Revalidation Background
We detail the background to Revalidation
and link to some of the key supporting documents.
Background to Revalidation
Revalidation will be the single, integrated
process by which doctors will prove that they are fit to practise
medicine. The process will encompass two processes - relicensure
and recertification - and will occur every five years.
In November 2009 all clinically active doctors
were given a licence to practise by the General Medical Council
(GMC). This licence demonstrates that they are practising in
accordance with the GMC generic standards of practice outlined in
the Good
Medical Practice 
and elaborated in
Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners
. To be a GP a doctor must
also be on the GMC’s General Practice Register (‘certified’).
Recertification will demonstrate that doctors on the GP or
Specialist Register continue to meet the standards that apply to
their medical specialty or area of practice.
The process will involve the collection and
submission of evidence that meets the requirements of a series of
guidelines. Further information about evidence requirements can be
found in the RCGP
Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners.
Final details of revalidation have not yet
been finalised, but the main themes and requirements are already in
place.
The RCGP is developing a range of proposals
for processes appropriate for GPs. These will require the approval
of the GMC.
Revalidation Consultation Feedback
The RCGP staged a series of consultations on
the processes and the evidence required for revalidation
and sought feedback from a wide range of key stakeholder
groups and organisations.
Responses were received from sessional,
principal, retired and portfolio GPs, as well as organisational
responses, which included those of the British Medical Association
General Practitioners’ Committee (BMA GPC), the National
Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP) and the NHS Revalidation
Support Teams. The College has also received responses from
Local Medical Committees (LMCs) and Primary Care Trust (PCT) leads
on appraisal. All countries of the UK, as well as the Republic
of Ireland, are represented in the responses received.
The results of this feedback are contained in the
Revalidation Criteria, Standards and Evidence Consultation
Report that was
published in February 2009. This report was
the precursor to the Guide to the Revalidation of General
Practitioners, the first version of which was released on 1
April 2009.
Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners
A revised version of Good
Medical Practice for General Practitioners (GMP for
GPs) was
published in July 2008. Based on the GMC’s
Good Medical Practice, the document was first made specific to GPs in 2002.
Its aim is to provide important guidance to General Practitioners
on the expectations of their peers and the public as to their
standards of care and behaviour.
The statements in GMP for GPs will
inform the standards expected in revalidation. The ‘exemplary GP’
statements will guide the formative discussions in GP annual
appraisals while the descriptors of an ‘unacceptable GP’ and the
requirements for revalidation will inform an appraiser’s
judgements.
NHS Employers
NHS Employers has launched a
revalidation section on its website, which includes a
briefing on revalidation.
GMC Frequently Asked Questions
The GMC has developed a series of responses to
the most frequently asked questions about revalidation. These can
be found here.
To provide feedback on any
aspect of Revalidation please click here.