• We are a group of GMC registered doctors, NHS employed substantive and locum consultants, SAS doctors and clinical fellows, currently achieved or working on achieving the requirements for the CESR process. We have been delighted to know that through intensive lobbying the JDC has managed to achieve parity in the outcomes of different types of trainees in the speciality training program by abolishing the CESR-CP outcome and providing all those completing the program with a CCT instead. The next logical step in this process would be getting rid of the CESR outcome altogether and having a unified outcome for all those who achieve the required standards to be on the specialist register regardless of whether the competences were acquired through a deanery based speciality training program or through non training posts.

The general feeling among doctors pursuing self directed training is that the CESR outcome is becoming a basis of discrimination in terms of securing consultant posts, and this was the main drive behind the move to abolish CESR-CP. And that is in spite of the fact that the requirements for the completion of the CESR process are rigorously assessed by the GMC to at least mirror every single requirement for the CCT and at times exceed those (an example of that would be the number of consultants needed to sign off the applicants for the index procedures), and with much less leeway compared to what is afforded to deanery based trainees ( a prime example of this would the current COVID-19 situation where the majority of trainees were given extensions of training to achieve the requirements due to this situation, whereas those pursuing the CESR route were not treated to the same privilege i.e extending the period under review to six and a half years rather than six despite the cessation of almost all elective work). We hence feel that with our CESR process being equally or more difficult to that undertaken by trainees, it is only fair that the outcomes attained are the same on paper to eliminate another potential source of discrimination against those who didn’t take the speciality training programs. And as the majority of us are BMA members we would be grateful if the BMA raises this issue vigorously as it did successfully and rightly with the CESR-CP, and perhaps expands the scope of this discussion to other specialities.