Background

In 2013, the Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) celebrates its 20th anniversary. The FSRH was established by its parent college, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), in March 1993; but this is not where the story begins. We need to go back to 1974, when approximately 1000 family planning clinics run by the charity the Family Planning Association (FPA, now fpa) were handed over to the National Health Service (NHS) to be managed by the Local Area Health Authority Public Health departments. Prior to this the FPA had established a solid foundation for medical training in family planning, which in many ways was ahead of its time. Assessment of clinical competence along with an appropriate non-judgemental attitude were key components; these are now cornerstones in UK medical training. In preparation for the move of clinics to Area Health Authorities the FPA's medical training activities were run down with a view to discontinuation, leaving no medical body to represent doctors working in this field who could facilitate sharing of good practice and the further development of standards, guidelines and training.

A new organisation was therefore required to ensure that the legacy established by the FPA was not lost. The RCOG established the Joint Committee on Contraception (JCC) in 1972, in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners …