New Chair and Deputy Chair of RCGP Scotland


RCGP Scotland is delighted to announce that Dr Chris Provan has been elected as the next Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland and will serve a three-year term from November 2023, succeeding current Joint Chairs Dr Chris Williams and Dr David Shackles.

Dr Provan is a GP partner based in Aberdeen and has served as Chair of North East Scotland Faculty since 2021. Having worked as a GP for thirty years, he has a clinical interest in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as well as minor practice-based surgery.

Dr Provan said: "I am very pleased to have been elected as Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland.

“We are committed to working with patients, general practitioners and their practice teams to provide the best quality care we can.

"General Practice in Scotland faces many difficulties such as overwhelming workload at times which is exacerbated by a shortage of GPs. We need help with recruitment, retention and investment into general practice to help us provide the quality of care we wish to for our patients.

"Being a GP is a hugely fulfilling role and we need to focus on the positives of working together with our patients, in our communities.":

Also, Dr Chris Williams, current Joint Chair of RCGP Scotland, has been elected to the post of Deputy Chair (Policy), which he will also take up for a period of three years from November.

Dr Williams said: “I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to take up the post of Deputy Chair. Policy is an absolutely vital aspect of the College’s work; it’s the space in which we are able to directly engage with policymakers on a wide range of incredibly important areas for general practice.

"On behalf of myself and my Joint Chair Dr David Shackles, I’d like to congratulate Dr Chris Provan on his election and express how pleased I am to work alongside him in the coming months. I’d also like to acknowledge that I’ll be following Dr Catriona Morton in post and recognise the breadth of work she has undertaken during her time as Deputy Chair."

Further information

Media requests to Angus Gould, Policy and Public Relations Officer RCGP Scotland
Tel: 07808 795493
Email: angus.gould@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editor

RCGP Scotland represents a network of around 5,000 doctors in Scotland aiming to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standard of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on resources, education, training, research and clinical standards.