SWOPT – the South-West Organisation for Psychiatric Training

There are major challenges in providing training for psychiatrists in the modern National Health Service (NHS). Senior house officer and specialist registrar training has been reorganised to focus on core skills and competencies, and is monitored through educational supervision and the Record of In-Training Assessment (RITA) process. For consultants, the development of appraisal and revalidation are linked to formalised approaches to continuing professional development and personal development (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2001). Increasingly, training is self-directed and psychiatrists have to effectively evaluate and plan for their individual educational needs. They must be able to access good quality, structured training, to develop and maintain a range of specific and generic skills.