The Royal Medico-Psychological Association's Second Memorandum on the Report of the Royal Commission on Medical Education

It is appreciated that the National Health Service already makes substantial contributions towards the training of doctors. Nevertheless, the view expressed in the Royal Commission Report (paragraph 195) that the N.H.S. should accept a broad responsibility for the cost of postgraduate medical training is endorsed. Moreover, a distinction between ‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ training is somewhat artificial as far as medical education is concerned: both are important, and it seems inevitable that much of the postgraduate training as psychiatrists will fall upon the universities, whose staff, on the whole, are more experienced in teaching. More teachers will be needed to implement the proposals of the Royal Commission, and their training will be largely the responsibility of the universities. At present, very few of the university departments of psychiatry are equipped for the increasing demands made for postgraduate education, nor do they receive any grant for this purpose. The future training of psychiatrists must be more intensive and better organized. While it is agreed that much of this training will be provided by the ‘non-teaching’ hospitals and by tutors at the periphery, the university departments will need to be actively involved in these teaching programmes. Moreover, there will have to be an increase in the courses organized by university departments for general practitioners, medical officers of health, school medical officers, etc. Such an expansion of university departments does not run counter to the principle of the N.H.S. financing the professional training of doctors. Finally, consideration should be given to establishing parity in the salaries of university clinical teachers and N.H.S. consultants, whose responsibilities are usually very similar.