Introduction and methodology

Work Psychology Group

Work Psychology Group (WPG) was commissioned to conduct an equalities impact project with the aim of understanding and reducing group differences in performance in the GP national selection process, building on the findings of annual equalities impact reports prepared by WPG.

Consistent findings in GP equal opportunities data, over a number of years, show that the largest group differences in performance in the national selection process relate to place of medical qualification, with UK-trained candidates significantly outperforming those trained elsewhere.

These findings indicated that appropriate and realistic efforts should be made to understand and reduce group differences in performance. It was recognised that some form of action is needed to ensure the ongoing fairness and defensibility of the selection process.

Further research was required to understand the nature of these differences and explore potential interventions before appropriate action could be taken. Implementation of interventions that is not informed by a thorough understanding of the issues is likely to be ineffective and possibly counterproductive.

A multi-stage project was conducted, focusing on equality and diversity issues in relation to selection.

Desk review

The purpose of the desk review was to summarise the equalities impact evidence to date and gather examples of possible interventions. The three features of this stage were as follows:

• A summary of the GP Equalities Impact results from 2007-2011, drawing together key findings and conclusions.
• A literature review focused on equality and diversity issues in selection.
• Information on interventions or guidelines currently used in GP or elsewhere in medicine and evidence of their effectiveness.

Data collection

The purpose of this stage was to collect further data in order to understand the nature of the performance differences observed, how these arise or manifest themselves and to gather feedback on potential intervention strategies. Data was collected as follows:

• Telephone interviews with a sample of key stakeholders to explore their views on equality and diversity issues in selection, their perceptions of performance differences between candidates trained in and outside the UK and their knowledge of existing interventions / guidance aimed at reducing group differences.

The desk review report summarises the key findings and conclusions of the desk review and data collection stages. Recommendations, informed by the findings, are presented for further consideration by the GP National Recruitment Office.