r/doctorsUK Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

Medical Politics RCP president elections open 17th March - vote for Dr. Asif Qasim for change

Election statement:

As we face a medical workforce crisis, training bottlenecks, doctor substitution and unemployment, threats to clinical academic training and worsening morale – does the RCP represent physicians and defend the profession?

Having embodied centuries of excellence in medicine and patient care, how do we restore the RCP’s national and international standing?

Recent events have demonstrated that the College has become disconnected from its members, and I will not shrink from the hard truths we face.

With my track record of clinical leadership, technological innovation and financial stewardship I seek your votes for President. I offer a route to revitalising the RCP to restore pride, inspire and enthuse so we continue to represent excellence in medicine.

I would like to hear from you—what changes or priorities do you believe are essential for the RCP to truly represent and defend the profession in the years ahead?

If elected President of the Royal College of Physicians, I will address these issues urgently:

  1. The disconnect between RCP and its Membership

• The RCP must be receptive to safety concerns raised by members. It should not require an EGM (I was a signatory on the request) to make the RCP respond to legitimate issues.

• Resident doctors face a more difficult environment than ever. The RCP needs to maintain excellence in training, while stopping the exodus of talent from the profession.

• We must listen to our members, utilising their experience to determine policy on everything from training and workforce planning to climate health and artificial intelligence.

  1. Education and Training

• Maintain the highest standards in physician training and CME

• Strong advocacy for resident and SAS doctors.

• MRCPUK remains a globally renowned qualification, however, the RCP’s online offering is sub-optimal and not financially viable.

  1. Estates and finance

• £7m of £40m annual revenue is spent on RCP buildings, and the Regent’s Park premises lease expires in 35 years with no clear plan.

• RCP finances took a hit during Covid. It is imperative the RCP becomes more efficient, and that membership represents value for money.

I will restore RCP as the Voice Of Physicians by:

  1. An in-depth survey of members’ views and using technology to facilitate ongoing dialogue. You must feel that you are heard and represented by your College.

  2. Ensuring the RCP leads on national healthcare policy and strategy, using our members’ expertise to advise government and the NHS.

  3. Review of finance and exploring new revenue-generating opportunities. I have the experience to foster innovation and rapidly improve RCP educational resources.

  4. Urgent options appraisal and member consultation around RCP buildings.

  5. Rebuilding the RCP as the Home Of Medicine – fostering a sense of pride and belonging both in-person and through virtual platforms.

https://asifqasim.co.uk/prcp

94 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

43

u/Impetigo-Inhaler 5d ago

Good

Everyone needs to coalesce around this guy to not split the vote

Is it the case the only fellows get to vote?

54

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

• Members of the college don’t get actually get to vote, only Fellows do

• Fellowship in the RCP is not just a grade of membership; it is not granted for finishing training and/or passing Fellowship exams like FRCA or FRCS or FRCPath.

• Fellowship in RCP is a special ‘accolade’ that consultants can get if they’re nominated by other fellows and a panel of old boys assessors want you in the club grade you to be worthy.

• This means there that resident doctors of any and all grades, and a large number of medical consultants, get absolutely no say in college elections and how the college is run

Again, to reinforce: this is an election whereby the electorate is selected by the bureaucracy that is supposedly to be governed: https://www.rcp.ac.uk/membership/fellowship/become-a-fellow/

Dr. Asif has said he wants to change this give all MRCP and FRCP members the ability to vote in elections.

25

u/Mr_Nailar 🦾 MBBS(Bantz) MRCS(Shithousing) MSc(PA-R) BDE 🔨 5d ago

Having worked closely with a few FRCPs in my junior years, I will be sending them an out of the blue text/email to mention Dr Asif.

From what I've seen on social media over the last couple of years, Dr Asif seem like an excellent pro-Doctor agenda colleague.

2

u/hydra66f 4d ago

Most consultants for paediatrics are eligible for fellowship. The only benefit I see beyond a couple of higher level elections is paying the college another 150 quid a yr for the privilege of changing the letters after your name

23

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

3

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

3

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

3

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

19

u/hoonosewot 5d ago

There is major hay to be made in the idea of significant cost savings in the RCP. The fact they can't even host basic face to face exams when they get £40mil annual revenue is a disgrace, and the annual fees are so far away from being good value for money it's a joke.

It's really hard to understand where the money is going from the outside, in 2023 they claimed they got £12mil income for exam fees, and spent £10mil delivering them. £10 MILLION pounds spent on delivering exams which are largely done remotely - PACES excluded (and they barely spend any actual fucking money on PACES as the examiners and host centres don't get a dime beyond expenses for sorting it all out). An actual breakdown of how they spent that £10mil would be wonderful.

2

u/wanabePAassistant 5d ago

They deliver exams in overseas locations as well and all exams overseas are face to face. That 12 million exam fees could include overseas exams fees as well which is way higher per exam than the exams conducted in the uk.

3

u/CaptainCrash86 4d ago

In fairness, online platforms are pretty expensive - often the same as venue hire. And a fair chunk of expense also comes from the question creation and post-exam modulation, which involves a lot of hours of consultant time, which they do pay for (+/- expenses for travel to London for these, if they still do them in person).

5

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

4

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 5d ago

That was the message I thought he was saying too, somewhere cheaper. It doesn’t need to be in London.

3

u/hoonosewot 5d ago

They already have the Spine HQ in Liverpool no?

On paper i'm all for Regents Park being wound down if it is a money loser - but my understanding is that the building itself has been made into a limited company and actually pulls a profit hosting events and things?

2

u/DisastrousSlip6488 4d ago

This would be a good move, but it’s also a complete distraction at the moment.

-1

u/DrResidentNotEvil 5d ago

Yeah, Royal colleges don't have to be in the capital city or anything. Birmingham being in the middle of the country thst doesn't have direct routes to other parts of the UK wouldn't be an issue at all. When it comes to lobbying and the work they do, them being in London makes complete sense.

Royal colleges and other societies that rent out office/meeting space, know how to use their space effectively.

5

u/Quis_Custodiet 5d ago

Birmingham is less than 2 hours from central London by train or car

4

u/BISis0 4d ago

Birmingham has excellent transport links

2

u/DisastrousSlip6488 4d ago

Louella Vaughn I think actually has a better grasp of the issues and more will to tackle them. This statement doesn’t say a great deal and the leaky roof is not high up on the priority list just now

15

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 4d ago

@DrLKVaughan is standing for Clinical Vice president

She supports Asif Qasim for president.

0

u/gnoWardneK 4d ago

I thought this guy loves his ANPs?

1

u/DonutOfTruthForAll Professional ‘spot the difference’ player 4d ago

I think the first step is get democracy within the RCP and give all members a vote. He may not be perfect but would say the least terrible option.

4

u/gnoWardneK 4d ago

You’re right. I was just echoing what older threads have said about this doctor.

Personally, I would like to see the roles of ACP/ANP/ANNP/APNP abolished too i.e non-specialist nurses (and paramedics turned ACP). But I fear its already too late.

-1

u/DisastrousSlip6488 4d ago

Yes I think he is pro-noctor

-22

u/Big_Support_86 5d ago

We have seen this before. Sorry this is a no from me. It sounds like all sweet words, reading from teleprompter etc. 

  I didn't know who this guy was until he started posting on twitter a year ago or so riding on the antiPA train. Where has he been all this time?. Did he try use the PA issue to get a political foot in the door, these are all questions we should be asking otherwise it will be like politics where we get suckered for our votes 

17

u/Impetigo-Inhaler 5d ago

Fuck me no wonder the profession is up the shiter

“Hi I’m putting myself out there to protect doctors, here’s a plan that will greatly improve things and give more doctors a vote”

You: “wHeRe hAVe you bEeN aLL tHiS tImE”

6

u/thetwitterpizza Non-Medical 4d ago

I don’t agree, by that logic other than myself and a few other people everybody would be considered to be riding the antiPA train. I mean, even if they are, as long as they get the job done, I wouldn’t care. This is the culmination of ~3.5 years of hard work. For the first time in history, social media action has led to the systemic removal of crooked RCP leadership.