College of Medicine (UK)


The College of Medicine is a United Kingdom based organisation founded in 2010 for healthcare professionals and those interested in promoting alternative medicine within the National Health Service. The College originated from the collapse of Charles, Prince of Wales' controversial Foundation for Integrated Health, which closed after allegations of money-laundering and fraud.

Officers and directors

Its officers and associates include current and former senior NHS staff. Its current Vice Presidents are Sir Muir Gray, currently Chief Knowledge Officer of the NHS, Duncan Selbie, who is also Chief Executive of Public Health England and Harry Brünjes, founder of the Premier Medical Group. Its first President was Graeme Catto, former President of the General Medical Council.
Its current Chairman is Michael Dixon.

History

One director of the College, Michael Dixon, is a former director of the Foundation for Integrated Health. A former director of the College, George Lewith, was a council member of the foundation and his research unit at the University of Southampton played an important role in the development of the foundation.
The Foundation for Integrated Health promoted alternative medicine and closed down in 2010 after an accounting fraud.
When the College of Medicine was launched, several commentators writing in the Guardian and the BMJ, expressed the opinion that the new organisation was simply a re-branding of the Prince's Foundation, some describing it as "Hamlet without the Prince".
Alternative medicine critic and pharmacologist David Colquhoun has argued that the College is extremely well-funded and seemed from the beginning to be very confident of the Prince's support, explicitly describing its mission as "to take forward the vision of HRH the Prince of Wales" in an early presentation.
The College responded to this initial criticism by stating that it aims were to "promote a more politically and professionally transparent, patient centred, and sustainable approach to healthcare, using whatever social or therapeutic approaches are safe, effective, and empowering for patients".