Dr. Miriam Kennedy:

People who have gone through basic specialist and higher specialist training have been trained not only in a range of clinical competencies but also in the areas of management, leadership and research. Dr. Hillery has noted that people on our specialist register have to keep up with continuing professional development requirements every year. They must show that they have updated their competencies not just by keeping a log but also by having a work plan. Many of them also work in peer groups, which is incredibly useful. They must declare this to the Medical Council.

The reason we cannot refer to numbers is that some people who are passing through are on the general register. This requires a practitioner to somehow maintain his or her level of competency. They have to come to us to get into that system. As such, we do not have the numbers, although the employers would.