North West Plastic Surgeons

From Mmc

8th March: Letter from NW Plastics Selection Panel to Prof Hayden, PG Dean NW

Dear Professor Hayden

At a meeting of those involved in the proposed interviews for ST1, ST2 & ST3 posts in Plastic Surgery held on the evening of Tuesday 6th March 2007, the increasing reservations about the MTAS application and shortlisting process expressed by the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges were noted. We share these reservations and our unanimous view is that the interviews for all of these posts in Plastic Surgery planned for the 19th and 20th March 2007 should be deferred until a later date. We feel that before these interviews can be rescheduled, the following points should be considered.

1. There should be no detriment to those already short listed.

2. At the interviews all the candidates’ clinical and academic competencies should be examined.

3. That detailed CVs be requested from all candidates (whether previously short- listed or not.). These CVs will provide evidence of competence that would allow an additional cohort of candidates to be short listed if appropriate, and to compete at interview with those already short-listed.

We will be happy to take part in the short-listing and interview process using these methods, even though we recognise that this will mean a great deal more work for all of us and for the staff at the Deanery. With the additional information it would be possible to appoint trainees to start as planned on 1st August 2007.

We are all committed to supporting the appointment of doctors into these training grades but believe that this should be carried out using accepted and tested methodology rather than the process used by MTAS which has not been validated. In order to serve the best interests of the patients and the profession we should select the best candidates for the training posts. We feel this will not be possible using the current MTAS application process.

Yours sincerely

Milind Dalal, Chairman STSC, Plastic Surgery

Stuart Wilson, Programme Director, Plastic Surgery

Peter J Davenport, Consultant Plastic Surgeon

D A Mc Grouther, Professor of Plastic Surgery

Stewart Watson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon

Tim Woolford, Consultant in Otorhinolaryngology

Peter Paterson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon (endorses this view; not present at the meeting)

Jeyram Srinivasan, Consultant Plastic Surgeon (endorses this view; not present at the meeting)