The British Geriatrics Society is the association for professionals working in the healthcare of older people across the UK. We are the only society in the UK offering expertise in the health care of older people, and providing a national voice for specialists working in this field.
Our membership is truly multidisciplinary. It includes consultant geriatricians, nurses, GPs, old age psychiatrists, allied healthcare professionals, and researchers. Everyone specialising in the healthcare of older people is welcome to join!
Your membership fee depends on where you are in your career, how you pay for membership and if you are overseas.
Joining the BGS gives you access to a range of professional support and benefits. Review the information below to choose the right membership for you.
Membership for Everyone
Free BGS account
Non-member
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Access to register for conferences, elearning and sign up for e-bulletins
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Opportunities to showcase projects related to research and quality improvement at our events
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Membership of various Special Interest Groups within the Society that focus on specific conditions
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Access to best practice guidance on topics such as diagnosing and treating frailty or commissioning services for care homes
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Networking opportunities via the BGS Forum
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Option to join the BGS as an individual or group member at a future date
BGS Individual
£48 - £226
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Full library access to our elearning modules with CPD (A saving of over £750)
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Discounted fees for BGS events (saving up to £252 for a single conference in 2025, compared to non-members)
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Online access to our scientific journal Age & Ageing (available with most membership categories) - worth £417.00 on the open market*
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Entitlement to apply for a grant for relevant educational activities for eligible members
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Networking opportunities via the BGS Forum and the Members directory
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A regular newsletter to keep you updated on the latest news and events
BGS Group
From £551
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Discounts on event registration costs, free access to e-Learning modules, and microlearning
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Online access to our scientific journal Age & Ageing
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Networking opportunities via the BGS Forum and the Members directory
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Opportunities to showcase projects related to research and quality improvement at our events
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Automatic membership of the Council of Nurses and AHPs
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Peer assistance, networking, and informal mentoring opportunities for professional development
How much does membership cost?
Membership Rates 2025*
Category | UK based membership | Fee | Overseas membership | Fee |
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A (Standard Fee) | Senior Doctors – Post CCT or CESR CP | £226.00 | Senior Doctors | £113.00 |
B | Pre CCT or CESR CP | £119.00 | Equivalent to SAS Grade, Specialist Registrar, GP Trainees IMT, Clinical Fellows etc. | £59.50 |
C | Healthcare professionals | £96.00 | Healthcare professionals | £48.00 |
D | Students/Preceptorship Nurse and AHP and Foundation Year Doctors | £0 | Students
| £48.00 |
UK based membership | Reduction in applicable fee | Overseas membership | Reduction in applicable fee |
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Reduced rate for LTFT or LTFE (60% of standard working week) | 40% | Reduced rate for LTFT or LTFE (60% of standard working week) | No further rate reduction |
Parental leave - all categories | 50% | Parental leave - all categories | 50% |
Retirement Rate | 50% | Retirement Rate | No further rate reduction |
Opt out of journal (online) - Category C only | 50% | Opt out of journal (online) | No further rate reduction |
Your membership fee depends on where you are in your career, how you pay for membership and if you are overseas.
If you work for a corporate entity, outside the NHS or academia, then the standard membership fee is applicable (Cat A). For example, a pharmaceutical or medical device company.
How do I join?
The quickest and easiest way to join is online. Please complete an online application for BGS membership here. For any further questions, or difficulties completing your membership application, please email membership@bgs.org.uk.
How to renew?
If you have been a BGS member and wish to renew, please log into your BGS website account. On the landing page for your account there is a renew function. If this is not available or you don't have access to your BGS account please contact membership@bgs.org.uk
I'm not on a training pathway, where do I fit?
For those medics and health care professionals not on a training pathway, we welcome your membership and recognise the valuable roles undertaken in these posts. For simplicity, we have grouped members into four bands and your fee level is determined by your professional job title.
For a Foundation Year Doctor whose training continues beyond FY2 or if you are employed in a clinical fellow or SHO role, you would be eligible for membership in Category B.
Please do reach our membership officer with your individual queries via membership@bgs.org.uk.
Overseas membership
No, we welcome members from all over the world. Overseas membership fee is calculated respectively from your profession and extended a 50% discount off the UK annual membership fee for the membership category you are aligned too. You will receive all the membership benefits, including a online subscription to the Age and Ageing journal.
Am I eligible to join?
Many of our members are hospital consultants specialising in the care of older people, but you don't have to be a doctor to join.
Our membership is truly multidisciplinary so if you are a nurse, advanced clinical practitioner, pharmacist, occupational therapist, or any other allied healthcare professional with an interest in the healthcare of older people, you are welcome to join.
All healthcare staff groups involved in direct patient care or services and professionals who have a high degree of autonomy, able to provide care in complex situations and who may also lead services for older people are also welcome to join.
If you are a lecturer, academic or researcher into ageing and ageing related processes, you would be eligible to join.
If you work for a corporate entity, outside the NHS or academia, then the standard membership fee is applicable (Cat A). For example, a pharmaceutical or medical device company.
Free membership
Free membership is open to all undergraduate medical students, student nurses and AHP students at a UK medical school. It is also open to Foundation Year 1 – 2 Doctors, Foundation Year pharmacists and Nurses and AHPs in their Preceptorship year.
Medical student and Foundation Year Doctors - Members in this category must be undergraduate students based in the UK, at a UK medical school or a UK based foundation year programme. Postgraduate students are not included.
Student Nurses and AHPs; Foundation Year Pharmacists - Members in this category must be on an undergraduate course leading to a clinical career in health and based in the UK, or in their Preceptorship Year. Postgraduate students, or those studying for advanced qualifications such as ANPs, are not included in this category.
Do you offer a discount for those on parental leave?
Yes. For members currently on, or about to take parental leave, a 50% reduced rate of the annual membership subscription is applied for all categories of membership. This rate is applied to one year of membership, which will be the year in which the greatest part of the member's parental leave falls. To apply for this discount, please select this option during your application or renewal. When applying for this discount, you will need to upload supporting documentation to confirm your eligibility. This can be a letter or email from your employer confirming your parental leave dates.
Do you offer a discount for those working Less Than Full Time (LTFT)?
Yes. Those working 60% Full Time Equivalent (FTE) or less are extended a 40% discount. To apply for this discount, please select this option during your application or renewal. When applying for this discount, you will need to upload supporting documentation to confirm your eligibility. This can be a letter or email from your employer confirming your 60% LTFT post or a copy of your contract.
Please note, you will need to re-apply for this discount each year.
Do you have a retired member rate?
Yes. As our retired members form a key part of our membership, we offer a 50% reduction in membership fees against their current membership category.
Continuing as a retired member allows you to still be an active part of the Society, and receive all of the membership benefits it has to offer. These include reduced rates for attendance at conferences and online subscription to the Age and Ageing journal.
How can I access the Age and Ageing journal?
We have now moved to a sustainable, flexible option of providing access to the Age and Ageing journal online only. This can be accessed via the BGS and OUP website using your login details for your BGS account.
When you sign into your BGS account, scroll down your account page to find the pink button which reads 'View journal'. Once you click on this button, a new browser window will open to the OUP website where you can search all new and past journals/articles. Please note, you must use this new window rather than any previous windows that you may have previously had opened. The window that opens following your BGS account will be synced with your membership so that’s how you will be able to view full articles.
Category C memberships can continue to opt out of receiving the journal digitally.
Can I subscribe to Age and Ageing without becoming a member?
Subscriptions to Age and Ageing are available for Institutions and Corporate Subscribers. Individuals are encouraged to access the journal with a BGS membership. Further details are available online here.
Membership of the British Geriatrics Society costs no more than £226 and includes online subscription to the journal for most membership categories.
Informing us of a member's death
It is sad to hear when BGS members have died. But please let us know, so that we update our records, and can ensure no further membership payments are collected or unnecessary communications sent. You can notify us by emailing Disha Rabadia at membership@bgs.org.uk with the following details; full name of the person who has died, date of birth, home address and the date of death. We would need this information confirmed and verified to allow us to update our records.
BGS are keen to pay tribute to the life and work of our members who have worked so hard to improve healthcare for older people. We invite any family members, friends or colleagues to share their memories of the professional by writing an obituary which we would publish on our website and/or in our Newsletter. We also welcome tributes for those who are not members of the Society but have contributed to the BGS mission of improving healthcare for older people. For more information on this or to send your contribution, please email Mark Stewart at m.stewart@bgs.org.uk.
Are there any other benefits to being a BGS member?
We can offer a 20% discount on the Open Access fees when publishing in Age and Ageing journal for members of the British Geriatrics Society. If you are a BGS member and would like to apply this offer, please email Katy at aa@bgs.org.uk with your membership number.
What options are there for Group membership?
We are keen to strengthen the BGS’s multidisciplinary ethos and to enable nurses and AHPs to take advantage of lower membership fees if they join as part of a group. Group membership is available to teams and organisational units, providing a cost-effective way to sample the majority of benefits available to individual members.
If you are interested in finding out about a Group membership for your team or workplace, please contact membership@bgs.org.uk
Some benefits available to individual members are not included in this category.
Group membership package | Number of members in the group | Annual membership fee | Annual cost for individual membership for package size | Saving for the organisation |
Package 1 | <10 members | £551 | £960 | £409 compared to 10 individual members |
Package 2 | 11-20 members | £1103 | £1920 | £817 compared to 20 individual members |
Package 3 | 21-30 members | £1654 | £2880 | £1226 compared to 30 individual members |