Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

GMC unifies standards for every stage of a doctor’s postgraduate training

Press Release

15 Mar 2011

The General Medical Council is today launching a new publication which sets out the standards for foundation and speciality including GP training for doctors.

The Trainee Doctor brings together the standards for all stages of postgraduate training that the GMC expects to be met by organisations that manage and deliver education and training.

This document has combined existing standards Generic standards for specialty including GP training, Standards for deaneries and The New Doctor in response to calls from postgraduate deaneries to integrate the standards where possible.

The Trainee Doctor also sets out the evidence that the GMC will use to check that these standards are being met and that trainees are receiving proper training and supervision. This includes data collected by postgraduate deaneries and local education providers, surveys of trainers and trainees and GMC visits to deaneries and local education providers.

The Trainee Doctor coincides with the consultation on proposals for the future of education and training for the healthcare workforce in England; Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce. This includes a proposal to change the roles of healthcare providers and deaneries in relation to commissioning education and training.  The GMC will review The Trainee Doctor once the changes to education and training are confirmed.

The guidance is aimed at postgraduate deaneries, employers, trainers, trainees and others involved in medical education and training.

A copy of the publication is available on our website at http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/postgraduate/standards_and_requirements.asp

Notes to Editors:

The GMC is responsible for the regulation of education and training throughout a doctor’s career, from medical school onwards.

For further information please contact the Media Relations Office on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444/ 07920 461497, email press@gmc-uk.org, website http://www.gmc-uk.org/.

The General Medical Council registers and licenses doctors to practise medicine in the UK.

The law gives us four main functions:

  •  keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors
  •  fostering good medical practice
  •  promoting high standards of medical education and training
  • dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt