Pause, reflect - now what!

I went to a really interesting working group meeting yesterday discussing the future of GP Training in Yorkshire and Humber. I hope I added my tuppenneth but the really interesting news was where we are now after the pause and reflect time on the NHS changes.

Skills Networks have gone and the new kid on the block is the Local NHS Education and Training Board - forever known as LETB. In Yorkshire and Humber their will be one LETB with 3 hubs for West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (sound familiar ...!).

The LETB will have a programme board and on the board will be nine chief executives (or their deputies) from acute trusts - three per hub, but the acute teaching trusts will not necessarily have a seat on the board, and three primary care board members - one from each locality. The Deanery will be split into schools and each school is likely to be hosted by another NHS organisation.

It is unclear where the GP School will be hosted and it maybe an acute trust. The hosting trust would employ all trainees on training programmes and trainees would have a single contract with the hosting employer. This will make things a lot better for GP practices.

Things are certainly clearer for me now than they were yesterday - LET it Be!

Future of GP Training?

In the recent paper produced by the DoH in response to the NHS Future Forum report there is more detail about what will happen to Deaneries. To read the full report click here and chapter 6 is concerned with Workforce Development and Training.

But the response comments that further work is needed to develop plans about how the workforce will develop to meet the needs of patients and communities, more clarify is needed about where accountability will lie and more detail about provider-led networks.

My reading of the response paper is that it highlights all of our concerns, sets out an agenda for what needs to be done but gives no clear guide about what will happen. Apart from the bland reassurance that Deaneries will remain within the NHS family.

So much more work to be done!

AKT feedback

The RCGP has published feedback on the May 2011 AKT. It is a really useful document because it tells you what the examiners are thinking when they come to set the next lot of AKT questions. Briefly they listed the areas that candidates did poorly as: management of basic medical emergencies, treating symptoms which may affect terminally ill patients and eye emergencies. Undoubtedly these will all be tested in future exams - because that is what they do!

To read the full feedback click here.