17.02.15
Shape of Training Steering Group to focus on more generic medical training
Doctors’ training should be made more generic to allow them to care for the increasing numbers of patients with multiple conditions, a group responsible for reforming medical training has recommended.
The Shape of Training Steering Group, responsible for finding ways to implement the recommendations in the 2013 Greenaway Shape of Training Review, have issued a new release as they continue to look at how medical training might be adapted to meet future patient and service needs.
Specifically, the STSG has endorsed the following general and specific proposals:
- those aspects of the current training system that have been shown to work well and are fit for purpose should remain;
- any significant changes to medical training should be consistent with the key principles outlined within the Greenaway report, and taken forward in a measured and incremental way to avoid service and training disruption;
- any significant changes to medical training such as alterations to curricula must reflect the UK basis of medical training and be approved by the GMC;
- Groups should be developed in each country with appropriate stakeholder representation, with the remit to develop proposals as agreed by Ministers through the STSG, taking account of the different strategic priorities and requirements in each country; and
- to expand its membership to include representation from the BMA, Employers, Patients, doctors in training and Chairs of each countries groups.
The STSG identifies the next steps for it to take, including looking at how doctors’ training can be more generic. This will include a mapping exercise led by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and supported by the GMC to look at the extent to which Colleges have or can develop the generic components of their curricula.
The Royal College of Physicians also believes that general medical skills are essential for the future.
Professor Jane Dacre, RCP president, said: “We agree that in future, we will need more doctors with the general medical skills to care for the increasing numbers of patients coming to hospital with multiple medical conditions, particularly frail older patients.
“To train a good doctor who can provide generalist care together with specialist expertise requires adequate time. We are against any shortening of training, as this would affect the quality of the care our doctors can provide.
“We are pleased that today's announcement does not suggest a reduction in the number of years needed to train a doctor, and we look forward to discussing the changes necessary to the curricula to ready our doctors for the patients of the future.”
Other areas that the STSG identified to focus on are:
- measures to be scoped out, based on evidence collected through pilots, how to further develop the careers of doctors who are outside formal postgraduate training and who are not consultants, such as SAS grade doctors;
- measures to better prepare doctors to work across the interface between primary, secondary care and the community with more flexibility in training between the sectors ; and
- the STSG will support the GMC as they develop and pilot credentialing working with all stakeholders with an interest in this aspect of Shape of Training.
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