The Medical and Dental Education Commissioning (MDECS) Programme has been established to plan and deliver the separation of commissioning medical and dental education from its provision.

In order to meet this objective the functions of the London Deanery will be delivered through an education commissioning system and a community of Lead Providers who will in turn contract with Local Education Providers. To ensure a safe and effective transition to the new system the move from the current to the new system will be undertaken in carefully managed stages over a three year period. This will allow time to build capability and capacity and to ensure that transition is safely and seamlessly managed without adverse impact on the education of the many trainee doctors and dentists already in the system.

During transition the London Deanery will continue to deliver its ‘provider’ functions from within the shared service, whilst the provider community is developed through a procurement programme that will see Lead Providers identified for ‘bundles’ of specialties over the three year period.

Stage 1 of the MDECS process has seen the commissioning of core medical, surgical and psychiatric training together with a second dental foundation year and a general practice pilot programme. Around 15% London’s trainees started in commissioned programmes in the Autumn of 2011.

A further 25% of training programmes have been awarded to commissioned lead providers in Stage 2 and trainees will commence in these programmes later in 2012.

A full list of specialties and the lead provider organisation responsible can be found here.

Page last updated: 3 May 2012
Next review date: 3 May 2013
Contact: communications@londondeanery.ac.uk