This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Better training for better doctors
01/08/2005
A comprehensive overhaul of postgraduate medical
training was announced today.
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is the most
fundamental change to medical training in the UK for many
years.
Two-year Foundation Programmes for all medical graduates
will provide an educationally co-ordinated training
programme focussing on the generic training all doctors
require, irrespective of whatever specialty they
subsequently undertake.
Health Minister Andy Kerr said that this means more
patients will be treated by fully trained doctors, rather
than by doctors in training.
MMC will ensure that, in the future, there will be a
much stronger and focussed educational infrastructure for
doctors in training, enabling more effective use of time to
deliver trained, fit for purpose doctors more quickly.
MMC will deliver a medical workforce which is more
responsive to changing patient needs and ensures at all
times the highest standards of patient care and clinical
governance.
Mr Kerr said:
"This is a major reform of postgraduate medical
education, developed in partnership with the medical
profession.
"Through this programme, we can develop a flexible
workforce of doctors, competent at dealing with the acutely
ill patients and effective at communicating with patients
and colleagues alike.
"By creating efficient, high-quality, independently
assured training programmes, we will protect patient safety
and ensure the highest standard of training for all doctors
in Scotland. MMC will also offer better career guidance at
every stage of a doctor's development and will provide new
opportunities for non-consultant career grade doctors.
"Combined with the fact that we have record staffing
levels among doctors and most healthcare professions, all
of this is part of our drive to get our NHS to work
smarter, and in new ways.
"At the same time, we have the opportunity to reorganise
the rest of the healthcare team to take on expanded roles
on offer. Our related programme, Modernising Clinical
Careers, will develop the roles of other healthcare
professionals such as Nurses, Allied Healthcare
Professionals and Healthcare Scientists."
Malcolm Wright, Chief Executive of NHS Education for
Scotland, which is responsible for the educational
implementation of MMC, said: "NES has a remit to provide
educational solutions for workforce development. We achieve
that by designing, commissioning, quality assuring and,
where appropriate, delivering educational, training and
life long learning opportunities for NHSScotland staff.
"MMC and its sister programme, Modernising Clinical
Careers, are prime examples of our role in developing and
implementing both multi-disciplinary and uni-professional
programmes. These programmes are designed in partnership
with the Service and are closely aligned to its changing
needs.
Professor Stuart MacPherson, Chairman of the MMCScotland
Delivery Group and NES Postgraduate Dean for the South East
region, said: "The introduction of Foundation Programmes is
the first stage in a major overhaul of postgraduate medical
training. In Scotland a great deal of planning has gone
into providing an educational environment which will allow
new medical graduates to develop the basic skills required
by all doctors. They will then utilise their talents in
speciality training to participate in the future healthcare
of the population."
Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said:
"The BMA welcomes these much-needed reforms to medical
training. The principles of streamlining training will
undoubtedly deliver improvements for the NHS in
Scotland.
"Under this new programme, junior doctors will spend a
greater proportion of their time in training and gaining
experience, rather than on service delivery. Therefore they
are more likely to attain the competencies required to
progress through their training more quickly than under the
old system.
"By introducing attractive and innovative training
packages, MMC could provide an opportunity to attract and
retain doctors in Scotland and by developing flexible
training and family friendly working patterns could remove
some of the artificial barriers to medicine and widen
access to the profession."
Dr Mairi Scott, Chair, Royal College of General
Practitioners (Scotland)
said: "The RCGP welcomes the introduction of MMC. The
Foundation Programme phase of training recognises that
doctors in training need to have generalist competencies
before they proceed to specialty training. These are
essential for all doctors and give a strong base onto which
speciality skills including those required for general
practice can be built."
MMC has been developed across the UK. The development
and implementation of MMC in Scotland has been done in
partnership between the Executive, NHS Education for
Scotland, the wider NHS Scotland, the Royal Colleges, and
the BMA.
Latest workforce statistics, published on July 14 2005,
show Scotland has record number of doctors and a record
number of junior doctors. Doctor numbers are up from around
6,100 in 1994 to 7,600 in 2004, and doctors in training are
up from around 4000 in 1994 to 5500 in 2004.