Wessex Faculty

Faculty Officers

• Dr Karen O'Reilly - Joint Chair and Council Representative
• Professor Johnathon Lyon-Maris - Joint Chair and Council Representative
• Dr Sunil Bhanot - Provost
• Dr Pritti Aggarwal - Vice Chair
• Dr Donald Batham - Honorary Secretary

Faculty Board members

• Dr Colinette Margerison
• Dr Sonia Barros D'Sa
• Dr Julie Chinn
• Dr Helena McKeown
• Dr Aigbs Ohiwerei
• Dr Jonathan Rial
• Dr Sally Ross
• Dr Ben Rusholme
• Dr Mary Udo
• Dr Maryanna Taverner
• Dr Sharjeel Qureshi
• Dr Rebecca Piper
• Dr Emma Reinhold
• Dr Barbara Barton
• Samantha Scallan
• Dr Laura Edwards
• Jack O'Hara
• Dr Aimen Maksoud

Upcoming RCGP Events

• Wessex Faculty Bouldering Afternoon – Poole 20th July 2025
• Wessex Faculty Bouldering evening – Portsmouth 30th July 2025
• RCGP Annual Conference 9-10 October 2025, Newport, Wales
• Faculty Board Meetings, four a year online or F@F, next 4th September 2025. Contact us for more information
• Wessex GP Registrar committee next date to be confirmed. Email us for more information
• Wessex Faculty Autumn Family Fun day 14th September 2025
• Wessex Faculty winter ball and awards evening 29th November 2025
• 100+ RCGP F2F/online events

Applied Knowledge Test, AKT

• The AKT is the cornerstone of the MRCGP tripos exam to qualify as a GP, and sits alongside the SCA and the WBPA (workplace-based assessments). From October 2025 the AKT will reduce in length to become 160 questions, whilst maintaining the same standard of excellence as an exam.
• Registrars in Wessex are encouraged to investigate any potential learning difference. If you need to access reasonable adjustments quickly, it may be more timely to get private educational assessment.
• The MRCGP Curriculum is also updating as of 1 August 2025, to include the impact of COVID-19 on consultation, to reflect climate and environmental factors, inclusion of personalised care and valuing wider knowledge and learning.

Simulated Consultation Assessment, SCA

• The SCA has had a successful year of runs. There are 9 sittings a year, reservable in advance, £1180 fee, 6 attempts allowed as of those starting in Aug 2023, with consideration for reasonable adjustments. Technical completion rate of the exam remains excellent, with provision of re-runs of stations if required as a back-up.

Revision resources

• Each Patch has funds to help registrars with AKT and SCA preparation. Courses are on the RCGP website, link as above. Ask your patch office for repayment of one course per exam. Consider booking asap, and confirming repayment up to £500 from the patch office, they book up fast.
• Included in membership: GP Self Test via RCGP website for AKT preparation. SCA specific resources are also on the website. There are sufficient SCA preparation courses giving excellent advice on how to approach the SCA exam and how to structure SCA cases.
• The CelebrAiT page of the RCGP website offers top tips for the AKT and for SCA. The InnovAiT page has articles for AKT revision and test questions, accessed through RCGP homepage.

Travel expenses and tax deductible expenses

• Wessex GP School has guidance for recouping travel expenses to practices and training days. 30p per mile (or equivalent).
• Remember exam fees, memberships, courses and many other expenses are tax deductible, more information, visit the tax relief website.

Tier 2 visa extension and sponsorship

• The 3-year training visa can be extended by 4 months, you will need to apply. You will also need to apply for any further visa extensions if training is further extended.
• For trainees on a Visa and nearing CCT, the Wessex LMC website has compiled a list of Practices with a licence for Sponsored Visas. Useful information can be accessed on SharePoint.
• We strongly encourage all ST3 trainees with sponsored visas plan well in advance.

General Practice Fellowship Programme after CCT

• Some funded fellowships are available after CCT, although provision across Wessex is varied. ICBs hold the funding for these new-to-practice fellowships, you are advised to contact them directly for information. GP School fellowships are also available, the contact is Katie Collins, who has also been IMG Lead for Wessex.

The National Performers List and GMC Specialist Register

• RCGP and PCSE advise applying to be on the performer’s list for GP 3-6 months prior to CCT.
• The final ARCP is gateway to CCT, Registration with the RCGP and the GMC Specialist Register

Wessex First5

• For those trainees planning to stay in Wessex post-CCT, please consider joining the Wessex First5 Community either through the Facebook group or email us if you would like to join. Our First5 Rep is Mostafa.

BMA update

• BMA Junior Doctors 2016 Contract for Clear Guidance
• ST1-ST3 GP registrars are entitled to 4hrs FTE of self-directed learning time in hospital and in GP

Driving licences

• A valid driving licence is expected of GP Registrars, rural areas placements may require commuting by car. International driving licences are valid for a year, so plan for a UK driving test if needed.

Wellbeing support

• Looking after you too - all staff in Primary Care can access individual personal or professional coaching. The team provides a free 45 minute coaching call with the option of a further 3 x 30 minute calls to provide you with support.
• Project5 offers free wellbeing support to all healthcare workers.
• There is financial strain on all in the current climate and would like to share the following resources for anyone struggling: GP wellbeing.

Supported return to training

• Wessex provides a return to training mentorship scheme for trainees who have been out of training for more than 3 months, for any reason. There are numerous valuable resources available on the Wessex NHS website. Please contact them with questions or if you are interested in the service.

The next Wessex GP Registrar Subcommittee meeting will take place on 21st May 2025. If there are any issues you would like raised for discussion, please do not hesitate to contact your local rep as below. If you are interested in becoming a rep, please reach out to any of the contacts in your area:
 

The contact details for the offices of our four Wessex patches are found on the Wessex GP School website, along with other helpful guidance.

(Approved by the College Council under Bye-Law 50)

Interpretation

1. The Interpretation Act 1978 applies to these Bye-Laws as to an Act of Parliament.
2. Words and phrases used in the Charter, Ordinances and Bye-Laws of the College mean the same in these Bye-Laws.

Faculty name

3. The name of the Faculty shall be the Wessex Faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners (referred to in these Rules as “the Faculty”).

Area of the Faculty

4. The area of the Faculty shall be Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, parts of Bath (BA1, BA2, BA3), and the Channel Islands.

Terms of Reference

5. The terms of reference of the Faculty are to further the College object in the area referred to in Bye-Law 4 of these Bye-Laws, subject to the Charter, Ordinances and Bye-Laws of the College.

Membership of the Faculty

6. The members of the Faculty shall be those members of the College practising or employed in the area referred to in Bye-Law 4 of these Bye-Laws or, if retired or otherwise not practising or employed, residing within that area. The Board may in addition permit the privileges of membership of the Faculty to be made available to members of the College not qualified for membership of the Faculty under the previous provisions of this Bye-Law.

Associateship of the Faculty

7. The associates of the Faculty shall be those associates of the College practising or employed in the area referred to in Bye-Law 4 of these Bye-Laws or, if retired or otherwise not practising or employed, residing within that area. The Board may in addition grant the privileges of associateship of the Faculty to individual associates of the College not qualified for associateship under the previous provisions of this Bye-Law. Associates may attend general meetings of the Faculty, but shall not be entitled to vote.

General meetings

8. (1) [Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2),] the Annual General Meeting of the Faculty shall be held once in each Faculty year (defined for this purpose as running from 1st November in one year to the next following 30th October) on a date and time decided by the Board. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to all members and associates of the Faculty not less than 21 clear days before the meeting.
   
   (2) The Board may, not less than 28 days before the date on which an Annual General Meeting of the Faculty is due to be held, resolve to dispense with the Annual General Meeting if it appears unlikely that a quorum will be obtained or that there are other good reasons for doing so. Notice of the fact that the Annual General Meeting has been dispensed with shall be sent to all members and associates not less than 14 days before the date on which the Annual General Meeting would have been held. [Where the Board has dispensed with the Annual General Meeting, the Board may take such decisions as could have been taken by the Annual General Meeting, and the provisions of these Bye-Laws shall apply as necessary.]
9. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
   (1) To approve the minutes of the previous general meeting;
   (2) To receive the results of elections to the Board;
   (3) To receive the Annual Report of the Board;
   (4) To approve the Accounts of the Board for the preceding financial year to 31 March;
   (5) Members’ motions; and
   (6) Such other business as the Chairman may allow.
10. Any 10 members of the Faculty may by requisition to the Chairman or Honorary Secretary demand that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the members of the Faculty be convened, on not less than 28 days’ notice, for the purpose of considering any motion set out in the requisition.
11. The quorum of general meetings of the Faculty shall be 10. If within 15 minutes of the time appointed for the beginning of the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be abandoned and, in the case of an Annual General Meeting, the Board may take such decisions as could have been reached by that meeting as if the meeting had been dispensed with under Bye-Law 8 of these Bye-Laws.
12. The Provost or other officer designated by the Board shall chair all general meetings of the Faculty. In the absence of both the Provost and the designated officer, any other officer designated by the Board to do so shall preside. In the absence of the Provost and any officer designated to preside, the members present at the meeting shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting.
13. The rules of debate at general meetings of the Faculty shall, subject to the discretion of the Chairman of the meeting, be those applicable to general meetings of the College, with the necessary adaptations.
14. All questions at general meetings of the Faculty shall be decided by a majority of the members present and voting, and the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote, regardless of whether he or she has already voted.

Officers of the Faculty

15. The officers of the Faculty shall be a Provost, Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer and such other officers as the Board shall decide from time to time. The term of office of the officers shall be:
    Provost – two years in succession but this may be extended to three years in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the Faculty Board
    Chairman – three years
    Vice Chairman, Hon. Treasurer, and Honorary Secretary shall be eligible for re-appointment annually.
16. The Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer of the Board shall be elected by the members of the Faculty, in such manner as the Board shall decide, and every member shall be entitled to vote. No election need take place if only one candidate is duly nominated for any particular vacancy. If a system of single transferable voting is adopted, it shall be carried out in accordance with the procedures advised by the Electoral Reform Society.

Faculty Board

18. The management of the affairs of the Faculty shall be vested in a Faculty Board (referred to as “the Board” in these Bye-Laws), which is empowered, subject to the provisions of the Charter, Ordinances and Bye-Laws of the College and any directions of the Council, to act on behalf of the College and the Faculty. The Board may regulate its own procedure, subject as previously stated.
19. The members of the Board shall be the Provost, Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer and the Faculty Council Representatives. Up to thirty members of the Faculty shall be elected by the Faculty for a period of 3 years, partly on a district representative basis with at least one member from each of the following districts:
    Basingstoke, Guernsey, Portsmouth, Winchester, Bath, Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Bournemouth, Jersey, Southampton, Dorchester, Poole, Swindon.
    Up to five associates of the Faculty shall be appointed for a three year term of office by the associates of the Faculty.
    In addition, the Faculty Board may co-opt other persons for special purposes in an advisory capacity, including at least one SHO and one Registrar representative.
20. The Board may appoint such committees or sub-committees for such purposes as it thinks fit.
21. The Board and any of its committees or sub-committees may if the Chairman of the body concerned agrees meet wholly or partly by telephone or video conference, provided all members have been sent the papers for the meeting (including by electronic means). The quorum for meetings of the Board shall be 7.

Faculty representative(s) on College Council

21. The Board shall be responsible for nominating the Faculty representative(s) on the College Council.

Accounts and financial arrangements

22. The Honorary Treasurer of the Faculty shall be responsible for drawing up the Accounts of the Faculty for the previous 12 months to 31 March, including a balance sheet and profit and loss account. The Accounts as so drawn up shall be sent to the Honorary Treasurer of the College, for inclusion in the Annual Financial Report of the College.
23. The banking accounts of the Faculty shall be held at the National Westminster Bank, or such other Bank as the Board may from time to time decide, subject to the approval of the Honorary Treasurer of the College. Appropriate procedures shall be put in place by the Board, subject to the approval of the Honorary Treasurer of the College, for signature of cheques.

Amendment, revocation or re-making of Bye-Laws

24. These Bye-Laws may, subject to the approval of the College Council, be amended, revoked and re-made by resolution of the members of the Faculty in general meeting, passed by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.

Reviewed Summer 2012