Medical Academic Staff Committee agenda
Friday 11 January 2008 at 10.00am
At the British Medical Association, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP
Administrative and Constitutional Issues
1. Apologies
Receive: Apologies for absence.
2. Minutes
Confirm: Minutes of the meeting of MASC held on 21 September 2007 (MASC25, 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
Receive: Unconfirmed minutes of the meeting of the MASC Executive Subcommittee held on 16 November 2007 (MASC56 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
3. Matters Arising
Consider: Matters arising from the Minutes not covered elsewhere on the Agenda.
4. Co-Chairs’ Report
Receive: Oral reports from the Co-Chairs of the Committee.
5. Reports from Devolved Nations
Receive: i) Report from the Scottish MASC (MASC78 2007-2008, enclosed herewith);
ii) Oral report from the Welsh MASC including report on the ‘Academic Medicine: Pathways to Personalised Treatment’ conference held on Thursday 29 November 2007;
iii) Report from the Northern Ireland MASC (MASC79 2007-2008, enclosed herewith) including report on ‘The future of academic medicine in Northern Ireland’ conference held on 12 October 2007(MASC 88 2007-08 enclosed herewith).
6. Observers to the Committee
Receive: i) Report that, following discussion at the Executive Subcommittee on 16 November 2007, the Subcommittee recommends that a representative of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) be invited to Committee meetings as an observer when an issue of relevance is on the agenda.
ii) Report that, following a request from the BMA’s Patient Liaison Group (PLG) the Committee, a member of the PLG has been invited to observe meetings of the MASC.
7. MASC Strategy
Receive: Update on progress toward meeting objectives and outcomes in the MASC Strategy (MASC 3b 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
8. Constitution
Consider: Report that the Executive Subcommittee at its meeting on 16 November 2007 agreed that the constitution of the MASC should be amended to specifically include the chairs of the devolved nation MASCs, thereby increasing the voting membership of the committee by three (MASC 26b, 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
9. COMAR 2008
Receive:
i) Report that COMAR 2008 will be held on Friday 16 May 2008 at BMA House in London. Invitations to deliver presentations have been sent to Professor Ed Hillhouse project sponsor of the Academic Performance Management Project and Professor of Medicine and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Leeds University; and to Professor Peter Kopleman Chair of the Clinical Academic Careers Panel;
iii) Oral report from the Chairman of COMAR, Peter Dangerfield, on the proposed timetable and process for the day.
Policy issues
10. Integrated Academic Training Scheme
i) 2008 ACF recruitment
Receive:
i) Oral report from Michael Rees and Geraint Rees on 2008 ACF recruitment.
ii) Report that recruitment for 2008 commenced before clinical training to nationally agreed application forms and a nationally agreed template. Advertisements ran from 12 - 26 November 2007 and shortlisting/interviews will take place between December 2007 and January 2008. Offers are expected to be made by January 25 2008. All available ACF posts in 2008 must be taken up by March 2009.
Consider: Any action arising from the report.
ii) Future of the ACF programme
Receive:
(a) Email from Professor Sally Davies, Director General of Research and Development expressing concern about the ACF programme (Appendix 1 - attached)
(b) Paper from Department of Health’s R&D branch on future proposals for the ACF programme (MASC 80 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
(c) The Committee’s response to the proposals, following circulation of the proposals on the MASC listserver (MASC 83 2007-08, to follow).
Consider: Further action to be taken.
11. Academic Training Conference
Receive:
i) Report of the Academic Trainees Conference which took place at BMA House on 17 November 2007 (MASC82 2007-2008, enclosed herewith);
ii) Report that an Academic Training Forum list server will be established early in 2008 to continue communications from the grassroots to the MASC and vice versa for those delegates who are interested.
Consider: Any further action to be taken including other mechanisms for improving communications with grassroots members.
12. MMC and Specialty Training 2008
Receive:
i) Oral report from Geraint Rees on specialty recruitment in 2008 including the decision that returning researchers should compete alongside LAT and FTSTAs in the 'high competition specialty-enriched’ open competition.
ii) Copy of letter sent to all junior doctors from the MMC Programme Board on 7 December outlining the process for 2008 recruitment (Appendix 3).
iii) Notes prepared by the BMA representatives on the MMC programme board meetings held on 04 12 07 and 19 12 07 (MASC 89 and 90 2007-08).
Consider: Any action arising from the report.
13. Tooke Inquiry into Modernising Medical Careers
Receive:
i) Report that the interim report on MMC from Sir John Tooke ‘Aspiring to Excellence’, was published on 8 October 2007. See http://www.mmcinquiry.org.uk/draft.htm
ii) Report that the BMA response to the Tooke inquiry, including the BMA views on recommendations affecting academic medicine, has been submitted (Appendix 2 - attached). See:
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/Tookeresponse?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,tooke
iii) Report that Radio Four broadcast a documentary on undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and training on Tuesday 1 January 2008. The broadcast can be heard at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/wheresthefemur
iv) Report that the final report from Sir John Tooke is expected to be published during the week commencing 07 01 08 (MASC 91 2007-2008 to follow). The final report is expected to include a recommendation that a body for NHS medical education in England should be established to act as governance body for MMC and future changes to postgraduate medical education. The recommendation is expected to suggest that other functions of the body would include holding a ring fenced education budget, developing a national perspective on training numbers, coordinating coherent advice to government on medical education, promoting cohesion of postgraduate deanery activities and scrutinising medical education and commissioning functions by Strategic Health Authorities.
Consider: The Committee’s view of the final Tooke recommendations on medical education/clinical academia.
14. NHS Reform
Receive: i) Report that the second stage of the NHS next stage review has been established and a national working group has been established by Clare Chapman to support the workforce planning, education and training element of Lord Darzi’s Next Stage Review (MASC81 2007-2008, enclosed herewith). The Group will consider how the future roles of clinicians will change, the workforce planning mechanisms needed to deliver trainees and a future workforce of the right size and shape, how education should be commissioned and funded to deliver a workforce with the appropriate skills and experience, and the clinical education infrastructure that is required to support success.
ii) Report that the Government announced the establishment of a UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation on December 5 2007 (Appendix 4 – attached).
Consider: Draft MASC position paper on education and research in the new NHS, developed from the Committee’s submission to the BMA Council Working Party (MASC84 2007-2008, to follow).
Negotiating issues
15. University and Colleges Employers Association
Receive: Report that the MASC secretariat met with UCEA on 29 November 2007 to discuss a range of negotiating issues (MASC85 2007-2008, enclosed herewith).
Consider: Any actions arising from the meeting note.
16. Principles for Employing Academic Trainees
Receive: i) Report that there was overwhelming support at the executive subcommittee meeting on 16 November 2007 and amongst delegates at the Academic Training Conference on 17 November for development of principles for employing academic trainees.
ii) Report that these principles should make clear trainee’s responsibilities to and entitlements from each employer.
Consider: Potential areas for inclusion in a principles document
(Scheduled for 12.30pm)
17. NHS Pension Scheme and University Superannuation Scheme
Receive: i) Presentation from Andy Blake, Head of the BMA Pensions Department on recent changes to the NHS pension schemes, ill health retirement benefits and the University Superannuation Scheme.
ii) Report that BMA guidance on doctors moving between NHS and university appointments can be accessed to logged in members at http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/movingNHSuni
Consider: Questions to Mr Blake and any action to be taken.
Lunch 1.15pm
(Scheduled for 1.45pm)
18. Academic Medicine Project
Receive: Presentation on the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ ‘Academic Medicine Project’ from Professor Adrian Newland (President of the Royal College of Pathologists).
Consider: Any questions arising from the presentation.
(Scheduled for 2.30pm)
19. Employment Issues in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Receive: Presentation from Dr Steve Hobbiger, VP Neuroscience, Global Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance and Cathy Howell, Practice Leader for Physician Recruitment and Talent Management at Glaxosmithkline, at on career options for medical academics in the pharmaceutical industry.
Consider: Any questions arising from the presentation.
Received items
20. Reports From Co-Opted Members
Receive: Report from Olivia Kingston, co-opted representative of the Society of Academic Foundation Trainees (MASC87 2007-2008, enclosed herewith);
21. Reports From Other Meetings
Receive: i) Report of the BMA’s Cross Craft Group on the Public Private Interface of 14 November 2007 by Anita Holdcroft (MASC 92 2007-08).
ii) Report of the GMC’s ‘Advising Medical Schools: encouraging disabled students’ meeting of 7 December 2007 by Peter Dangerfield (MASC86 2007-2008, enclosed herewith);
iii) Oral report of any other meetings attended on behalf of the MASC
22. Committee Membership
Receive: i) Updated membership of the committee (Appendix 5 – attached).
ii) Updated representation on other BMA and external committees (Appendix 6 – attached)
23. Any Other Business
Receive: Any other items of business.
24. Date of the Next Meeting
Receive: Report that the next meeting of the committee will take place on Friday18 April 2008 and COMAR will be held on Friday 16 May 2008.
Consider: Suggestion that the next MASC meeting be held in one of the devolved nations or BMA regional centres.
Supplementary agenda
25. National Institute For Health Research (NIHR)
Receive: The NIHR HR resource pack for Research Passports which sets out guidance and good practice standards so that individual NHS bodies can be confident of the process used to carry out criminal record and other checks on honorary researchers. (MASC 93, 2007-2008 – enclosed herewith).
26. Good University Guide
Receive: The final version of the University Employment Good Practice Guide proforma (MASC 94, 2007-2008 – enclosed herewith).