<p>The NHS Greater Glasgow &amp; Clyde Managed Clinical Network (MCN) for Coronary Heart Disease was formed in 2003 with the aim of improving the heart health of the people of Glasgow and Clyde. One particular target of the MCN was to improve cardiac services for the adult population by setting local priorities that reflected Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) policies (SEHD 2002). A major challenge to the MCN was how to address issues of staff recruitment, education and training to improve the effectiveness of the future cardiac workforce. A shift of focus to healthcare outcomes, coupled with increased inspection of quality of care and recognition of clearer lines of accountability among healthcare staff, has placed competency and in general defining specific competencies at the core of education planning and provision (Cassel 2004).</p>