England’s top doctors launch review to make postgraduate medical training ‘best in the world’  

Two of England’s leading doctors are to oversee a significant review into postgraduate training for newly qualified medics.

National Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis and Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty will lead the review as part of work to address concerns raised by resident doctors (previously known as junior doctors).

The review will be based on feedback from current resident doctors and students, locally employed doctors and medical educators, with a series of engagement events around the country starting from this month.

The review will cover placement options, the flexibility of training, difficulties with rotas, control and autonomy in training, and the balance between developing specialist knowledge and gaining a broad range of skills.

The national listening events in February and March will be followed by a call for evidence in the spring to ensure the widest possible range of views, experiences and ideas are captured. A report on the review’s findings is due to be published in the summer.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director said: “It’s been several years since medical training was reviewed and the way we practise medicine has evolved, as have the needs and expectations of medical graduates.

“So, the time is right to look at again, especially with a new 10-Year Health Plan in development.

“By reshaping medical training, our aim is to improve the working lives of resident doctors and support career progression – ultimately helping them to deliver the best possible care to patients”.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England said: “We all learn throughout our medical careers. Many things have changed in medicine and it is sensible to look at the key issues, problems and successes of lifelong training we need to address. Getting the balance right between competing, reasonable aims of training and service provision will help ensure doctors are best equipped to treat patients in the coming decades”.

Dr Navina Evans, Chief Workforce Officer at NHS England said: “Resident doctors provide expert, compassionate care and as the NHS changes to meet the needs of our population, training methods and requirements need to keep up to date.

“Our current resident NHS doctors have made it clear that they have concerns and frustrations with their training experience. We are also aware of the needs of the increasing numbers of doctors in locally employed posts in NHS trusts and the essential specialty and specialist grade doctors.

“Providing resident doctors with high-quality training is key to delivering a modern NHS fit for the future and meeting the needs of our patients”.

Professor Colin Melville, Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the General Medical Council said: ‘We welcome the announcement of the review into postgraduate training from NHS England and look forward to contributing towards it.

“The needs of patients have changed considerably in recent years and will continue to do so in the future. It is important we ensure that doctors have the right skills and experience to meet these changing demands, and a training model that will meet these future needs. In doing this, it will be vital to maintain the high standards of medical education, and ensure that patient safety is central to all training.

“Repurposing medical education and training for the modern age remains an ambitious undertaking, but one that we remain committed to, where educators are supported, standards are maintained, and career development and lifelong learning is available for all doctors”.

Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said: ‘It’s been 2 decades since we last looked in detail at the way we train doctors in this country. Since then, so much has changed in healthcare and the way it is delivered that it is only right that we look again at how we can best meet the training needs of resident doctors to ensure they have the skills to deliver the best care for patients throughout their careers. We look forward to working with all the key groups including employers, medical trade unions and other professional bodies to create a medical career pathway that’s fit for the next 20 years”.

The Medical Reform Training Review Programme is aligned to the 10-Year Health Plan including the delivery of the shifts to community, prevention and digital.

For further details and regular updates on how you can have your say, visit NHS England’s website.