There will be a National Recruitment Process for CT1 and ST4 trainees in England in 2010. Information is available at:

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/nationalrecruitment.aspx

 

Training opportunities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can be viewed via the relevant MMC websites: MMC Northern Ireland, MMC Scotland and MMC Wales

 

 

MMC

Since 1997, the stated policy of the Department of Health was to increase the number of medical school places so that there would be enough UK-trained medical graduates to provide for the future needs of the NHS. The NHS Plan, published in 2000, included a commitment to increase the number of consultants to ensure that more of the NHS service was being delivered by trained doctors.

 

MMC was launched in February 2003 by the four UK health departments after widespread consultation around the Chief Medical Officer's report Unfinished Business.

 

The main aims of MMC were:

• More medical care provided by fully trained doctors
• National standards for training
• Transparent and efficient career paths for doctors
• Comprehensive curricula should be set
• Regular assessment of competencies
• Trainers and supervisors should be trained and given support to fulfil their roles

 

The changes introduced by MMC involved five main features:

• Foundation Programme (2 years - F1, F2)
• "Run-through" specialty training (ST) (6 years for psychiatry)
• Centralised selection process
• Limited fixed-term specialty training appointments (FTSTAs)
• Formalised non-consultant career grade status, entry and career progression

 

There were serious problems with the specialty recruitment process in 2007, including concerns about the shortlisting and selection process involved and problems with the computerised application system (MTAS).

 

Following this, an independent inquiry led by Sir John Tooke, Dean of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, was undertaken. The report can be viewed at http://www.mmcinquiry.org.uk/

 

Changes have followed on from 2007 and in England and Wales, training has been decoupled between core and higher training. The equivalent of the old 'SHO' grade are now called CT (core trainees) and the year that they are in is indicated by a number after the CT - in psychiatry this is CT1-3. Higher or advanced trainees are ST4-6s.

 

Further information can be found at the MMC website: www.mmc.nhs.uk/