Exit wounds
From Mmc
Exit wounds
Alex Williamson April 27, 2007 12:00 PM
Let's not beat around the bush. The Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) and the implementation of the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme has been nothing but a farce. With each passing day a new ridiculous error occurs, and even those with the wildest imaginations would not have been able to predict the catalogue of failures to date. Gradually the general public are becoming aware of the shambles that has surrounded doctors' appointments. However, there still remains an amazing amount of ignorance - those blissfully unaware, and those who are unable to perceive the implications and are dismissive of whinging doctors.
The latest update to try and salvage a disgraceful system has seen that all doctors will be interviewed for their first-choice job. As a logistical proposal this is exceptionally costly, bordering on farcical. Eleven thousand doctors failed to get interviews in the first round, and who knows how many others re-ordered their preferences (as was their privilege) to gain a further "first-choice interview". I suspect something in the order of 15,000 new interviews - or lost work days. To compound this there will be several thousand work days lost to those required to carry out interviews of candidates that no longer had to meet long-listing criteria.
In the last week it has been revealed there are serious shortcomings to the MTAS website. Personal information on doctors could be easily accessed, and confidential correspondences to interviewees could be read by anyone able to logon. Not only has the implementation of MMC been flawed, but the technology used to do it is inadequate.
The new government line to defend this debacle was that the system was designed to fast-track the most promising doctors. This is a ridiculous suggestion given that most doctors would enter specialty training after only four months training in that area and in many cases no working experience.
While foolish ideas such as sending inexperienced doctors to work for the VSO continue to be explored by a clueless health secretary, one wonders what new puerile quick-fix will be suggested.
The fact is that Patricia Hewitt should be relieved of her position. Despite continual apologies, she is devoid of any remorse and fails to acknowledge the extent of the MTAS shortcomings. Her colleague Lord Hunt, (who has justifiably entered medical rhyming slang), should follow suit. He seems unable to think of alternative excuses to his repeated "there has always been competition for jobs". While this may be an astute observation for a man of his calibre, he missed the real point - that this fundamentally flawed system was depriving doctors of competing fairly.
The fiasco continues, and those caught up in the middle of it continue to wonder just how much more digging is required before the grave will be big enough to accommodate MTAS.
