TRAINEE doctors across the UK are being asked for their views on plans to move the date of GMC registration to the point of graduation.

Health Education England (HEE) are gathering opinions from now until the end of March.

Moving registration forward from the end of foundation year one was first outlined in the UK-wide Shape of Training review led by Sir David Greenaway and was also included in the government’s mandate for HEE.

The BMA has already spoken out against the proposal over fears it could harm patient care.

Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter met recently with the GMC, the Medical Schools Council and HEE to discuss the issue and called for a "stakeholder engagement exercise" to consider the implications of moving registration, with patient safety considerations "first and foremost".

A summary report will be prepared once the consultation closes and will be considered by the new government following the May general election.

HEE added: "It is important to note that changing the point of registration for doctors would require primary legislation and there are no proposals for this to affect any current medical students."

Co-chair of the BMA’s Medical Students Committee, Harrison Carter, said: “Although we are encouraged by the introduction of an engagement exercise, we remain strongly opposed to any proposal to move full medical registration to the point of graduation.

"The priority amid any proposal to move the point of registration must be patient safety, but until we can be assured that supervision arrangements and quality of training would not be affected we believe this proposal could have serious consequences for patient care.

"Not only this, but the undergraduate medical curriculum would need to change substantially to ensure that the standardised competencies needed for full GMC registration after the first foundation year could be achieved a year earlier."