British Thoracic Society

From Mmc

T H E • B R I T I S H • T H O R A C I C • S O C I E T Y

17 Doughty Street • LONDON • WC1N 2PL

Telephone: 020 7831 8778 • Fax: 020 7831 8766 • www.brit-thoracic.org.uk

Professor Neil J Douglas Chairman, Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom

Professor Ian Gilmore President, Royal College of Physicians of London

By email 16 March 2007

Dear Professor Douglas and Professor Gilmore

MTAS

The British Thoracic Society would like to add its strong support to the review of MTAS and to the suggestion of a radical review of the MTAS selection process with the return to a selection and interview system that identifies high quality candidates, through profession-led assessment, including the review of the full C.V. and the use of relevant and probing questions. High quality, well-trained, motivated and enthusiastic trainees are the life blood of any specialty, and are the catalysts for improving care for patients and driving innovative patient centred improvements. The current process has been very destructive and done so much harm to morale at all levels, and unless re-designed promptly, will impact on an individual doctor’s commitment to a career in secondary care, with a significant knock-on effect on patient care.

With kind regards

Yours sincerely,

Professor John Macfarlane Chair, BTS Executive

Professor Stephen Holgate, President