Academic general practice: reflections on a 60-year journey
2010
The 60th anniversary of the founding of the NHS took place in 2008. The first academic department of general practice in the modern era also dated from the ‘due date’ for the start of the NHS on 1 July when the University of Edinburgh established its ‘academic general practice’ in the former Mackenzie House Public Dispensary within its Department of Social Medicine. By 2000, there were 27 departments of general practice in the traditional medical schools of the UK (the department in Trinity College Dublin has traditionally been included in this grouping). The history of their evolution and development has been interesting but not always straightforward; often a source of frustration but eventually one of achievement and satisfaction. This essay tries to tease out some of the issues that have had to be faced up to on the journey.
Three parallel sets of timelines provide some context.
### Within the UK
The NHS began in 1948 and the highly critical Collings’ Report in 19501 led to the foundation in 1952 of the College of General Practitioners, one of whose first aims was to see established a department of general practice in every UK medical school. The Edinburgh department became independent in 1956 and its chair followed in 1963. Between 1970 and 1972 three other chairs were established in Scotland. Manchester (1972) led the way in England, but it took until 1995 for all schools to follow. From 1971 onwards regional (postgraduate) advisors were appointed in all UK regions, mostly with connections to medical schools through postgraduate deans. In Exeter, a postgraduate chair was established in 1986.
The emerging cohort of undergraduate departments held its first scientific meeting in 1972 in Cardiff, and the AUTGP (Association of University Teachers of General Practice) was established as its scientific society in 1974 (later becoming the Association …
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