Empowering Communities Through People-Centred Healthcare: the journey of remote and rural health credentialing in NHS Scotland

Empowering Communities Through People-Centred Healthcare: the journey of remote and rural health credentialing in NHS Scotland

The new Rural and Remote Health Credential, focusing on unscheduled and urgent care, was launched at the NES Annual Virtual Conference in April. The Credential, developed in a UK-wide partnership and led by NES, will play a pivotal role in ensuring ongoing high-quality healthcare to rural communities.

Practising medicine in rural and remote areas is challenging. Doctors practising in these locations can be described as “extended generalists”. They provide a wider range of clinical service and carry a higher level of clinical responsibility, in relative professional isolation. The GMC approved Credential and associated education governance framework aims to enable a more flexible training response to patients and service needs, as well as providing consistent standards to ensure the delivery of high-quality care.

The Credential is intended to complement existing postgraduate training programmes and ultimately, equip doctors, assure employers and benefit rural communities.

There are two routes for an award of the credential in rural and remote health:

1. the learner route: the credential will focus on experiential work-place based learning with some blended learning such as speciality-based placements. The curriculum is outcomes-based
2. the recognition route: this is an entirely new process for acknowledging a doctor’s knowledge, skills, and experience. Doctors who can demonstrate they meet the outcomes of the credential can be awarded the credential by providing evidence instead of completing the credential learning pathway

Dr Pauline Wilson, Associate Postgraduate Dean, Rural and Remote Credential, said:

“We are excited that the value and distinct nature of remote and rural health has been acknowledge and championed through this Credential. It provides a consistent approach to the capabilities and skills a doctor requires to work in these areas.  Its aim is to ensure that the people living in remote and rural communities continue to have good and safe care.”

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