Medical Council publishes 2016 annual report and third annual Your Training Counts Report

This year’s annual report shows there were 21,795 doctors registered with the Medical Council at 31 December 2016, which is the highest ever number of doctors registered with the Council. There were over 2,700 first time registrants with the Council.

Further findings from the reports also include:

• 42 per cent of doctors on the Medical register were on the General register, with 40 per cent on the Specialist register

• 411 complaints were received by the Medical Council

• 98 anatomy donations were made to medical schools across Ireland in 2016

• The 8th Edition of the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Professionals was launched

The Your Training Counts Report, a retrospective of the past three year’s findings, was also launched today. The Report revealed some interesting statistics around the training of young doctors in Ireland over the past few years.

• The average age of the trainee population is 30.56 years

• 54 per cent of trainees are female, and over 86 per cent are graduates of Irish medical schools

• 36 per cent of trainees experienced bullying or harassment in their training posts, up 2 per cent from 2014

• 4 per cent felt physically unsafe in their workplace

• 51 per cent felt medical school prepared them well for their intern year, their first time working in a clinical setting

Medical Council member Dr Audrey Dillon, speaking about the Your Training Counts report, said “These surveys provide us with invaluable data on how our young doctors are faring during their training. This then allows us an opportunity to liaise with the postgraduate training bodies and continue to develop areas that need more of a focus. The results from 2014 – 2016 have shown improvement across certain areas, but we’re still aware of certain sectors that require more work. It also gathers information on their long-term career intentions, which can help with planning for the future of Irish healthcare.”

Speaking at the launch, Medical Council CEO, Mr Bill Prasifka said: “The past year has been a very productive period for the Medical Council. The medical register is at its highest ever, with over 21,700 doctors, and we hope to see it grow again in 2017. We had a hugely successful Patient Safety Conference, and launched an updated Guide to Professional Ethics for doctors. The results from the 2016 Your Training Counts report are also fascinating, and as Dr Dillon pointed out, can help shape the future of training and practice for young doctors in this country. The Medical Council has taken direct action as a result of the findings of these reports over the past three years, instigating assessment visits to clinical training sites. Our aim is to ensure all trainees have a positive training experience and obtain the best on-the-ground education possible.”