Reacting to today’s publication of a report concluding phase one of NHS England’s 'Review of Postgraduate Medical Education', Professor Rowan Parks, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh said:
“As postgraduate medical training in the UK has followed the same model of delivery for the last two decades, we agree that change is needed to ensure the medical profession continues to meet the health needs of the population and adapt to changes in the way medicine is practised.
“The report states that training must become more flexible so that doctors have programmes which adapt to their individual career goals. It also notes that many outstanding doctors are successfully developing their skills before or outside traditional training posts, and that training bottlenecks make it impossible for doctors to plan their careers sensibly or be assessed fairly. There is also acknowledgement of the need to rebuild inclusive team structures.
"It then makes 11 recommendations for improvement, which we would wish to endorse in principle. These include increased recognition for medical trainers and educators, protected time for doctors in craft specialties to develop their technical skills, and a commitment to expanding training opportunities within the independent sector if commissioned and funded by the NHS. We also support the call to protect the role of clinical academic medicine as this is essential for continued innovation in the NHS.
"The report acknowledges that whilst there are risks in modernising postgraduate medical education and training, these are outweighed by the need for reform.
"The next stage will be to develop future models of training, and we look forward to working with the DHSC, GMC, Postgraduate Deaneries, and other key stakeholders to ensure UK medical training remains the best in the world."