third-party organisation to administer on our behalf.
Continuity for First 5 GPs and medical school undergraduates
This is a key conference for those who are in their first 5 years after completing certified (CCT) training, otherwise known as ‘First 5’ GPs. Medical school undergraduates who often continue their career path ending ultimately as a rural GP are invited to attend via a network of student representatives who serve on the RGPAS board. RGPAS provides student scholarship places for between 25 – 30 undergraduate medical students each year - often as a start point for a valuable first-hand introduction to the rural GP community. RGPAS covers the costs of accommodation and subsistence for 3 days for 10 of the 25-30 students.
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Annual review
RGPAS strives to deliver a valuable, affordable, high-quality event each year. 2023 marked a record attendance with a waiting list. The conference aim is notfor-profit and deliberately modest to focus on what matters most for members, non-member GPs First 5 GPs, and budding rural GPs to enhance their experience of networking within their own professional peer group.
Attendance figures for 2021 – 2023 are shown in the data below. Attendance has grown particularly in the First 5 and non-member categories.
| **Attendee type ** | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| year | RGPAS GP | non-member GP |
online |
First 5 GP |
Undergraduates | |
| 2021 | 16 | 7 | 25 | 3 | 34 | |
| 2022 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 27 | |
| 2023 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 27 |
BREAKDOWN OF ATTENDEES AT RGPAS CONFERENCE 2021 TO 2023
----- Start of picture text -----
RGPAS GP non-member GP online First 5 GP Undergraduates
27
34
27 26
3
10
20
25 16
7
7 6
26
16 17
2021 2022 2023
----- End of picture text -----
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Statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
RGPAS intends to build up and hold any reserves for the sole purpose of facilitating future business e.g. conferences, events and activities for the benefit of its members and the wider rural communities in which they serve.
Future
RGPAS will be aiming to extend membership and to participate in fundraising activities to create a resilient rural GP community for the future.
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Declaration
Signed on behalf of the charity trustees:
Martine S Scott Martine Scott Print name RGPAS Project and Business Support Designation 27 June 2025 Date
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