12 Deferred

Integrate phage clinical use into medical training and ensure access information for healthcare staff

Recommendation
If phages are to be used more widely within the UK’s healthcare system it is important that healthcare professionals are aware that they are an antimicrobial alternative, especially when antibiotics have failed or are failing. We recommend that information about the clinical use of phages is included within medical training courses and that information about how to access phages or phage expertise is readily available to clinicians and other healthcare staff within each hospital.
Government Response Summary
The government supports the principle of education and training on phages but redirects responsibility for medical and veterinary training standards and curricula to the independent General Medical Council, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and medical schools.
Paragraph Reference
70
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government Deferred
The government supports the principle of education and training on the clinical use of phage, as well as access to phage therapies and expertise, for medical and veterinary professionals as and when relevant. However, the standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) and the standard of veterinary training is the responsibility of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), both of which are independent statutory bodies. Furthermore, UK medical and veterinary schools determine the content of their own curricula which have to meet the standards set by the respective regulatory bodies, the GMC and RCVS, which provides monitoring to ensure that the standards are maintained. The GMC standards require the curriculum to be formed in a way that allows all medical students to meet the GMC’s outcomes for graduates by the time they complete their medical degree, which describe the knowledge, skills and behaviours they have to show as newly registered doctors. The GMC co-ordinates all stages of medical education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice. The training curricula for postgraduate doctors in training is set by the relevant Royal College and must meet the standards set by the GMC. While curricula do not necessarily highlight specific advances for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
Addressee Bodies
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.4 yrs
Report published 03 Jan 2024