Targeted GP training support proposals including extensions to training

Health Education England today announces the outcome of a consultation on a number of proposals that could enable doctors who did not successfully complete their GP training to re-enter the programme and another that acknowledges previous experience of doctors from other specialties to be taken into account.

We have also been looking in parallel, at increasing the period of additional training time for GP trainees to bring it more in line with other specialties.

We fully consulted with various stakeholders including the Royal College of General Practitioners, General Medical Council, British Medical Association and Committee of Directors (CoGPED) on proposals to :

• Support doctors from other specialties to enter GP training
• Enable the re-entry to training for those who were progressing in training but were unable to pass one part (out of three) of the MRCGP qualification in the time permitted. There are a small number of doctors that were progressing towards competence but at insufficient a rate to succeed during training as currently configured.
• Increase the extension to GP training

In addition our proposal relating to supporting overseas doctors who need additional training to fulfil the GMCs GP Registration requirements is now being taken forward as a separate proposal.

These proposals seek to further address differential attainment in training.There have been considerable advances in this support over recent years but that for some doctors 3-years is insufficient time in training to meet the required standards. GP Specialty Training is very well supported and the MRCGP is an excellent exit examination that ensures all that successfully complete GP training are of a sufficient standard to be GPs.

These proposals support GP training and the MRCGP.The standards of the MRCGP are well proven and will be maintained.

Professor Simon Gregory, Director and Dean of Education and Quality, Midlands and East said:

We are very grateful to the many people and organisations that responded to our consultation. The resulting amended proposals which we publish today offer a number of routes to support doctors to enter and successfully complete GP Training whilst maintaining the gold standard of MRCGP as exit criteria. In particular, this would help doctors who are progressing in training but not able to do so sufficiently in the time allowed.

Full consultation outcome document can be found here.

HEE commissioned Professor John C McLachlan, Professor of Medical Education at UCLan to look into influences on exam success.  The results of his research entitled ‘Likelihood of examination success relating to exam re-sits, timing and frequency and patient safety implications of multiple re-sits’ can be found here.