Overseas posts/non-accredited posts

The SAC were told this week that as of 1 January 2007 all posts leading to CCT
must be
approved prospectively by PMETB. Without this prospective approval, the trainee
will no
longer be eligible for a CCT if they wish this time to be counted. Instead the
trainee will
need to apply to be given Certificate of Eligibility to the Specialist Register
(CESR). CESR is
intended to allow the holder to apply for consultant jobs and is the route taken
by people
going through Article 14.

A possible alternative (although I have not been able to confirm this) is if the
trainee
wishes to maintain eligibility for CCT, to apply to the Dean for time out of
training and not
recognise the OOPE.

The application process is likely to take 3/12 from submission of forms.

I have contacted The Head of Approval and Visits at PMETB and obtained
clarification for
the following groups. These are her comments:

1. Trainees with SAC approved posts already on OOPE:
If approval for the OOPE post was granted prior to 1 January 2007, and evidence
of this
approval from the Deanery and SAC can be provided, then approval will be
honoured.

2. Trainees with SAC approval about to go (say in the next few months):
These trainees need prospective PMETB approval. These applications for approval
will
need to come directly from deaneries; PMETB is unable to accept applications
from
individual trainees, SACs or Colleges. This is consistent with PMETB policy of
holding the
deaneries responsible for local level quality management of education and
training.
Trainees are therefore advised to liaise with their deaneries to co-ordinate the
applications
for approval. PMETB guidance on prospective approval of overseas posts can be
found
here:
http://www.pmetb.org.uk/fileadmin/user/Policy/Policy_Statements/
Prospective_approval_of_overseas_posts_-_Guidance_2_Oct_06.pdf
and PMETB guidance on general post and programme approval, including research
posts,
can be found under the `latest news' section in the following part of the PMETB
website:
http://www.pmetb.org.uk/index.php?id=postandprogrammeapproval

3. Trainees who have begun planning but not yet obtained approval:
Need to apply as above

4. Point of contact for further questions to PMETB:
quality.assurance@...

I have written to PMETB to say that none of us were aware of this change is
concerning and
indeed it is possible that there are other significant policy changes which we
don't know
about. Better communication would also allow us to discuss out professional
concerns
regarding training in the way we have done and continue to do with the SAC.

Jonathan