Two of England's leading doctors are
to oversee a significant review into postgraduate training for
newly qualified medics.
National Medical Director Professor
Sir Stephen Powis and Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir will lead the review as part
of work to address concerns raised by resident doctors
(previously known as junior
doctors).
The review will be based on feedback
from current resident doctors and students, locally employed
doctors and medical educators – with a series of engagement
events around the country starting from this
month.
The review will cover placement
options, the flexibility of training, difficulties with rotas,
control and autonomy in training, and the balance between
developing specialist knowledge and gaining a broad range of
skills.
The national listening events in
February and March will be followed by a call for evidence in the
spring to ensure the widest possible range of views, experiences
and ideas are captured. A report on the review's findings is due
to be published in the summer.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis,
NHS National Medical Director,
said:
“It's been several years since medical
training was reviewed and the way we practise medicine has
evolved, as have the needs and expectations of medical
graduates.
“So, the time is right to look at
again, especially with a new 10-Year Health Plan in
development.
“By reshaping medical training, our
aim is to improve the working lives of resident doctors and
support career progression – ultimately helping them to deliver
the best possible care to
patients.”
Professor Sir , Chief Medical Officer for
England, said:
“We all learn throughout our
medical careers. Many things have changed in medicine and it is
sensible to look at the key issues, problems and successes of
lifelong training we need to address. Getting the balance right
between competing, reasonable aims of training and service
provision will help ensure doctors are best equipped to treat
patients in the coming
decades”.
Dr Navina Evans, Chief
Workforce Officer at NHS England
said:
“Resident doctors provide expert,
compassionate care and as the NHS changes to meet the needs of
our population, training methods and requirements need to keep up
to date.
“Our current resident NHS
doctors ,
have made it clear that they have
concerns and frustrations with their training experience. We are
also aware of the needs of the increasing numbers of doctors in
locally employed posts in NHS trusts and the essential specialty
and specialist grade doctors.
“Providing resident doctors with
high-quality training is key to delivering a modern NHS fit for
the future and meeting the needs of our
patients.”
Professor Colin Melville,
Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the
General Medical Council said:
‘We welcome the announcement of
the review into postgraduate training from NHS England and look
forward to contributing towards
it.
‘The needs of patients have changed
considerably in recent years and will continue to do so in the
future. It is important we ensure that doctors have the right
skills and experience to meet these changing demands, and a
training model that will meet these future needs. In doing this,
it will be vital to maintain the high standards of medical
education, and ensure that patient safety is central to all
training.
‘Repurposing medical education and
training for the modern age remains an ambitious undertaking, but
one that we remain committed to, where educators are supported,
standards are maintained, and career development and lifelong
learning is available for all
doctors.
Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of
the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said,
‘It's been two decades since we last
looked in detail at the way we train doctors in this country.
Since then, so much has changed in healthcare and the
way it is delivered that it is only right that we look again
at how we can best meet the training needs of resident doctors to
ensure they have the skills to deliver the best
care for patients throughout their careers. We look
forward to working with all the key groups including employers,
medical trade unions and other professional bodies to create a
medical career pathway that's fit for the next 20
years.'
The Medical Reform Training Review
programme is aligned to the 10 Year Health Plan including the
delivery of the shifts to community, prevention and
digital.
