Modernising Medical Careers Scheme

Sir Malcolm Rifkind
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken to ensure that there will be enough training posts for young doctors under the modernising medical careers scheme; if she will delay its introduction; and if she will make a statement.

Ms Rosie Winterton
The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) announced on 29 September indicative figures for the number of places planned to be available during the transition to new specialty training programmes in 2007. The figures suggest that the there will be between 22,000 and 23,000 training opportunities to doctors across the UK. Of these, the CMOs’ preliminary estimate is that 17,000 to 18,000 will provide access to run-through training programmes. Work is continuing on refining these figures.

Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is a major initiative aimed to improve both patient care and doctors’ training. It is subject to effective governance processes involving the four Health Departments and the national health service. We are satisfied that MMC is proceeding satisfactorily and we do not consider it necessary to delay it, which would only cause uncertainty and confusion at this stage.