GMC discusses future arrangements for education and training in England

Any new arrangements for training specialist doctors and GPs must ensure that the quality of education is not compromised by the immediate demands of the service, according to the GMC.

The General Medical Council, which is responsible for setting standards for every stage of medical education, was discussing the Department of Health (England)’s consultation, Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce. 

The GMC welcomed the consultation and the proposed new duty on all NHS organisations to provide high quality training but stressed that to make that happen there would have to be proper checks and balances within the new system. This should include an education champion at local level alongside a clear employer voice.

The Council also emphasised the need for the new arrangements to recognise the pivotal role of the professional regulator in setting and assuring educational standards, and for there to be a clear line of accountability to the GMC from the new local skills networks.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, said:

“We will be producing a full response to this critically important consultation. The timetable for change is ambitious and it is vital that moving to a new system is carefully managed so that existing training programmes are not disrupted and that current knowledge and experience, especially within postgraduate deaneries, is not lost.

“There are opportunities here if we ensure that the quality of education is at the heart of the new arrangements.”