From the editor: A bleak report with huge implications for hospital medicine

摘要

Not the Francis report, even though the words may equally apply, we refer to the RCP's report in March this year - The medical registrar: empowering the unsung heroes of medical care. This carefully researched publication is based on the findings of the RCP's Medical Workforce Unit (MWU) - parts of which are published in this issue and other parts will appear in future issues of Clinical Medicine.The factors that need to be reconciled are clear. The number of fully trained physicians in various geographic regions of the UK correlates positively with good patient outcomes after admission to hospital. The number of consultants available is directly contingent on the number of doctors in training posts. The necessity to attract and retain high quality trainees in medical registrar posts, thereby providing a high standard of training, is therefore self-evident. What is also self-evident is that this process is under enormous strain. Indeed, the results of the 2012 second recruitment round for attracting specialist trainees at ST3 level - the stage of commitment to higher specialist training - make highly disturbing reading: 'fill-rates' were of the order of 60% overall for posts carrying a national training number and therefore starting the holder on the pathway to obtaining a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).