SHO training in anaesthetics. How good is it?

All senior house officer posts in the Yorkshire Deanery have been assessed against five parameters. Posts in anaesthesia were among the best with excellent consultant support, good exposure to clinical practice and well-structured education and training. Anaesthetic posts were almost unique in satisfying the 'New Deal' on junior doctors hours though intensity of work was something of a problem for the on-call senior house officer. Appraisal is a new educational tool which is being used to a greater degree in anaesthetics than in any other specialty. The deficiencies found in anaesthetic posts could be corrected by the universal use of appraisal and solving the recruitment problems that have compromised the delivery of good training in some districts.