GMC approve curriculum for the credential in Pain Medicine
We are pleased to announce that the General Medical Council (GMC) have approved the curriculum for the Credential for the Pain Medicine specialist.
In 2017 the FPM applied to the GMC and was approved as an Early Adopter, embarking on a long pathway, working with the GMC as one of the five early adopters for credentialing. Together with Rural and Remote Medicine and Mechanical Thrombectomy, Pain Medicine has now reached this milestone. For the first time ever, doctors who are trained in specialist pain medicine, will be recognised on the Specialist GMC Register of Medical Practitioners.
The aim of the Credential is to:
- Provide a much-needed increase in our current work force – most regions in the UK have less than 0.5 of a Pain Specialist per 100,000 population
- To increase public safety as both employers and the public will be able to ascertain whether their Pain Specialist has been Credentialed and hence trained to the highest standards possible.
In April 2023, the GMC published “Delivering GMC Credentials for doctors – A framework for delivery of the early adopters, April 2023” setting out how credentials will be rolled out. Statutory Education Bodies (SEBs) are responsible for governance and delivery, while the credential development bodies (in our case the FPM) will maintain curricula, provide guidance, and support quality assurance processes.
We are currently working with the post graduate Dean for Anaesthesia - Dr Andy Whallett - to implement the credential in practice. There will be guidance issued for retrospective credential awards and advice regarding training going forward. Our credential webpages will be updated as more information arises.
Achieving this significant milestone would not have been possible without input from Board Members, our training and Assessment Committee and our secretariat. We are indebted to them all for their support and hard work.