Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown

Who Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown is

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown OBE is Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Council, having taken office on 29 November 2025 for a three-year term. She became the first International Medical Graduate to be elected to the role. She has worked as a GP in East London for over two decades, serving one of the UK's most diverse and socioeconomically deprived communities. Alongside her clinical work, she is Research and Innovation Lead for North East London Integrated Care Board and a Professor in Primary Care and Health Policy at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London. She has previously served the RCGP as Vice Chair for External Affairs, Joint Honorary Secretary, and London Faculties Chair, and co-chaired the College's Health Inequalities Standing Group. She is known for advocating sustainable general practice, continuity of care, and the responsible use of digital and AI-driven advances in primary care.

References for this biography

1. 1.Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Chair – RCGP — Current role, appointment date, career background, academic position, and leadership history
2. 2.College announces new Chair of Council – RCGP — Election as Chair, first IMG to hold the role, OBE, prior RCGP roles
3. 3.Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown elected as next RCGP chair – Pulse Today — Independent press confirmation of election as RCGP chair and IMG status
4. 4.Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown OBE – RCGP Annual Conference — Research and Innovation Lead role, Wolfson Institute academic role, Turning Point NED, Founding Senior Fellow FMLM
5. 5.RCGP comment on neighbourhood health framework – RCGP — Example of press-quoted commentary on NHS neighbourhood health policy, March 2026
6. 6.Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown OBE – Society for Academic Primary Care — Academic profile confirming chair role, GP career, research focus and senior RCGP leadership history

Notable achievements

• Elected first International Medical Graduate to serve as Chair of the RCGP, taking office November 2025 Source ↗
• Awarded OBE for services to general practice in the 2020 New Year Honours Source ↗
• Appointed Research and Innovation Lead for North East London Integrated Care Board, serving a population of approximately 2 million people Source ↗
• Founding Senior Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management Source ↗

What Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown has said

• “It's encouraging that more recent, experience-based data, such as the ONS health insight survey, shows high levels of satisfaction among people who have actually contacted their GP practice. This reflects what we hear every day: patients value the care they receive from general practice.”

  RCGP chair · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · Public satisfaction with general practice highest since 2021 ↗

• “The NHS 10-year workforce plan is an opportunity to finally match political ambition with sufficient investment. The next plan must be bolder, more balanced and far more focused on growing and retaining the GP workforce.”

  RCGP president · NHS & care workforce/staffing · 30 Sept 2026 · Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown: NHS workforce plan must make GP careers sustainable ↗

• “Where concerns do not meet the threshold for further action, it is right that these are identified as early as possible, helping to avoid unnecessary distress for GPs and unnecessary investigation, while allowing regulators to focus their resources on cases where there are genuine patient safety concerns.”

  RCGP president · Medical ethics & regulation · 30 Sept 2026 · Big increase in GP fitness-to-practise cases closed at triage, GMC data reveals ↗

• “It is worrying to hear that some patients are delaying or avoiding seeking care because they think getting an appointment will be difficult. GPs are working harder than ever, but we recognise that too many patients are still waiting too long for appointments or are anxious that they won't be able to get the care they need when they need it.”

  chair of the Royal College of GPs · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · GP surgeries ranked by local patients in NHS survey ↗

• “The findings of this report are concerning but they shouldn't be taken as a lack of commitment from GPs and their teams to our elderly, frail patients. What this report lays bare is that concerns raised by the college and others - that prioritising online access to our services without equal focus on continuity and proactive care may have unintended consequences for other areas of care, and risks disadvantaging some of our most vulnerable patients - are well founded.”

  RCGP president · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · NHS England has overloaded GPs with access targets, MPs warn ↗

• “Whether neighbourhoods reduce health inequalities will depend entirely on how they are implemented. Practices serving the most deprived communities often face the greatest demand despite having fewer resources. If activity moves into neighbourhoods without the workforce, funding and infrastructure moving with it, existing inequalities could widen rather than narrow. Resources need to follow the work, and investment should be targeted where health needs are greatest.”

  RCGP president · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · Neighbourhood working needs to be backed by resources, GP leaders say ↗

• “The term 'part-time' can be misleading because it often refers only to the number of face-to-face clinical sessions a GP undertakes, not the total hours they work. Modern general practice extends far beyond the consulting room.”

  president of the Royal College of GPs · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · Just one in five GPs now works full-time ↗

• “General practice is dealing with enormous demand, so in a busy consultation we inevitably have to prioritise the problems that most need our attention that day.”

  President of the Royal College of GPs, GP in east London · Public health & prevention · 30 Sept 2026 · Three in four UK GPs ‘too busy to talk to their patients in depth’ ↗

• “Many patients value the convenience and flexibility remote consultations can offer, and they can be a safe, appropriate and effective way of providing care for many patients. However, GPs are acutely aware that remote consultations won't be appropriate for everyone, or for every clinical problem.”

  president of the Royal College of General Practitioners · GP access · 30 Sept 2026 · GPs treat almost half their patients remotely ↗

• “Long waits for hospital treatment can be frustrating for patients, particularly when they are living with pain or other symptoms that are affecting their day-to-day lives. Decisions about when a patient receives treatment should be based on their clinical needs.”

  President of the Royal College of GPs · NHS waiting lists · 30 Sept 2026 · NHS delaying operations to save money ↗

• “Good access to general practice cannot be measured by speed alone... Access and continuity should not be seen as competing priorities.”

  RCGP president · GP access · 29 Sept 2026 · Viewpoint: Good access to general practice is impossible without continuity ↗

• “Access and continuity 'should not be seen as competing priorities'. Continuity can itself support better access by helping us make more effective use of the capacity we have. Access cannot be judged simply by speed or the number of appointments delivered. Good access means patients receiving the right care, from the right person, at the right time, and continuity is an important part of that.”

  RCGP president · GP access · 29 Sept 2026 · Government focus on GP access 'undermining quality and continuity' ↗

• “It is worrying to hear that some patients are delaying or avoiding seeking care because they think getting an appointment will be difficult. GPs are working harder than ever, but we recognise that too many patients are still waiting too long for appointments or are anxious that they won't be able to get the care they need when they need it.”

  Chair of the Royal College of GPs · GP access · 29 Sept 2026 · GP surgeries ranked by local patients in NHS survey ↗

• “Women need joined-up support throughout the postnatal period, across maternity services, health visiting, general practice and specialist mental health services.”

  President of the Royal College of GPs · Mental health · 29 Sept 2026 · Thousands of UK women have undiagnosed PTSD after childbirth each year, study finds ↗

• “Advice promoting suicide or self-harm, the glorification of extreme sexual practices, and reports of unhealthy emotional relationships with chatbots rightly attract concern. The relentless nature of social media and its impact on mental health are also well-documented. But beyond these headline-grabbing examples lies a quieter, more pervasive risk: health misinformation and disinformation. The RCGP recognises digital harm, in its various forms, as a modern determinant of health. Addressing this, particularly with regard to children, and protecting trust in health information should be treated as a public health priority.”

  RCGP chair · Children's health · 10 Sept 2026 · Children’s online safety should be treated as public health issue, says RCGP ↗

• “Rising measles cases in Enfield are a real concern and a reminder that this is a serious illness that can spread very quickly if vaccination levels fall. When outbreaks happen locally, GPs see first-hand the worry this can cause for families.”

  RCGP chair · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Parents urged to take up child vaccinations with GP practices amid measles outbreak ↗

• “The recent meningitis outbreak has shocked us all, but it's reassuring that we are seeing more families take up routine vaccinations for their children. General practice teams and school immunisation services are already seeing increased interest and inquiries in some areas, and are working hard to ensure all eligible children can access these vaccines.”

  RCGP chair · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · GPs report vaccine boost in response to Kent meningitis outbreak ↗

• “childhood vaccination sits correctly and naturally with GP practices and their registered patient lists”

  RCGP chair · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · The GP model isn’t why the childhood vaccination programme is failing ↗

• “Weight-loss medication can potentially benefit many patients, and being able to take it in tablet form would certainly be easier than having to inject it. It remains essential, though, that this medication is not seen as a magic solution for weight loss as it does come with potential side effects and won't be appropriate for everyone.”

  President of the Royal College of GPs · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Wegovy weight-loss pills to be available for patients in UK to buy ↗

• “supporting GP teams to identify signs of this violence, and having local services that can help to signpost to, will be 'an important step forward'”

  RCGP chair · Maternity & neonatal · 10 Sept 2026 · GP practices to receive domestic abuse training and new referral options ↗

• “Additional training 'may be helpful' for some clinicians, but it cannot replace the need for 'protected time, staffing and continuity'. GPs are already highly trained to manage the complex physical and mental health needs that can arise during and after pregnancy. Where postnatal care does not meet expectations, this should not be assumed to reflect a lack of GP skills or knowledge.”

  RCGP chair · Maternity & neonatal · 10 Sept 2026 · ICBs told to give GPs extra training on postnatal checks ↗

• “She also shares her thoughts on how GPs need to be kept at the centre of the implementation of neighbourhood services as the 10-year plan is rolled out, as well as how access and continuity in general practice are not mutually exclusive.”

  Chair of the RCGP · Heart disease & stroke · 10 Sept 2026 · RCGP’s Victoria Tzortziou Brown on how continuity can boost access; and are GPs following heart failure referral guidance? ↗

• “Those considering taking statins should be reassured by this comprehensive study which shows that while statins, like any medication, have potential side effects, the risk for most people is low.”

  RCGP chair · Heart disease & stroke · 10 Sept 2026 · Statins not linked with most side effects in patient information leaflets ↗

• “The vast majority of NHS Health Checks are delivered by GP practices at a time when workload has grown – and continues to grow – significantly both in terms of volume and complexity, while funding and workforce have not kept up. GPs want to help patients stay well, but preventive programmes must be backed by strong evidence and funded in a way that reflects the reality of delivering interventions on the ground.”

  RCGP chair · Diabetes · 10 Sept 2026 · Exclusive: GPs in more than 70 areas told to limit NHS Health Checks ↗

• “The GP-led model for childhood vaccinations is fundamentally strong and has a proven track record of high performance, and the challenge we face now is not redesigning that model, but ensuring that it is adequately supported to meet current demands and reverse the recent decline in uptake.”

  RCGP chair · Respiratory (asthma/COPD) · 10 Sept 2026 · Cuts to GPs’ SMS funding could lead to missed vaccinations, GP leader tells Lords ↗

• “With the right support, this approach can help prevent avoidable complications and contribute to a more sustainable NHS over the longer term. These changes to the type 2 diabetes treatment pathway are based on the latest evidence and could prove to be a significant step forward in improving care for people living with this common condition.”

  RCGP chair · Diabetes · 10 Sept 2026 · NICE confirms first-line SGLT-2 prescribing in final type 2 diabetes guidance ↗

• “It is 'essential' that any expansion of home testing is 'firmly evidence-based and clinically validated'. It must also be carefully targeted and include appropriate clinical oversight and follow-up.”

  RCGP president · Heart disease & stroke · 10 Sept 2026 · NHS England considering self-testing routes for cholesterol and prostate cancer ↗

• “GPs are routinely working beyond their hours to keep patients safe, but too much of their time is being taken up by bureaucracy and system inefficiencies that often add little value to patient care, particularly where requirements are duplicative or disproportionate.”

  College chair · GP access · 10 Sept 2026 · Government must recognise and pay GPs for ‘hidden workload’, says RCGP ↗

• “The NSC's decision not to recommend population-wide prostate cancer screening reflects the current limitations of PSA testing in identifying cancers that require treatment.”

  RCGP president · Cancer · 10 Sept 2026 · NSC advises against whole-population prostate cancer screening in final recommendation ↗

• “GPs want to diagnose prostate cancer as early as possible, while also 'protecting patients from unnecessary investigations and treatment'. Men who have symptoms or are concerned about their risk of prostate cancer should speak to their GP, and those asking about a PSA test should have the opportunity to discuss whether testing is appropriate for them.”

  RCGP president · Cancer · 10 Sept 2026 · DHSC sets out updated guidance on when GPs should offer PSA testing ↗

• “Cervical screening can save lives, but we know that for various reasons some eligible people do not take up their invitation for screening, so giving them another option could make access to screening easier and more convenient.”

  RCGP president · Cancer · 10 Sept 2026 · NHSE launches HPV self-testing for women who haven’t attended cervical screening ↗

• “'The reality is that GPs and our teams are working under intense and increasing pressures. Workload has risen consistently over recent years – both in terms of volume and complexity as we have an ageing population, with patients who often live with more than one serious condition – but workforce has not kept pace.'”

  RCGP chair · Elderly care & frailty · 8 Sept 2026 · Lack of GP targets resulting in too few frailty assessments ↗

• “Jessica's story was 'an important reminder that sometimes a rare diagnosis could be the right diagnosis'”

  chair of the Royal College of GPs · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · ‘Jess’s rule’ posters remind GPs in England to re-examine patients’ symptoms ↗

• “General practice is the front door of the health service, and all patients should be able to see their GP when they need to. So it is worrying to hear that some might be delaying or avoiding seeking care because they think getting an appointment will be difficult.”

  Chair of the Royal College of GPs · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Half of Britons avoid calling GP when they are ill, survey finds ↗

• “The recent meningitis outbreak has shocked us all, but it's reassuring that we are seeing more families take up routine vaccinations for their children. General practice teams and school immunisation services are already seeing increased interest and inquiries in some areas, and are working hard to ensure all eligible children can access these vaccines.”

  Chair of the Royal College of GPs · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Kent meningitis outbreak prompts rush for routine vaccinations in England ↗

• “It would be "highly concerning" if people were using AI instead of seeing a GP. Patients should not feel they have to rely on AI tools because they are facing long waits or difficulties accessing support.”

  president of the Royal College of General Practitioners · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · One in seven in UK prefer consulting AI chatbots to seeing doctor, study finds ↗

• “Medicine shortages can be frustrating for patients, GPs and pharmacists alike, especially when patients have to endure lots of back and forth to acquire a suitable alternative … It's essential that when shortages occur, the underlying causes are quickly identified and resolved.”

  president of the Royal College of GPs · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS patients face worst drug shortages on record, say pharmacists and GPs ↗

• “A fully qualified, full-time GP in England is now responsible for approximately 2,241 patients on average, an increase of 304 patients, or 15.7%, per GP in 10 years. This is having a serious impact on the time we can spend with our patients and on delivering proactive care.”

  Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners · Elderly care & frailty · 27 Aug 2026 · GPs failing older people living with frailty, National Audit Office finds ↗

• “General practices, most of which are small-scale independent services contracted to deliver NHS services, could also be disproportionately affected by policies that increase the cost of employing staff.”

  President of the Royal College of General Practitioners · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Reform UK levy on employing overseas staff ‘would harm NHS and social care’ ↗

• “prioritising online access to our services without equal focus on continuity and proactive care may have unintended consequences for other areas of care, and risks disadvantaging some of our most vulnerable patients.”

  President of the Royal College of GPs · Elderly care & frailty · 27 Aug 2026 · GPs in England too ‘overloaded’ to help older people at risk of falling, say MPs ↗

• “It is vital that the health impact of growing up in the digital environment is addressed at a population level by policymakers, regulators and technology companies, not left solely to families and clinicians.”

  RCGP chair · Public health & prevention · 27 Aug 2026 · Impact of social media on children is a ‘public health crisis’, says RCGP ↗

Where Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown has been quoted

1. NHS England ‘hyper-focus’ on access has cut GP capacity to manage frailty, MPs warnpulsetoday.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
2. Public satisfaction with general practice highest since 2021gponline.com · 30 Sept 2026
3. Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown: NHS workforce plan must make GP careers sustainablegponline.com · 30 Sept 2026
4. Big increase in GP fitness-to-practise cases closed at triage, GMC data revealspulsetoday.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
5. GP surgeries ranked by local patients in NHS surveywells.nub.news · 30 Sept 2026
6. NHS England has overloaded GPs with access targets, MPs warngponline.com · 30 Sept 2026
7. Neighbourhood working needs to be backed by resources, GP leaders saypulsepcn.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
8. Just one in five GPs now works full-timetelegraph.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
9. Three in four UK GPs ‘too busy to talk to their patients in depth’theguardian.com · 30 Sept 2026
10. GPs treat almost half their patients remotelytelegraph.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
11. NHS delaying operations to save moneytelegraph.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
12. Viewpoint: Good access to general practice is impossible without continuitygponline.com · 29 Sept 2026
13. Government focus on GP access 'undermining quality and continuity'gponline.com · 29 Sept 2026
14. GP surgeries ranked by local patients in NHS surveywells.nub.news · 29 Sept 2026
15. Thousands of UK women have undiagnosed PTSD after childbirth each year, study findstheguardian.com · 29 Sept 2026
16. Children’s online safety should be treated as public health issue, says RCGPpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
17. Parents urged to take up child vaccinations with GP practices amid measles outbreakpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
18. GPs report vaccine boost in response to Kent meningitis outbreakpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
19. The GP model isn’t why the childhood vaccination programme is failingpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
20. Wegovy weight-loss pills to be available for patients in UK to buytheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
21. GP practices to receive domestic abuse training and new referral optionspulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
22. ICBs told to give GPs extra training on postnatal checkspulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
23. RCGP’s Victoria Tzortziou Brown on how continuity can boost access; and are GPs following heart failure referral guidance?pulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
24. Statins not linked with most side effects in patient information leafletspulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
25. Exclusive: GPs in more than 70 areas told to limit NHS Health Checkspulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
26. Cuts to GPs’ SMS funding could lead to missed vaccinations, GP leader tells Lordspulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
27. NICE confirms first-line SGLT-2 prescribing in final type 2 diabetes guidancepulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
28. NHS England considering self-testing routes for cholesterol and prostate cancerpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
29. Government must recognise and pay GPs for ‘hidden workload’, says RCGPpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
30. NSC advises against whole-population prostate cancer screening in final recommendationpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
31. DHSC sets out updated guidance on when GPs should offer PSA testingpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
32. NHSE launches HPV self-testing for women who haven’t attended cervical screeningpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
33. Lack of GP targets resulting in too few frailty assessmentspulsetoday.co.uk · 8 Sept 2026
34. ‘Jess’s rule’ posters remind GPs in England to re-examine patients’ symptomstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
35. Half of Britons avoid calling GP when they are ill, survey findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
36. Kent meningitis outbreak prompts rush for routine vaccinations in Englandtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
37. One in seven in UK prefer consulting AI chatbots to seeing doctor, study findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
38. NHS patients face worst drug shortages on record, say pharmacists and GPstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
39. GPs failing older people living with frailty, National Audit Office findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
40. Reform UK levy on employing overseas staff ‘would harm NHS and social care’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
41. GPs in England too ‘overloaded’ to help older people at risk of falling, say MPstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
42. Impact of social media on children is a ‘public health crisis’, says RCGPpulsepcn.co.uk · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Falls can have a significant impact on an older person’s confidence and independenceWigan Today
• Aging Life Care Managers Can Be a ‘Godsend’ for FamiliesThe New York Times
• Hypertension Linked to Faster Progression of FrailtyMedscape

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.rcgp.org.uk/about/chair-of-council-2025

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.