New recommendations have been set out by two of England's leading doctors after the first phase of a review into postgraduate medical training.
The government’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and the former National Medical Director at NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, have led the Medical Training Review, which is working to understand current challenges and identify key areas for potential improvements.
An engagement exercise for the review generated more than 8,000 responses from doctors, patient and professional and regulatory bodies.
The report highlighted that there are risks to making major changes to training, but these are justified as the gap between what is needed and the current system is large.
The phase 1 diagnostic report mainly sets out the current situation, but it does also identify 11 recommendations, including four key priorities needed to modernise medical training. These are training becoming more flexible; building on excellence beyond formal training routes; addressing current training bottlenecks and rebuilding inclusive team structures where doctors at every stage of training feel valued.
The next phase of the review will involve the medical royal colleges, postgraduate deans, the General Medical Council, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as patient groups working together with doctors from all stages of training to design a package of reform.
Professor Stephen Powis said: “Healthcare professionals do a fantastic job of treating patients every day and it’s vital that the NHS continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the population.
“We deliberately set out to make this a review by the medical profession with patient input, and we firmly believe that the solutions to the training challenges we face lie within the profession.
“We are extremely grateful to the many thousands who have participated in the first phase of the review, providing a substantial and wide-ranging response. We will now work to make those recommendations become a reality to improve the working lives of doctors and provide better care for patients.”
Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said: “Training is essential for good medical practice and patient care and all doctors are involved both in being trained and in training others from the start to the end of their career.
“This report sets out key areas where medical training is working well and where it isn’t working well and needs reform. It is now for us as the medical profession to weigh up the trade-offs and put forward solutions to improve medical training and ensure the profession is fit for the future.”
