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General Practitioners: Training

Asked by Jess Brown-FullerLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 30 April 2025UIN 47563

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether GP training includes a mandatory rotation on (a) obstetrics and (b) gynaecology.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock

The curricula for postgraduate medical specialty training are set by individual royal colleges and faculties. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) sets the curriculum that all general practitioners (GPs) must cover before they are able to pass the examination to become a member of the RCGP and to work independently as a GP.

Obstetrics and gynaecology are not mandatory specialties in a GP programme, and there are no mandatory jobs in GP specialty training. GP training is a balanced programme which allows the trainee to meet the outcomes of the curriculum. Women's health, including sexual and reproductive health, is a significant element of the General Practice and Community Placement elements of GP specialty training and of the curriculum.

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