International Network Memberships

The Irish College of GPs is a member of WONCA (World Organisation for National Colleges and Academies of general practice/family medicine).

The Irish College of GPs is represented in WONCA Europe on the following two levels:

WONCA Europe Council: The Chair of the College has a seat on the WONCA Europe Council.

WONCA Europe Executive Board: In 2013, Dr Andrée Rochfort was elected by EQuiP to a seat on the WONCA Europe Executive Board.

The Irish College of GPs is also represented on a number of WONCA Europe network organisations, as detailed in the sections below.

The European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) promotes research excellence and supports researchers in general practice/family medicine. The establishment of a research tradition in primary health care has been inhibited by the relative isolation of practitioners and difficulties in obtaining adequate funding, protected time and training.

EGPRN (formerly known as EGPRW, European General Practice Research Workshop) is an organization of general practitioners and other health professionals involved in research in primary care and family medicine. Its aim is to provide a suitable setting in which to discuss and develop research in primary care; to foster and co ordinate multinational studies, to exchange experiences and to develop a validated scientific basis for general practice. In addition, EGPRN also offers general practitioners a chance to meet foreign colleagues prompting local and international research collaboration.

The main aims of the organisation are:

• to promote and stimulate research in general practice and primary care
• to initiate and coordinate multinational research projects
• to exchange research experiences
• to develop a valid international base for general practice.

These aims are pursued:

• by the organisation of international workshops
• by learning from other research experiences in Europe through international contacts, discussion and exchange of information
• by stimulating research in and for general practice in Europe through the development of common definitions and relevant research and conducting international research projects
• Besides the benefits of the opportunity to exchange research ideas in an international audience.

EGPRN members are eligible to reduced subscription fees for a number of journals and individual members now enjoy free online access to the European Journal of General Practice.

Learn how to become a member of EGPRN

Details of upcoming EGPRN meetings

The Irish College of GPs is an active member of the EGPRN. The College's Director of Research, Dr Claire Collins, is the Irish National Representative for EGPRN. As of May 2016, Claire is a member of the EGPRN Executive Board and the chair of its Research Strategy Committee.

The European Association for Physician Health (EAPH) is a network of organisations and individuals concerned with doctors' health that aim to communicate and work together. The EAPH aims to encourage a universally higher standard of support for doctors health and healthcare across Europe by providing a forum for:

• Sharing expertise and good practice on the clinical care and support of doctors
• Influencing and encouraging the development of health services for doctors
• Undertaking joint research on the health and well being of doctors

The founding officers are:

• Dr Karin Ro PhD of Norwegian Medical Association and Villa Sana, Norway
• Dr Mike Peters, GP & Head of BMA Doctors for Doctors Unit
• Dr Pilar Lusilla, Psychiatrist and
• Dr Antoni Arteman, Psychiatrists, both from Galatea Foundation and Paimm in Barcelona, an inpatient and outpatient facility in Barcelona which exclusively treats doctors from all over Spain
• Prof Frieder Wurst, Psychiatrist, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg
• Dr Andree Rochfort, GP and Director of the ICGP Doctors' Health Programme, Dublin, Ireland
• Prof Jenny Firth Cozens of London Deanery (postgraduate medical education) retired in 2011, and Prof Olaf Aasland, Norwegian Medical Association also retired from EAPH in 2011

The current officers are:

• Debbie Cohen (UK)
• Eric Galam (France)
• Pilar Lusilla (Spain)
• Michael Peters (UK)
• Karin Rø (Norway)
• Andrée Rochfort (Ireland)
• Kristiina Toivola (Finland)
• Friedrich Wurst (Austria)

EAPH conferences 

Access previous EAPH conference proceedings and presentations

To register your interest in receiving an email about the next EAPH conference, or to join EAPH (no membership fee) please email info@eaph.eu

EQuiP is the European Society for Quality and Safety in European GP/FM.

The aim of EQuiP is to contribute to the achievement of high levels of quality and safety of care for patients in general practice in all European countries. Quality and safety in general practice is a continuous process of planned activities based on performance review and setting of explicit targets for good clinical practice with the aim of improving the actual quality and safety of patient care.

Benefits to General Practice

EQuiP offers a structure for collaboration and exchange of expertise and methodology and also for initiating developmental and research projects on quality improvement and patient safety.

Major developments of EQuiP are the development of instruments for:

• Patient evaluation (EUROPEP),
• Practice accreditation (European Practice Assessment – EPA) and the International Family Practice Maturity Matrix – IFPMM)
• Lifelong Learning (CME/CPD) for GPs on Quality Improvement, funded by the European Commission Leonardo da Vinci project 
• Patient Empowerment in Chronic Conditions funded by WONCA Europe 

EQuiP delegates participate in working groups on various current topics, culminating in outputs such as key projects above, publications and workshops and symposia at Wonca Europe Conferences.

Membership

EQuiP membership is open to all GPs, GPs in training, educators and researchers in safety and quality in primary care. Equip also offers institutional membership to organisations involved in quality and safety.

Conference and Meeting Structure

EQuiP holds an annual spring conference. The venue rotates among different European countries.

EQuiP also holds a winter meeting where members come together in small working groups dedicated to project work on various quality and safety themes.

EURACT (The European Academy of Teachers in General Practice) traces its origins to The Leeuwenhorst Group of the early 1970s, through to the new Leeuwenhorst Group (1982), and becoming integrated with WONCA (1999). Most recently, EURACT was the instigator and provided the principal authors of the European Definition of Family Medicine, published in 2002.

Its function is to support the development of general practice teaching to undergraduates (basic medical education or BME), and postgraduates (specialty training), and continuing professional development.

EURACT includes over 800 members in 40 countries throughout Europe, chiefly comprising undergraduate tutors, GP trainers, academic general practitioners and indeed any GP who has an interest in delivering or researching general practice training.

Activities are focused at biannual council meetings, to which each member country sends one council representative, elected at three yearly intervals from among the EURACT members of that country.

EURACT activities include the dissemination of best practice in general practice teaching, through the development of teaching networks, research, and in representing the needs of teachers and students in general practice at WONCA, and at national colleges of general practice.

EURACT also formulates policy in the area of general practice teaching, and runs annual courses in general practice teaching. Details on these aspects of EURACT activity can be accessed on the EURACT website.

The EURACT website is largely open, and includes several useful teaching resources, links, and details on general practice conferences, together with details on membership.

The Vasco de Gama movement (VdGM) aims to:

• Provide opportunities for all European New and Future GPs / Family Physicians to meet, learn from each other, and gain collegiate support
• Be the voice of European New and Future GPs / Family Physicians
• Improve education and research opportunities for NFGPs/FPs in Europe