How to become a member

Who can become a member?

We welcome national groups that share our mission to improve respiratory health through primary care. Members may have their own distinct objectives and organisational structures, but all value international collaboration. There is no single model for IPCRG membership. 

Our members include:

  • Sub-groups of national general practice organisations, like GRESP in Portugal and RespiRO in Romania
  • Independent primary care respiratory groups, such as PCRS-UK and GRAP Spain
  • Respiratory charities, such as National Asthma Council Australia
  • Networks of respiratory-interested colleagues, including those working in primary and secondary care settings

What unites our members is a commitment to advancing primary respiratory care in their country—and a willingness to collaborate globally.

What do we mean by primary respiratory care?

How primary care is defined varies considerably globally, but as the only global primary care respiratory group, that represents primary care on the WHO-convened network GARD, our view is that it includes these functions, and whoever typically provides them:

  • First contact respiratory care
  • Diagnosis of common CRDs such as COPD, asthma and rhinitis
  • Management of common CRDs and common symptoms such as cough and breathlessness over time
  • Referral to appropriate specialists and continued management following discharge
  • Leadership of these services in the community and neighborhoods including public protection e.g. awareness raising and protection from environmental harms
  • Teaching and capacity building of the local system to improve the quality of care
  • Under-graduate and post-graduate clinical teaching in the diagnosis and long term management of CRDs including prevention and management of respiratory infections, tobacco dependence
  • Quality assurance
  • Real life research in community settings including general practice, walk in emergency departments, community clinics, at home

Membership categories

IPCRG offers the following three membership categories:

  • Full member: Full membership of IPCRG is open to national groups with a primary care respiratory focus that meet ten joining criteria, including having a clear purpose, inclusive rules, geographical spread, independence, elected officers, and active member engagement.
  • Associate member: Primary care respiratory professionals in countries without a national member association. IPCRG supports these individuals to form a robust organisation and work towards achieving full membership.
  • Associate member – Corporate: Designed for those who wish to support and engage with our international network of healthcare professionals before committing to full corporate partnership.

IPCRG also welcomes its invited members: Associate Members-Invited Organisations, Associate Member-Invited Specialists, Partners, and Life Members 

Apply for membership

If you are interested in joining IPCRG as a Full, Associate or Associate Corporate Member, please complete the online form. 

Read our guidance if you are thinking about setting up a National Primary Care Respiratory Group. 

Contact us at businessmanager [at] ipcrg [dot] org (subject: IPCRG%20membership%20query) if you have any questions regarding our memberships. We look forward to receiving your applications soon.

 

Country groups with a primary care respiratory interest who want to join the IPCRG must meet the ten joining criteria:

  1. Have a written purpose of the organisation.
  2. Have written rules including inclusive membership rules appropriate for a primary care group with a respiratory interest in that country.
  3. Have a geographical spread: representation from more than one university/region.
  4. Have independence from undue influence (eg pharmaceutical industry, tobacco industry, politics, secondary care, commercial enterprise).
  5. Have a non-personal bank account, so that funds raised for primary care respiratory purposes are safeguarded for those purposes.
  6. Have elected officers with a limit on the terms of office, and written down responsibilities and roles.
  7. Have an up-to-date list of individual members that the group represents, and a way of contacting them.
  8. Have a process for seeking and representing individual members' views.
  9. Have a written plan about existing/future direction and materials (membership, activities, resources, research, presence and influence).
  10. Agree to include the IPCRG logo on your website, and actively promote our meetings, conferences and any educational or research project as requested.

If the IPCRG Board are satisfied these criteria are met, they will recommend the country group be granted full (“Ordinary” in legal terms) membership at the next Annual General Meeting of the IPCRG. Applications received by mid-April  can be reviewed by our Board of Directors and then issued to the Members to be voted on at the AGM – which normally takes place in May at our conference.

The IPCRG also warmly welcomes associate corporate members who support our mission and can contribute to our activities. Associate corporate members do not have voting rights.

Examples of constitutions