The Impact of an Independent Sector Treatment Centre on Basic Surgical Training

The reorganisation of postgraduate medical training in the UK as a result of Calman reforms, the New Deal and the implementation of the European workingTime regulations (EwTr) has led to a substantial reduction in working hours and a fall in operative experience for surgical trainees. The move of large volumes of minor and intermediate NHS surgical caseload into independently run hospitals and specialist centres (of which the Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, an independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) is a well-established example) has also radically altered the basic surgical training environment. The Southampton ISTC is run on contract by Care UK and is medically staffed by a mix of full-time Care UK employees from the UK and abroad as well as by visiting consultants from University Hospital Southampton NHS foundationTrust (UHSFT).