New standards and criteria for accreditation of hospitals and posts for surgical training.

Accreditation of hospitals, other health-care facilities and the surgical posts involved is an important part of ensuring that trainees are working in an environment where their teaching and learning equip them with the competencies necessary to fulfil the many roles expected of a surgeon. To undertake this accreditation, clear processes and objective measurements are required. Recent external reviews of the College showed the necessity for improvement of its existing accreditation methodology. New processes, standards, criteria, factors to be assessed for each criterion and the minimum requirements for each factor have been developed in a uniform framework for the nine surgical specialties. Each criterion relates to the overall objectives of the educational programmes, and the factors to be assessed are explicit, objective and measurable and should be achievable. Consensus was eventually achieved across the nine specialties. Protected time for teaching and learning and safe working conditions including safe hours were considered by the hospitals to have important consequences for service delivery as well as industrial ramifications for surgeons' and trainees' contracts and required extensive dialogue for a successful resolution. The accreditation process has a potentially significant effect on the availability of surgical services. Publicly available information about the process and requirements, consistency in their application and inclusion in the accreditation team of a hospital representative and surgeon from another region helps to ensure confidence and impartiality.