ABSTRACT
As part of vocational training for general practice, training is given on aspects of family planning, and the MRCGP examination tests knowledge in this area. Many trainees in general practice choose to formalise their family planning training by taking the Diploma in Family Planning and Reproductive Health (DFFP) offered by the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Health, an offshoot of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists incorporating the National Association of Family Planning Doctors. This qualification has replaced the old Family Planning Certificate issued jointly by the Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Family Planning Association and the National Association of Family Planning Doctors. None of these qualifications are required to offer family planning services, and the Royal College of General Practitioners strongly argues against certification of separate parts of general practice, advocating assessment as part of its own examination as being adequate to demonstrate competence.
