The PHCSG is the Primary Health Care Specialist Group of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Founded in 1981 the PHCSG brings together all of the disciplines involved in primary care informatics and provides a two-way link between cutting-edge development and grass-roots practice.

The membership include clinicians, managers, academics and suppliers, who help the group maintain links with health informatics bodies in Europe, North America and Australasia.

Members of the PHCSG sit on the BMA/RCGP Joint IT Committee as well as the General Practice Extraction Committee’s Independent Advisory Group (which was abolished on 30th June 2015, and its functions passed to IGARD and an expanded SCCI details here ) helping us maintain influence at the highest level.

The group’s main focus is the development and dissemination of best practice in primary care informatics, and seeks to influence policy makers to ensure the effective application of informatics for the benefit of patients.

The PHCSG is also able to draw upon the latest thinking in global informatics, both from within and without the healthcare sector, and its vast experience in UK primary care, to provide practical advice for those responsible for the development and implementation of primary care informatics.

Members benefit from discounted rates at the Annual PHCSG Conference, as well as access and influence across the group’s well-developed networks. These include the group’s own email discussion list, and a number of Special Interest Group meetings which are run each year.