Primary care lead at West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Dr Richard Vautrey has been elected as the next president of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).
Dr Vautrey, who is a former BMA GP Committee chair, will take over the post from Professor Dame Clare Gerada, whose two-year term will end in November.
RCGP members voted for him ahead of the six other candidates who were standing for president.
Dr Vautrey has been a GP partner in a training practice in Leeds for nearly 30 years. He has also worked as a GP in urban and rural settings in Nigeria.
Previous leadership roles include BMA GP committee chair in England and GPC UK. He has also been a member of the GPC negotiating and executive team since 2004.
Last November, he announced his resignation as the chair of the BMA GP committee after four years.
Shortly afterwards, he was appointed to sit on the West Yorkshire ICB as its primary care representative. He advocates for all aspects of primary care on the board.
A graduate of Manchester University, he completed his GP training in Rochdale and Manchester, obtaining MRCGP in 1994. He has been a member of the College ever since.
He has 13 years of experience as a member of RCGP Council, being a GPC observer between 2005-10, a nationally elected member from 2010-17 and again since 2022.
He attends Yorkshire Faculty meetings and has recently been appointed to the College’s Patient and Carers Participation Group.
RCGP Interim Chief Operating Officer and College Returning Officer Mark Thomas said: ‘At a time when GPs are facing enormous workload pressures amid severe workforce shortages, the need for strong College representation has arguably never been more important to our grassroots membership.
‘We look forward to working with our new President and new Council members to improve the working lives of our members and the care they deliver to their patients, now and in the future.’
Read our interview with Dr Richard Vautrey about his role as primary care lead at West Yorkshire ICB.
