§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the potential of information technology to provide the means for the ongoing training of qualified doctors; [53224]
(2) what proposals he has for the ongoing training of medical practitioners under the lifelong learning programme. [53225]
§ Mr. MilburnWe recognise that the availability of appropriately trained staff is one of the key determinants of the quality of patient care. The importance of lifelong learning as one of the key activities underpinning Clinical Governance is recognised in the recently published consultation document "A First Class Service—Quality in the NHS".
516WIn this document we have set out a new approach to lifelong learning including the identification of professional and local service needs and priorities in personal development plans to be developed by individual health professionals in discussion with colleagues locally. Organisations will also be encouraged to complement these individual development plans with organisational plans.
Our aim is for all National Health Service employers to have training and development plans in place for the majority of health professional staff by April 2000. We have given a commitment to work with professional and educational bodies to explore a range of practical issues including the role of monitoring, peer review and appraisal, the role of new technology and distance learning, how the expertise of professional and statutory bodies can best support local CPD, and the educational infrastructure required to identify and meet CPD.
Later this summer we will issue an NHS human resource strategy which will include ways of developing the ability of staff to contribute to the improvement of services, and further guidance will be issued this Winter on the development of a locally based approach to lifelong learning.
The NHS Executive, as part of its information management and technology strategy, has had an active programme to develop clinical awareness of the benefits of the effective use of information through IT. The supporting infrastructure has developed considerably over the last three years. There are a number of projects within medical schools and in post-graduate education programmes to support professional development. Examples of good practice case studies are made available through intranets and over the internet.