In October 2024, we launched a member survey, inviting members to provide valuable feedback about the College and their membership experience. The survey was open to fellows, diplomates, affiliates, medical examiner and medical examiner officer members of the College.
Research findings
We have worked with our survey partners, Research by Design, to collect and analyse the results of the survey. They have compiled a report detailing the key findings and recommendations to address members' top priorities and concerns.
The report concludes with an executive summary and recommendations, summarised below.
| Tier 1: Recommendations focused on the overall RCPath membership |
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| Tier 2: Recommendations focus on specific niches within the RCPath membership |
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Our strategy to deliver change
The recommendations offered through the survey report reflect many areas of focus that the College is already working on. We have set out the College’s commitments that address these recommendations, with the ambition to deliver the change demanded by the College membership.
The key components of our action plan for change are set out below.
Commitment 1 – Communicating value
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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- To develop a clear value statement for membership - To review existing member propositions across College through a member lens - To deliver a New Fellow communications programme |
Clarifying the value of membership will help members become aware of and therefore fully utilise the resources and support available to them from the College. We will deliver a communications programme to highlight the benefits and value in the first few months of fellow membership. |
Commitment 2 – Communities
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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- To develop a College Communities Strategy - To deliver a College-wide programme of communities - To prioritise Specialty Communities for those that feel less well-supported: genetics, virology, microbiology, cellular pathology and clinical biochemistry |
Our communities work aligns with the College's strategic objective to 'Provide opportunities for members to network, share best practice and find support to address any challenges they face'. We have already delivered a pilot community for medical examiner and medical examiner officer College members. This provides additional value for members through peer-to-peer support, knowledge sharing and exclusive webinars. We will develop more communities for specific member groups and specialties, to provide them with personalised support and opportunities to connect with their colleagues and the College. |
Commitment 3 – Content
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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- To deliver a College content strategy |
We are upgrading our CRM and CMS systems as part of the College's digital transformation project. This will enable us to deliver tailored communications, ensuring that members receive relevant information and resources, enhancing engagement and satisfaction. Alongside this, we are developing a College content strategy that ensures we are delivering the right content at the right time to the right audience – all for the right reasons. |
Commitment 4 – Workforce
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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- To deliver on our Workforce Strategy 2025–2028 promises |
We recognise the call for stronger and more vocal advocacy for pathology, and to further support workforce planning. Our Workforce Strategy 2025–2028 outlines our 6 strategic aims over the next 4 years. We have already conducted a Workforce Census to gather the data needed to action these aims. |
Commitment 5 – Query management
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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To deliver a query management service for members |
We recognise a concern over communication from the College, where queries have not been responded to in a timely fashion. We will implement a service to manage and respond to member inquiries efficiently, ensuring concerns are addressed promptly. |
Commitment 6 – Continuing Professional Development
| Our commitments | What this involves |
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To develop a College Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Strategy |
We recognise the demand from members for provision of more educational resources, tailored to specific specialties and groups across the College. We will develop a College CPD strategy that will support us in delivering targeted, useful resources that support members in their professional development. This will ensure that members across all specialties and classes can maintain high standards of practice, aligning with the College's aim to promote the highest standards of pathology education and training. |
Our progress since 2018
The last member satisfaction survey the College conducted was in 2018. We are pleased to see that the results of the Member Survey 2024 show increased satisfaction in many of the most important areas indicated by our members.
Next steps
The College is now developing an action plan to deliver on the commitments set out above. We will keep members updated on this webpage and via our usual communications channels. We plan to conduct a similar whole member survey every 2 years to track our progress in enhancing our products, services and overall member experience.
If you have any questions around the Member Survey 2024, please contact the Member Engagement and Support team who will be happy to help.
