Supporting statements

Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges congratulates Professor Greenaway on the Shape of training report and expresses strong support for the underlying principles.

Colleges particularly welcome the move towards generalism and the greater flexibility in the context of maintaining a UK wide system of medical education, whilst still appreciating the outstanding improvements that have been made to patient care through specialisation over the previous decades.

There are, of course, many issues still to be resolved and some of these will be thorny. Royal College and Academy involvement in addressing these is essential.

The Academy and Colleges are, however, absolutely committed to working with others to ensure the recommendations are implemented in an effective and practical manner.

Health Education and Improvement Wales

We are very supportive of the direction of travel and the three major themes, namely: registration at the end of medical degree; the continuation of the foundation programme; and the generalist training scheme. We look forward to inputting into the delivery group to discuss the detailed implementation.

Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA)

Professor Greenaway and his expert advisory group are to be congratulated for their thorough and methodical approach in this timely review and for their efforts to ensure that the views of patients, employers, junior and senior doctors and professional organisations throughout the UK were listened to. I wholeheartedly approve of the overarching principles championed in the review. There is a welcome emphasis on the necessity for a partnership with patients when training doctors and a highlighting of the importance of acquisition by doctors in training of the essential non-technical skills of patient safety, teamwork, communication and leadership.

I completely endorse Professor Greenaway's proposals to develop and maintain doctor's skills in caring for both the acutely unwell and those who are troubled with multiple illnesses through broader specialty training. The recommendations to recognise previously acquired competences, to place trainees only in high quality training posts and to introduce longer placements to enhance exposure to both continuity of patient care and supervision will improve the flexibility and the quality of postgraduate medical training.

Health Education England (HEE)

HEE welcomes the publication of this report and would like to place on record its thanks to Professor Greenaway and his team. The process of consultation and engagement has been thorough and the coverage of the issues comprehensive.

HEE acknowledges the need to ensure medical training is designed to meet the challenges of the future and equip doctors with the skills and values to deliver high quality services for patients. We agree there needs to be sufficient flexibility to meet ever-changing needs and for there to be a greater focus on the development of generalist capabilities, with scope for greater specialisation as required to meet the needs of the service and patients. The report's findings complement HEE's work on the broader healthcare education agenda.

The report will now be presented to Ministers in the four UK Health Departments. HEE looks forward to their response and taking a leading role in implementing agreed recommendations

Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans of the UK (COPMeD)

COPMeD UK is very supportive of the direction of travel for the shape of training review. It particularly welcomes the emphasis on generalist training to cope with the increasing demand for doctors who can holistically look after patients with comorbidities. The acknowledgement that the workforce needs to be flexible and the importance of ongoing CPD are also greatly welcomed. It will be important for both the employers and patients to be fully engaged in the debate about what sort of doctors are needed for future healthcare needs. Greater flexibility in academic careers is also a positive step forward. Clearly the devil is in the detail but we look forward to contributing to the delivery broad to make these important changes happen for the benefit of patient care.

Committee of GP Education Directors (COGPED)

COGPED welcomes the Shape of training report and recommendations. Preservation of two years of Foundation training followed by a minimum of four years GP specialty training will deliver the time for structured learning and volume of supervised patient contact to develop rounded and experienced general practitioners who will be key individuals in the multiprofessional and multidisciplinary primary care teams of the future.

Developing the specialist generalist in the new order proposed will be challenging organisationally and financially but successful implementation will be vital if the aspiration of delivering a far higher proportion of healthcare closer to home is to be achieved safely and to the benefit of patients and service users. To this end the development of patient care themes chimes with the RCGP curriculum for GP training and continuing practice, recommendation 15 is welcomed for the higher profile and organised delivery of continuing professional development it proposes.

General Medical Council

We warmly welcome the final report from Professor David Greenaway's Shape of training review.

We are pleased Professor Greenaway's focus is on the changing demographics in the UK, and especially on the ageing population and growing number of people with complex medical conditions.

We particularly welcome the idea of a more flexible training structure for doctors and for doctors to be able to change roles and specialties throughout their career so we can continue to attract and retain the best doctors in the profession.

Some of the recommendations will require further discussion, including the suggestion that full registration should be awarded at the point of graduation from medical school. But overall we are confident that these recommendations will help to improve the way doctors are trained and provide clear benefits for patients and the public within the health service now and in the future. The key is to ensure that we are able to make steady progress towards these reforms while maintaining some stability in a system that has already been subject to a great deal of change and pressure in recent years.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES)

On behalf of NHS Eduction for Scotland, I was pleased to be a member of the sponsoring board for the UK Shape of training review, and am extremely grateful to Professor Greenaway, to the members of the expert advisory group, and the secretariat for the work that has gone into this report.

A distinguishing feature of this review has been the thorough, meticulous and comprehensive process of evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement which has underpinned the final report.

I very much welcome the report, and the recommendations which it makes. These provide us with a clear template for medical education and training across the continuum and across the UK, with a clear focus on the needs of patients.

Ultimately, decisions on implementation in Scotland will be for Scottish ministers, but NES is fully committed to playing a full part in the UK-wide delivery group.

Medical Schools Council

The Medical Schools Council is delighted to have been a part of creating this crucial review which fits with both our long-term aims and current activities.

It is particularly supportive of recommendation 5, which states that full registration should be moved to the point of graduation; this will create a sustainable, flexible workforce for the future.

Flexibility within the clinical academic pathway is vital if doctors are to be encouraged to build research into their careers. Recognition that they should be able to move in and out of academic training is welcomed and we strongly support recommendation 14.

We look forward to working with partners to implement recommendation 3, which will lead to young and prospective doctors having a better awareness of what a career in medicine might entail.

The challenges facing the UK's health workforce are great. This report helps to identify what these challenges are and how to address them. The Medical Schools Council is committed to doing all it can to help deliver the review's recommendations.