General medicine in the UK - back stage or centre stage?

Internal medicine, in the UK as well as in the rest of Europe, is in a state of flux. The service has evolved so that the management of acute medical emergencies increasingly dominates the practice of internal medicine, with most outpatient work being dealt with by specialists. As a result, much of the activity of consultant physicians is focused on the delivery of care rather than on the training aspects of internal medicine. Nevertheless, all medical specialists in the UK do pass through a rigorous period of internal medicine during their early training, and there is now increasing emphasis on ensuring that these skills are maintained by practising physicians.