Our aim
Urgent care is developing as a sub - specialist area of General Practice and is now a career choice in its own right. The urgent care special interest group (SIG) will provide a forum for practitioners to come together for the purposes of:
- Shared learning - Promote collaborative learning among members to enhance knowledge and skills in urgent care.
- Engagement with ongoing development of this specialist area - Stay involved in the latest developments within the field of urgent care.
- Representation within the RCGP - Ensure the interests of urgent care professionals are well-represented within the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
- Engagement with providers and other external stakeholders - Foster relationships with urgent care providers and other relevant external parties.
Group members
Dr Tim Sanders
Dr Sanders is a senior clinical lecturer in Remote and Rural Medicine and urgent care at the University of Central Lancashire. Dr Sanders is also an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Diploma in Urgent Medical Care and also works as Clinical Training Lead for Cumbria Health Limited: an urgent care provider.
Dr Maisun Elftise
Dr Elftise is a GP in an urgent treatment centre in Coventry. She works as a consultant in integrated and community care at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Dr Elftise is a nationally elected RCGP council member and a training programme director.
Dr Anna Podlasek
Dr Podlasek is a GP and biostatistician based in Scotland, working across out-of-hours services and rural emergency departments. Her interests lie in urgent care, rural medicine, point-of-care ultrasound, and evidence synthesis. She is Secretary of the RCGP Urgent Care Special Interest Group.
Group outputs
The RCGP Urgent Care SIG leadership recently authored a British Journal of General Practice analysis exploring the persistent ambiguity surrounding the term "urgent care" within the UK healthcare system. The article highlights how urgent care is often defined by organisational structures and access points rather than patients' clinical needs, contributing to fragmentation and confusion across services. It also emphasises that a substantial proportion of urgent care is already delivered within general practice and community settings but remains under-recognised in policy discussions. The group is currently undertaking ongoing national work to further develop and refine a practical definition of urgent care to support service integration, workforce planning, and safer care pathways. You are invited to take part the Phase 1 survey.
The RCGP Urgent Care SIG webinar series provides a national platform for clinicians working across urgent and unscheduled care to share innovation, operational learning, and practical experience from frontline services. Through the "Spotlight on..." format, the series showcases out-of-hours and urgent care models from across the UK, encouraging multidisciplinary discussion around service delivery, workforce development, integration, and patient-centred care. The webinars aim to connect professionals with an interest in urgent care, promote shared learning between regions, and support ongoing conversations around the future definition and delivery of urgent care within general practice and community settings.
Contact us
If you would like more information in joining the urgent care special interest group, please contact advocates@rcgp.org.uk and you will be put in touch with the relevant person.
The group is also active on the RCGP members' forum, where you can engage in discussions with other members and stay updated on the latest developments and opportunities within the group. This forum provides a platform for continuous dialogue and knowledge sharing among members.
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