Public facing roles

There are many ways for both members and the public to get involved in our work to contribute to our work to improve women’s healthcare across the world

On this page you will find information about how you can get involved in a diverse range of work and projects.

The RCOG ensures that women’s views are always voiced and respected in key moments of decision making. Your perspective directly influences our work and can support the direction of health policies and the wider field of O&G.

The RCOG works to ensure that women are at the heart of everything we do. A vital part of our process when developing information for the public, or when campaigning for advancements in women’s healthcare, is speaking to the people for whom the service is designed. The RCOG is committed to asking women and patients what they think, so that the care and treatments they receive meet their needs.

Current opportunities

Opportunity for health professionals | Feed into RCOG’s policy project on elective recovery of gynaecology services

As part of a new project to further evidence the impact of waiting lists and support the development of solutions, we are looking to gain input and expertise from RCOG members and other healthcare professionals (nurses, allied health professionals) working in gynaecology services.

We are also looking for input and expertise from healthcare professionals working in primary care services (GPs, practice nurses and advanced nurse practitioners) and sexual and reproductive health services, who want to contribute solutions around addressing waiting lists for secondary care services.

Lived experience opportunity | Feed into RCOG’s policy project on elective recovery of gynaecology services

Following on from our 2022 report on the size, scale and impact of waiting lists in elective gynaecology across the UK, the RCOG has continued to call for action to address the unequal growth of waiting lists in the specialty.

Two years on, we want to hear again from women and people who are currently on, or who have recently been on, a waiting list for a gynaecology service. This could mean you are waiting for your first appointment following a referral from a GP, waiting for tests, or waiting for treatment or surgery.

How volunteers contribute to our work

Women’s Network

The RCOG Women’s Network is a strategic committee that aims to make sure that women and people accessing obstetric and gynaecology services are at the heart of everything the College does.

They inform the College about issues affecting women during pregnancy, labour and birth, around fertility and gynaecological conditions through to the menopause and women’s health in later life.

Find out more about the RCOG Women's Network.

Women’s Voices Involvement Panel

The RCOG Women’s Voices Involvement Panel is an online group of over 700 members of the public who want to use their experience of women’s health services to influence the work of the College and the wider women’s health sector. The Women’s Voices panel aims to be fully inclusive and welcomes anyone who:

Has an interest in and/or experience from a patient/public perspective of: having a baby; fertility or reproductive health issues; gynaecological conditions and procedures
Is involved in a women’s health organisation and/or works professionally with a particular group of women and wants to represent their voice on the panel

Find out more about the RCOG Women’s Voices Involvement Panel.

Patient information

The RCOG Patient Information Committee is made up of obstetricians and gynaecologists, nursing and midwife representatives, and members of the RCOG Women’s Network.

The committee takes key information from clinical guidance on a particular topic and develops patient information based on this. Members of the committee are tasked with writing this in a way that is understandable to people who do not have a medical background. The committee test the information before it is published by asking both the public and healthcare professionals for comments on the draft.

You can read draft information currently being tested here and give your views, or find out more about the RCOG Patient Information Committee.

Stay informed