Correspondence with RCGP

2025-07-12 (Last Modified: 2025-07-17)

Emails between myself and the RCGP, to date:

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 09/06/2025 11:23
To: info@rcgp.org.uk

Good morning,

I am informed by my deanery that it is mandatory for all GPSTs to have membership of the RCGP.

However, I cannot find this information on your website. My understanding was that this is in fact optional (though very much recommended).

Can you please point me in the direction of the policies pertaining to membership of RCGP while a GPST?

I fully intend on meeting the requirements as set out my the training programme but am not in a position to afford membership of the college.

Many thanks.

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 18/06/2025 08:46
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good Morning Ronald,

Thank you for getting in touch.

Can you please confirm are you looking to start GP training in the UK soon.

Further details on GP Registrar’s can be found on our website.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 18/06/2025 11:19
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Good morning,

Yes I am starting in August.

Are you able to confirm whether membership is mandatory, or if this is only so that I have access to your portfolio platform? (Which is effectively making membership mandatory)

Best wishes,
Dr R MacDonald

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 18/06/2025 14:31
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good afternoon Ronald,

Thank you for coming back to us.

Membership with the College is not mandatory. However, you will need access to the TP via the RCGP, to complete your training, receive support and for us to recommend you to the GMC on completion of your training.

There are two options available for gaining access:

Option 1: RCGP Membership - Become an GP registrar member

Having membership with the College means you have access to our journals, GP self test, discounts on exam preparation events, faculty support, online learning resources and so much more.To become an GP registrar member you will need to pay an initial registration fee of £291 and then a membership fee in April each year from April 2026. Your fee is based on your training pathway (for more information visit membership fees). You can also claim your tax back (up to 40%) from HMRC to reduce your membership fee even further.

Option 2: Portfolio access - Pay a one off fee to cover 3 years access

For TP access only there is a one off fee of £935, which gives you 3 years of access. This fee is broken down into an admin fee for the account creation, maintenance and storage of your information, plus support and guidance from the GP Specialist Applications team (they recommend you to the GMC for certification and provide support along the way with any issues, including those with your deanery) and TP access for the 3 years.

This fee is not tax deductible as the government guidelines only allows you to claim back professional membership fees and this is not a membership. Furthermore, if you do need to extend training after the 3 years there will be an additional cost.

Overall, becoming an GP registrar with the College is financially and developmentally more beneficial and of course you can claim back part of the subscription fee on tax. You can also pay the initial registration fee in monthly installment from now until 31 March 2025 to help you spread the cost.

Please do let us which option you would like to proceed with.

Do let me know if you have any questions or I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 18/06/2025 14:36
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Good afternoon [redacted],

I am looking through the requirements on your website and it would seem that I would be able to still meet the requirements of the programme without access to TP, as long as the TP enables me to record the same information as the official portfolio.

In other words, as long as the portfolio meets your requirements, I do not necessarily have to use the portfolio platform which has been set up by the RCGP.

Are you able to please confirm whether my understanding of this is correct?

Many thanks,
Ron.

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 18/06/2025 14:55
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good afternoon Ronald,

Thank you for coming back to us.

As a GP Trainee in the UK you do require access to your training portfolio through FourteenFish, this is mandatory. Please accept my apologies if there is anything on our website which is not confirming this for you.

The training platform is continually used by GP trainees and their supervisors throughout their training period.

Further details on our GP Registrar’s can be found on our website.

Do let me know if you have any questions or I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 18/06/2025 17:42
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Thanks [redacted] but I think it’s still a little unclear:

Assuming I have access to an alternative platform which provides precisely the same functionality as FourteenFish but at reduced cost, is it the position of the RCGP that this platform cannot be used? That, in effect, the RCGP forces its trainees to use FourteenFish, even where an alternative platform is able to provide the same functionality?

Many thanks,
Ron.

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 30/06/2025 19:05
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Good evening,

Are you able to please get back to me on the below?

Best wishes,
Ron.

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 01/07/2025 11:15
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good Morning Ronald,

Thank you for coming back to us.

Just to confirm when you are a GP trainee in the UK the training portfolio is required as part of your training. The options I provided to you on one of my previous emails is what we offer to get the access for FourteenFish.

Do let me know if you have any questions or I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 01/07/2025 11:22
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Thanks [redacted],

I think we’re at cross-purposes here: I recognise that a training portfolio is part of the requirements and am certainly not disputing this.

However, I am asking whether the RCGP is forcing doctors in training to use FourteenFish specifically (which is only accessible by paying at least £800-900/year to the College), or whether another platform – which meets all the same technical requirements and does precisely the same thing as FourteenFish, but at a fraction of the cost – can be used.

Please let me know if this needs further clarification. I look forward to your reply.

Many thanks,
[redacted]

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 03/07/2025 08:32
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good Morning Ronald

Thank you for coming back to us.

I have escalated your query onto our portfolio team, however can you please provide the name of the weblink and the platform you are referring to.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 03/07/2025 08:44
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Hi [redacted],

I’m writing my own portfolio platform (OpenCPD) which will meet all of the necessary requirements; it’ll be published on OpenCPD.uk within the next couple of weeks.

Best wishes,
Ron.

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 03/07/2025 15:56
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good afternoon Ronald,

Thank you for coming back to us.

After escalating your query to our portfolio team they have advised unfortunately you are unable to use your own training platform. FourteenFish is the required platform to be used as a GP trainee given the integrations to other systems and roles.

Hope this clarifies your query.

Do let me know if you have any questions or I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 03/07/2025 16:40
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Thanks [redacted],

Are you able to please put me in touch directly with those responsible for this decision.

Best wishes,
Ron.

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 04/07/2025 15:13
To: membership@rcgp.org.uk

Hi [redacted],

Further to below, are you able to advise whether this has been forwarded to those on the Portfolio Team, as I would like to follow up with them as to next steps.

I have also been in touch with my deanery about this as I would like some transparency on the matter; I do not think it is appropriate or justifiable to expect trainees to pay a large sum of money for access to a system that is required as part of their professional training.

Best wishes,
Ron.

From: membership@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 07/07/2025 08:27
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Good Morning Ronald,

Thank you for coming back to us.

I did escalate your query to our training portfolio team at RCGP who advised you are unable to use your own training platform, however if you want further clarification on this please email them on: tp@rcgp.org.uk.

Do let me know if you have any questions or I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 09/07/2025 17:18
To: tp@rcgp.org.uk

Good afternoon,

I have been advised to get in touch with you regarding trainee portfolios for GPST.

Are you able to please address the queries below?

Please can you also point me in the direction of the list of requirements for the portfolio for GPST so that I can be sure these are all met despite not using 14Fish.

Best wishes,
Dr R MacDonald

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 12/07/2025 19:24
To: tp@rcgp.org.uk

Good afternoon,

I am still waiting for a reply to below.

From: tp@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 16/07/2025 13:03
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Dear Dr MacDonald,

Thanks for your email.

I can confirm that FourteenFish is the only platform currently approved by RCGP for use in GP training. This is due to its integration with other systems and roles involved in the training process.

Kind Regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 16/07/2025 15:32
To: tp@rcgp.org.uk

Hi [redacted],

I don’t think it’s reasonable for a mandatory training platform to cost trainees a minimum of £900+. If the RCGP insists on using FourteenFish exclusively, then access should be provided free of charge.

Saying it’s down to “integration” doesn’t justify locking trainees into a single, paid provider. Integration can be built into any system if you allow competition. Right now, every GP trainee is expected to pay this fee just to progress. With around 3,500 new trainees each year, that’s at least £3m/year going to the RCGP and UnitedHealth (owners of FourteenFish), through a closed and compulsory setup.

This isn’t right. It places an unfair financial burden on trainees and offers no transparency around procurement, tendering, or whether alternatives were even considered. It appears blatantly anti-competitive and raises serious questions about how this arrangement came to be.

Can you let me know who within the RCGP I should raise this with?

Best wishes,
Ron.

From: tp@rcgp.org.uk
Sent: 16/07/2025 16:00
To: ronald@rmacd.com

Dear Dr MacDonald,

Thank you for your email.

If you wish to raise your concerns formally, you can do so via the RCGP complaints and feedback process. The College operates a two-stage approach:

Stage 1 – Concern: An opportunity to raise issues informally. This can be submitted via our online form found here: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/contact-us.
Stage 2 – Formal complaint: If your concern isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you may escalate it as a formal complaint using the same route. You’ll receive an acknowledgement within 3 working days and a full response within 20 working days.

Kind regards,
[redacted]

From: ronald@rmacd.com
Sent: 17/07/2025 17:40
To: [stage one complaints: online form]

Full details of concern

I am raising a concern about the RCGP’s policy requiring all GP trainees to use the FourteenFish platform. This is not presented transparently but is, in effect, compulsory. Trainees are required to pay £963 for access over the course of training, with no alternative permitted.

Despite early responses from the membership team suggesting that College membership is optional, it has since been confirmed that FourteenFish is mandatory and that no other portfolio system may be used, even if it meets all training requirements.

This creates a closed arrangement where trainees are forced to pay nearly £1,000 to a single commercial provider (owned by UnitedHealth) simply to complete their training. There is no transparency about how this provider was selected, whether a fair procurement process took place, or whether alternatives were considered. The justification given – that FourteenFish is integrated with other systems – is not a valid reason to block all competition. Any suitable platform could integrate if given access.

This policy places an unjust financial burden on trainees, offers no meaningful choice, and appears anti-competitive. It raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and governance.

How can we help resolve the issue?

I would like a clear explanation of:

Why FourteenFish is the only platform permitted
Whether a competitive tender or open procurement process took place
Whether alternative platforms have ever been considered
What the process is for reviewing this arrangement in future

I believe trainees should be permitted to use alternative portfolio systems, provided these meet the same educational and technical standards. The current arrangement should be reviewed in the interests of fairness, transparency, and cost to trainees.

Further updates will be added here in due course.