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Modernising Medical Careers

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I am sure that the Secretary of State heard what he said, and I hope she will respond. On interviews, I suspect that she is not looking forward to the one with the next Prime Minister. The Secretary of State has been in denial. She has told the House about the outcome of the review group. In a letter to me on 27 March she stated:"““The Review Group is independent and responsibility for membership rests with Professor Neil Douglas?." But a freedom of information request to the Department secured the answer:"““I can confirm that Clare Chapman, Director General of Workforce at the Department of Health, had overall responsibility for considering who was appropriate to sit on the review group.?" It was not independent at all. It is no wonder, given the lack of a strategic solution from the review group led by Professor Douglas, that the Secretary of State has had to announce a new and a second review. Professor Crockard, who was responsible for the modernising medical careers process, resigned, and in a letter to Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, said:"““I have become increasingly concerned that the well intentioned attempts to keep the recruitment and selection process running have been accompanied by mixed messages for the most important people in the whole process—the young doctor applicants.?" It is basically unfair to advertise the possibility of four interviews and then suggest that these might not be honoured. Shelley Heard, the clinical medical adviser to the MMC process, said:"““The Review Group has not done this strategically or with an eye to the future.?" This is why we are here this afternoon. The Secretary of State and the Government are in denial about the scale of the process or the many difficulties and problems with the scoring system and the recruitment process, which I have not had time to go through, and are not coming forward with viable solutions for the future.