The Royal College of General Practitioners has
been given unconditional approval by the Postgraduate Medical
Education and Training Board (PMETB) to introduce the first ever
training curriculum for General Practice.
The curriculum – based on the
joint principles of “science and caring” – will transform the
period of postgraduate medical education known as Specialist
Training for General Practice, from the end of the Foundation
Programme to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training
(CCT).
It addresses the wide-ranging knowledge,
clinical and communication skills and professional attitudes now
considered appropriate for doctors intending to take up general
practice in the modern NHS.
As well as dealing with the generic core
competences shared by GPs and other physicians, the curriculum
emphasises six competences that are distinctive to general practice
- three of which have the doctor-patient consultation as their
focal point:
·
Primary care management
·
Person centred care
·
Problem solving skills specific to general practice
The remaining competences go beyond the
GP-patient interaction in the consulting room and focus on:
- A comprehensive approach
- Community orientation
- A holistic approach
The GP Curriculum addresses all sections of
the General Medical Council’s key document Good Medical
Practice.
Divided into 31 statements on appropriate
standards for general practice, it covers everything from
patient safety and clinical governance to diagnosis and
treatment of specific conditions. Learning outcomes expected from
clinicians at the end of specialist training are categorised as
Knowledge, Skills or Attitudes.
RCGP Chairman Professor Mayur Lakhani said:
“This signals the advent of a new standard of general practice.
This is groundbreaking news and we are delighted to have secured
the unconditional approval of the PMETB.
“The aim of specialist training is to produce
doctors who are able to look after patients with equal regard for
science and caring. General practitioners need to be able to
address multiple health issues and deal with uncertainty and
complexity. Patients expect their GP to co-ordinate and orchestrate
their care.
“The GP training curriculum will enable them
to do just that - it is excellent news for patients, for trainees,
GP educators and the NHS.
“I would like to pay tribute to everyone at
the RCGP who has played a part in making this happen, particularly
Professor Steve Field, Dr Mike Deighan and Dr Bill Reith.”
Professor Steve Field, Chair of the RCGP
Professional Development Board, said: “This marks a real turning
point for GP education and how we train our doctors of the future.
For the first time, we now have a specific definition of the areas
and issues every GP trainee needs to cover, regardless of where in
the UK they are trained. It will also mean that trainees are
engaged in continuing professional development from the very outset
of their careers as general practitioners.”
Dr Bill Reith, Chair of the RCGP Postgraduate
Training Committee, said: “This is fantastic news for
those wishing to train to become GPs and, just as importantly, for
patients. We will work closely with deaneries throughout the
UK to develop programmes of training that will ensure trainees gain
the skills and competences that they need.”
PMETB Chair, Professor Peter Rubin, said:
“Well trained GPs are essential in meeting the needs of patients in
the modern NHS. We are, therefore, delighted to approve without
conditions the RCGP training curriculum. The new curriculum will
move incrementally to a position where a greater proportion of
training time is spent in the primary care environment, equipping
GPs with the skills to deliver the highest quality standards of
patient care across the UK.”
Ends
For further information contact the Press Team.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
How the GP training curriculum was developed
1. Two Curriculum
working groups were created by the Education Network of the RCGP –
one to deal with Teaching and Learning and the other with
Assessment. Each group had lay and GP trainee representation.
2. A literature
review was commissioned from the Centre for Research into Medical
and Dental Education at the University of Birmingham. At the same
time, an extensive consultation exercise was carried out in
partnership with the Committee of General Practice Education
Directors (COGPED) and the West Midlands Deanery involving:
i) A
national questionnaire survey of the views of trainees and GP
educators on training for general practice
ii)
Meetings with lay representatives and GP trainees
iii) Focus groups and
presentations at national and international conferences to share
findings and explore perspectives on them.
3.
Following consultation, the main curriculum statement was written,
together with more detailed supplementary statements. The
statements were circulated in draft form to lay and trainee
representatives as well as specialist interest groups within the
RCGP and being posted on the RCGP website. A period of open, formal
consultation across the UK led to the submission to the PMETB.
4.
For further information and to interview Professor Steve
Field please contact the RCGP press office on 0207 344 3129
or email press@rcgp.org.uk
5. The Royal
College of General Practitioners is the largest membership
organisation in the United Kingdom solely for GPs. It aims to
encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical
practice and to act as the “voice” of GPs on issues concerned with
education, training, research and clinical standards. Founded in
1952, the RCGP has over 25,000 members who are committed to
improving patient care, developing their own skills and promoting
general practice as a discipline. http://www.rcgp.org.uk/