The Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency is responsible for funding, managing and supporting postgraduate medical and dental education within the Northern Ireland Deanery.   It provides a wide range of functions in the organisation, development and quality assurance of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and in the delivery and quality assurance of Continuing Professional Development for general, medical and dental practitioners.

The Agency is responsible for:

• organising, accrediting and reviewing educational and training activities for doctors and dentists
• monitoring quality standards in medical and dental education and assessing the educational value of training posts
• operating the appointment process for the selection of doctors/dentists to the specialist registrar training grade
• implementing and developing a framework for regular appraisal, assessment and annual review of higher specialist trainees
• managing the Vocational Training Schemes for general, medical and dental practitioners 
• administering the scheme for Foundation Training
• providing careers information and advice to those in training
• advising on the needs of overseas doctors and dentists training in Northern Ireland
• facilitating specialist training requirements, including the provision of flexible training opportunities and training and research opportunities outside Northern Ireland
• administering the regional budgets for the training and study leave of doctors and dentists in the training grades

To reflect the different training pathways the Agency is divided into three functional departments for the provision of training in general practice, dentistry and the hospital specialties/public health medicine. Overall management responsibility rests with the Chief Executive/Postgraduate Dean. There are currently 126 staff, including a large number of medical and dental professionals, on the payroll of the Agency. 60 members of staff are based at the Agency’s Headquarters in Beechill House.

The functions of the Agency and the role of the Northern Ireland Deanery are summarised in the Agencys Green Guide