In celebration of GP education.

Abstract

Primary care is at the heart of improving patient health outcomes.1 Recognising this, the General Practice Five Year Forward View explicitly sets an annual target of recruiting 3250 doctors in postgraduate GP training across England.2 The Royal College of General Practitioners, working with educational commissioners, has worked to increase the number of doctors entering GP training with significant success, although it is unclear to what extent training GPs will convert into service GPs.3 Part of the reason for successful recruitment to GP training has been the reputation of postgraduate education in general practice for its learner-centred approach. GP education has been at the cutting edge of improving learner experience through innovations in educational delivery, curriculum, and assessment development, together with strategically influencing medical education policy. The General Medical Council’s national trainee survey tells us that GP trainees rate their postgraduate training experience highly, relative to other specialty groups. This is all the more remarkable given the high workloads reported by GP trainers, and this reflects their dedication to training the future workforce.4 Robert Francis QC, in his seminal report on the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry,5 writes: ‘Good practical training should only be given where there is good clinical care. Absence of care to that standard will mean that training is …