Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board

The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) is an NHS Special Health Authority that operates in England. Its main objectives are to:

* safeguard the health and well-being of persons using or needing the services of general practioners (GPs) or specialists
* ensure that the needs of persons undertaking postgraduate medical education and training in each of the countries of the UK are met by the standards it establishes, and to have proper regard to the differing considerations applying to the different groups of persons to whom the Order applies

GPs and specialists within the National Health Service (NHS) or working privately in England must comply with the standards it establishesFact|date=September 2008.

Establishment

* was established by The General and Specialist Medical Practice (Education, Training and Qualifications) Order 2003 to develop a single, unifying framework for postgraduate medical education and training;
* began operations on 30 September 2005;
* has issued over 12,500 decisions on Certifications of Completion of Training (CCTs), Certificates of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESRs) and Certificates confirming Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPRs)
* took over the responsibilities of the Specialist Training Authority of the medical Royal Colleges and the Joint Committee on Postgraduate General Practice Training; and
* is accountable to UK Parliament and acts independently of government as the UK competent authority.

Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)

A Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or GPCCT (for GPs) is awarded to doctors who have successfully followed and completed a PMETB approved curriculum in a PMETB approved training programme.

CESRs and CEGPRs

PMETB developed and introduced a system that assesses applications from doctors who have not followed a traditional training programme but who may have gained the same level of skills and knowledge as CCT holders. Prior to their establishment, there were only very limited ways for these doctors to join the specialist or GP registers, with consequent limitations to their career development.

Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)

Doctors who wish to join the specialist register and have not followed a full PMETB approved training programme can apply under Article 14(4) of The General and Specialist Medical Practice Order for a Certificate confirming Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).

Certificate confirming Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPR)

GPs who have not followed a PMETB approved training programme can apply under Article 11 of the Order for a Certificate confirming Eligibility for General Practice Registration (CEGPR).

Achievements

PMETB's website lists its achievements since 2008. These include:

* publishing the first-ever generic standards for postgraduate training across all medical specialties: bringing consistency and greater transparency to the postgraduate training of doctors.
* approving curricula for all 57 specialties, plus 33 subspecialties, against new standards for curricula drawn up by PMETB.
* developing and introducing new equivalence routes to specialist registration. Prior to PMETB's establishment there were limited pathways for doctors who had not followed a traditional training programme to join the Specialist or GP Registers. Consequently, their career development opportunities were limited. Since September 2005 we have issued decisions on over 1,800 applications for equivalence to the Specialist and General Practice Registers (CESR and CEGPR).

Criticism

PMETB has been criticised by some medical Royal Colleges for adding bureaucracy, poor communication and a lack of robustness in its regulation of postgraduate medical training. Many of these problems relate to the initial stages of the Board’s operation and came to a head in summer 2007 [ [http://www.doctorportal.co.uk/news/news/colleges_declare_war_on_training_board.html Welcome Page ] ] . Since then the Board’s relationships with the medical Royal Collages have improved with a new contract recently signed between the two bodies which deals with concerns the medical Royal Colleges had about the funding of their work on behalf of the Board.

Merger with the GMC

In February 2008 The Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, agreed with recommendations of the Tooke Report which advised that PMETB should merge with the General Medical Council (GMC) [ [http://www.pmetb.org.uk/index.php?id=merger PMETB - Merger of PMETB with the GMC] ] . Whilst recognising the achievements made by PMETB, Professor John Tooke concluded that regulation needed to be combined into one body; that there should be one organisation that looked after what he called ‘the continuum of medical education’, from the moment someone chooses a career in medicine until the point that they retire.

The merger, which is due to happen no sooner than April 1 2010, was welcomed by both PMETB and the GMC.

References

External links

* [http://www.pmetb.org.uk Official website]