Government announces terms of reference of MMC independent review

The Department of Health (DoH) has announced the terms of reference for the previously announced independent review investigating the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme.

Headed by chair of the Council of Heads of Medical Schools Sir John Tooke, the review will aim to assess the mechanisms acting as a foundation for the scheme and make a number of suggestions to enable the implementation of improvements in the scheme from 2008.

Reporting on an interim basis this September, the review is being conducted independently of all health departments and will examine to what level MMC has interacted with the medical profession and met the needs of stakeholders in the NHS.

Patricia Hewitt, health secretary, said: “The review will clarify and strengthen the principles underlying MMC, examining the extent to which MMC has engaged the medical profession and make recommendations to ensure that it has the support of the profession in the future.”

She added that the review will also examine the system used to select and recruit staff and assess the ability of MMC to meet local as well as national needs.

Last month, the DoH admitted shortcomings in the MMC programme, with a review group recommending that interviews be allowed to include portfolios and CVs in support of their job applications.