National Association of Medical Personnel Specialists (NAMPS) Conference 2008
by Annabel Morris
NAMPS held their 13th annual conference on 20th November 2008 at the Royal National Hotel in London. The day was a useful chance for medical personnel specialists to catch up on hot topics, to meet interesting exhibitors and to network with colleagues.
One of the key speakers at the event was Simon Pleydell, NHS Employers Policy Board chair and chief executive of South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust.
He started his keynote by congratulating all medical staffing specialists on the hard work that they had put in throughout the last year on Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and NHS Medical Training Application Service (MTAS). He said that it had been a very difficult time but that they had achieved so much in implementing the changes and these were key to making sure doctors were in post and the system keeps running.
He went on to speak about the draft NHS constitution and its relevance for doctors. A show of hands revealed that many of the delegates were not aware of the detail of the constitution, illustrating the importance of communication. The NHS constitution was published on 21st January 2009 and states six values for the NHS. These values are linked to the role of doctors as shown below:
| NHS value | Role of doctors |
| Respect and Dignity | Quality medical training and CPD |
| Commitment to Quality of Care | Clear and rewarding career pathways |
| Compassion | Working for patients in teams |
| Improvement Working Lives | Improving working lives |
| Working Together for Patients | Stronger clinical engagement |
| Everyone Counts | Development of clinical leadership |
Simon also spoke about 'Medical training and careers - the Employers vision' which is a new document recently launched by NHS Employers available at www.nhsemployers.org
The document outlines the issues employers have raised around medical training and the way they would like medical training to develop. The key issues are:
- Employers wish to recognise a modular approach to support doctors’ development and flexible career routes
- They would like to recognise a multidisciplinary approach to workforce planning
- They hope for a clear balance between service delivery and creating a supportive environment for learning.
Employers have also said that the future NHS will need to develop new roles and structures for doctors that meet the needs of employers and patients.
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Working Time Directive 2009 
