Regional review reports
Reviewing education and training across a region
In 2011-12, we piloted a regional approach to quality assuring deaneries and medical schools. This approach involves visiting all medical schools and deaneries within a geographical area or country at the same time, in order to gain a clearer picture of medical education and training across the region.
This joined-up approach allows us to identify any trends and issues common across all stages of medical education and training from undergraduate through to specialty (including GP) training, and to explore transitions between different stages of training. It also reduces the burden on the local education providers (LEPs) being visited, which may otherwise receive a separate quality assurance visit for each stage of training.
Focusing on areas of risk and good practice
In this pilot, we also used a risk-based approach to visiting. Previous visits have investigated all standards in all schools and deaneries. In 2011-12, we identified specific areas of risk to each school and deanery using our evidence base and also reviewed areas that are challenging nationally. We also investigated areas of self-reported good practice on the visit.
The risk-based focus means that areas of concern are more prominent in these visit reports than in those from our previous visit cycles. Therefore, the report is not a comprehensive summary of the organisations being visited but aims to highlight areas of good practice or where improvement is needed.
2011-12 reports
Each visit report also contains the school or deanery’s formal response to the report and an action plan outlining how it will meet any requirements or recommendations and share any areas of good practice identified in the visit report.
We have also published regional reports for Wales and the West Midlands, which draw together some themes that emerged over the course of each review.
Wales
West Midlands
See also: Previous visit reports