Fair Access to the Professions
In January, Professor Sir John Tooke (Chair of the Medical Schools Council from 2006-2009) was announced as the representative for Medicine on The Panel of Fair Access to the Professions, led by the Rt. Hon Alan Milburn MP. The role of the Panel was to ensure everyone has an equal chance of entering the main professions, whatever their background. The Panel examined the ways in which the professions and government can tackle the obstacles identified through their work. The final report was released in July with recommendations on what the professions, the government and others should be doing to increase social mobility.
Written evidence
The Medical Schools Council submitted written evidence to the Panel in March 2009 outlining initiatives being undertaken at UK Medical Schools and confirming its commitment to widening access. Professor Peter Kopelman, St George’s London, was subsequently invited to give oral evidence to the Panel in July. The Medical Schools Council welcomes the final report and agrees that for the benefit of all, further efforts must be made to excite young people from all backgrounds about the rewarding challenges offered by a medical career. The Medical Schools Council’s submission of evidence to the Panel and response to the final report is available on the News pages.
Further work
The Panel’s report made a number of recommendations requiring action by Medical Schools and universities within the next 18 months. From the report there are three key themes which will be the focus of the Medical Schools Council’s work in this area:
- aspiration raising through outreach work
- improving access to and the availability of quality information and advice on medical careers
- ensuring a best practice approach to admissions that is sensitive to the widening access agenda
Member Schools will be addressing these themes locally, whilst the Medical Schools Council will work to co-ordinate, support and recognise members’ efforts. The process of gathering evidence for the Panel served to highlight examples of good practice in this area which could usefully be shared.