Records of RCOG Committees with Government and Professional Medical Bodies

Correspondence and papers relating to the College's communication and involvement with Government and professional medical bodies, including papers of the President of the RCOG, and correspondence from the office of the RCOG College Secretary and Deputy College Secretary.

This collection of material consists of:

RCOG/D1 - Records relating to the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 1952-1964

RCOG/D3 - Records relating to the Standing Maternity and Midwifery Advisory Committee, 1944-1974

RCOG/D4 - College correspondence with the Ministry of Health, 1960-1972

RCOG/D5 - College records relating to the foundation of 'Birthright' (later 'Wellbeing of Women') and its relationship to the College, 1969-1979

RCOG/D6 - Records relating to the College's participation in meetings of the Union Professionnelle Internationale des Gynecologues et Obstetriciens (UPIGO), 1971-1991, including papers and correspondence of Dame Josephine Barnes as College representative.

Please note, access points below include the names of Presidents of the College and administrative staff, whose papers are held within this collection of material.

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists acts as a pressure group and as an advisory body for the Department of Health, its predecessors and various government agencies, on particular issues relating to obstetrics and gynaecology. It also liaises on these issues with private and international organisations concerned with women's health and the medical profession.

The natural arrangement of files and series is retained where possible, by committee.

Permission is required from College senior management for external access to College records less than twenty years old: all other records are open by appointment, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Email: archives@rcog.org.uk

Internal transfers from the Administration Department.

Details of contents of parts of the collection are available on request. Email archives@rcog.org.uk

Details of some parts of the collection are available through the AIM25 network: please note that these are not current or updated descriptions and all enquiries should be made to the College Archivist.

Care is required in the handling of all minute books.

Record description compiled by Penny Bonning, Archivist, in May 2011.

Photocopies are available at the discretion of the College Archivist.

Copyright lies with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and permission to reproduce material should be sought via the College Archivist.

Duplicate and routine administrative material is removed where applicable by the College Archivist.

This is an artificial grouping of records, which at some stage were removed from their administrative context and placed into subject categories relating to a particular body. Most of the records appear to have originated from the RCOG President's Office.

No additions are expected to this collection of material: this is due to the cataloguing of records which were formerly placed in these subject categories within their correct administrative context.

For correspondence of RCOG Officers, including the President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, relating to FIGO and UPIGO, see RCOG/A4 - A8.

Other records relating to FIGO include RCOG B7/B, records of the Perinatal Definitions Working Party; RCOG/E10/39, papers relating to award winners of the FIGO Congress Travel Awards; and RCOG/PH/9, photographs taken at FIGO conferences.

For other material relating to the establishment of 'Wellbeing', see RCOG/H8, legal records of 'Birthright'; RCOG/A4/25, President's correspondence; RCOG/N9, promotional material of Wellbeing; and RCOG/PH5/20, photograph of Diana, Princess of Wales, at the launch of Wellbeing.

Correspondence of the Deputy College Secretary relating to UPIGO meetings can be found at RCOG/A13.