The purpose of the conference was to discuss the report of the King's Fund Working Party on The Organisation of Hospital Clinical Work (KF Project paper no. 22). Discussion centred on the main recommendation that medical work should be performed by fully-trained doctors. The implications were: a reduction in the proportion of 'junior' hospital doctors; A corresponding increase in the numbers of consultants and the introduction of more than one grade of consultant; a redistribution of work between hospital-based specialists and general practitioners and between medically qualified and non-medically qualified personnel; and better use of women doctors.