Reports and reviews
We collect evidence from medical schools, postgraduate bodies, and medical royal colleges and faculties as part of our regulatory responsibilities. We bring together, in one place, the results of the visits and monitoring that we carry out across the UK, along with specific reports produced by the education providers themselves.
Back
Medical schools and trainers
Medical school reports
Until 2018, medical schools provided annual reports to us which aimed to give us assurance that the quality management processes and quality control in place locally met our standards.
In 2020 we introduced our new proactive quality assurance process and medical schools now submit an annual self-assessment.
Lists of awarding bodies and new schools
We decide which organisations can award UK primary medical qualifications. This section contains a list of awarding bodies, and lists of new schools and programmes under review.
Lists of recognised GP and specialist trainers
Access lists of recognised trainers, based on the information we have about trainers on the medical register.
Progression reports
Progression reports
As part of our quality assurance framework, we report annually on the progression of doctors across the UK. We report on key stages in their training including, specialty examinations, application and entry into specialty training and more.
Enhanced monitoring
Enhanced monitoring
When deaneries and local offices are concerned about the training of doctors, they need to work with trusts and health boards to make improvements.
If the situation doesn’t improve, they tell us. We then work with all the organisations involved to improve the quality of training through what we refer to as our enhanced monitoring process.
Regional and national reviews
Regional and national reviews
Until 2018, we carried out regional reviews in England and national reviews in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
On a regional review we visited every medical school and the deanery or local office in a geographical region or country. This helped us to make judgements about each individual organisation against our standards.
In 2020 we introduced our new proactive quality assurance process and medical schools now submit an annual self-assessment.
You can download regional and national reviews from 2018 and earlier on this page.
Thematic reviews
Thematic reviews
We check and monitor the education and training that doctors receive by carrying out reviews focused on particular aspects of training. Thematic reviews can include small specialty reviews, risk-based spot checks and can focus on specific issues such as bullying.
Annual speciality reports
Annual specialty reports
The annual specialty reports (ASRs) give us an overview of medical specialty education and training from the perspective of the medical royal colleges or faculties who represent the profession and have a key role in managing and improving the quality of specialty training for doctors.
The reports feed into our quality assurance processes. We review them in conjunction with annual reports provided by deans and medical schools as well as evidence from our visits, surveys and other sources. We use concerns raised in the ASRs to inform our quality assurance activities, including regional reviews, check visits, small specialty reviews and enhanced monitoring. Issues in the ASR may also inform our education policy developments.
Training pathways
Training pathways
Recently, we’ve been exploring how doctors move in and out of training, to help those working in postgraduate medical education and training understand how doctors progress through the training pathway. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we’ve looked at the scale and extent of training breaks, as well as the reasons, motivations and experiences of doctors who’ve taken one. We’ve primarily focused on those taking a break on completion of the foundation programme (F2) as this is the most common time to take a training break.
Shape of training review
The Shape of training review looked at potential reforms to the structure of postgraduate medical education and training across the UK.
