- That the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council accept the report of the Medical Specialist Training Steering Committee.
- That the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council approve the publication of the report of the Medical Specialist Training Steering Committee.
- That the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council note the substance of the recent COAG decision that the Commonwealth and the States and Territories will establish by January 2008 a system of rotation for specialist trainees through an expanded range of settings and opportunities beyond traditional public teaching hospitals. This could include a range of public settings (including regional, rural and ambulatory settings), the private sector (hospitals and practices), community settings and non-clinical (for example, simulated learning) environments, and agree that implementation of this decision have reference to, and draw upon, this report.
- That the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council note that in examining this issue, both COAG and the Medical Specialist Training Steering Committee noted the growing misalignment between settings for training and service delivery which, if not addressed, may lead to inadequate preparation for clinical practice. It was further noted that there is a need to expand the specialist training capacity of the health system in light of the significant increase in medical graduates from 2011 and the pressure this increase in graduate numbers will place on existing supervisors, particularly in light of the ageing and participation rate of current supervisors.
- That the Council of Australian Governments be advised that the report of the Steering Committee has been completed, including recommendations regarding implementation of specialist training in an expanded range of settings.
- That the expanded training arrangements should meet appropriate accreditation standards and facilitate high quality training.
- That the development of expanded training settings be contingent on the state and territories not facing a reduction in capacity for health care delivery by the public health system.
- That the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council agree that the number of specialist training positions in expanded settings should be able to increase with the increase in medical school graduates, noting that larger scale implementation will be possible after 2011. More rapid implementation in agreed specialities before 2011 may be both possible and desirable. Implementation will need to be cognisant of jurisdictional variation in relation to the profile of medical school graduate numbers and the capacity of the public health system to train and supervise significantly more specialist trainees.
- That a structured system for the administration and funding of expanded training arrangements be developed and implemented by 2008, in line with the decision of the Council of Australian Governments. This timeframe should not prevent continuation of existing pilots or the development and funding of new projects before 2008.
- That the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council endorse the need for a communication and consumer engagement strategy, targeted at patients and service providers.
- That an appropriate governance structure be established to oversee implementation of specialist training in expanded settings having regard to an agreed set of principles. Suggested principles and considerations are outlined in Chapter 7, section 7.5.
- That there be significant stakeholder involvement in the governance structure. Membership should include the Commonwealth, states and territories, specialist medical colleges, specialist trainees, and health consumers.