Recognising and approving trainers: a consultation

The General Medical Council (GMC) is proposing new arrangements for recognising and approving trainers and in particular:

1. named educational supervisors
2. named clinical supervisors
3. lead coordinators of undergraduate training
4. doctors responsible for overseeing students’ educational progress.

Executive summary:

1. We are proposing new arrangements for the recognition and approval of trainers.
2. The proposals relate to:
   1. named educational supervisors in postgraduate training
   2. named clinical supervisors in postgraduate training
   3. lead coordinators of undergraduate training at each local education provider
   4. doctors responsible for overseeing students’ educational progress for each medical school.
3. The proposals therefore would not cover other doctors whose practice contributes to the teaching, training or supervision of students or trainee doctors. That essential contribution is important but does not need to be formally recognised or approved.
4. We will use our existing standards for postgraduate training set out in The Trainee Doctor and for undergraduate education in Tomorrow’s Doctors (see Appendix B).
5. We propose to use seven areas originally set out for postgraduate training by the Academy of Medical Educators to provide a structure:
   1. ensuring safe and effective patient care through training
   2. establishing and maintaining an environment for learning
   3. teaching and facilitating learning
   4. enhancing learning through assessment
   5. supporting and monitoring educational progress
   6. guiding personal and professional development
   7. continuing professional development as an educator.
6. Local education providers such as hospitals and general practices would use the seven areas to show how they identify, train and appraise trainers in each of the four categories above. Postgraduate deaneries and medical schools would then use that information to show the GMC what local arrangements are in place to meet our standards.
7. We already approve GP trainers and our proposals build on these arrangements. We need new legal powers to be able to approve other trainers. In the meantime, we believe that more formal arrangements for recognising trainers will help to make sure that local education providers, deaneries and medical schools are meeting our standards for the seven areas. We do not intend to hold the names of the recognised non-GP trainers but would ensure that the medical schools and the deaneries were doing so.
8. Particularly at a time of resource constraint, we aim only to protect and enhance the status of training. We believe that our proposals, which build on existing arrangements, support that aim by providing a structure that will add value while involving minimal additional effort or resource for our partners.
9. We want to hear from trainers, students and trainees, healthcare providers, deaneries, medical schools and medical royal colleges. The issues our consultation covers are technical, but we also welcome comments from patients and the public.
10. We need to hear whether we have struck the right balance between:
    1. building on the best existing arrangements, and
    2. providing a structure so those arrangements become standard in all fields of medical training across the UK.