Helen Salisbury: Would GMC proposals prop up or undermine general practice?

Before 1979, being a GP required no postgraduate training. After completing medical school and a year of hospital experience, you could set up in practice. It’s worrying, in retrospect, to consider how little such newly qualified doctors knew at that stage in their careers and how unsupported they were at a time when most practices were single handed. Now, after the two foundation years, GP trainees must complete three further training years, two of which are in GP placements. They have weekly tutorials and close supervision of their work during training, with debriefs after each surgery. To qualify, they must complete a portfolio to demonstrate their breadth of experience and pass written and practical exams.The NHS is short of 11 000 doctors1 and would be in an even worse position without the help of SAS (specialty and associate specialist) and LE (locally employed) doctors. These doctors are not on a…
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