National assessments would improve standards

Editor—I have read the article by Katie Fletcher,¹ and I think that whatever the General Medical Council is doing, it aims to establish the highest standards in medical practice by keeping an eye on the practices in the profession and assessing them. Medicine has a lot of scope for diversity and personal preference. Unless there are standardised practices and a body to monitor them it is difficult to give patients the best treatments available. Assessment and keeping up to date with the latest developments in medical education go hand in hand. These assessments need to be of the highest and unified standards throughout the country and should start at an undergraduate level. This is only possible by creating some sort of centralised assessment with potential to deliver confident, competent, safe doctors. Local assessments cannot point out the deficits in local training and educational procedures unless they are coupled with national centralised assessments. Diversity and innovation are important for development of a faculty, but I do not think the national assessments will kill them as local assessments can still take place.

These assessments, if they are properly planned and structured, can also improve the confidence of medical students in performing the ward duties when they become doctors. Patients' safety is the central tenet of the NHS, and I am sure the policy makers will use national assessment for improving the care and safety of patients.

1. Fletcher K. Nationally assessed. studentBMJ 2005;13:266. (July.)