Frequently asked questions on GMC revalidation
Q: What is revalidation?
Revalidation is the process by which doctors will have to demonstrate to the GMC, normally every five years, that they are up to date and fit to practise.
Revalidation is a new way of regulating the medical profession that will provide a focus for doctors' efforts to maintain and improve their practice, facilitate the organisations in which doctors work to support them in keeping their practice up to date, and encourage patients and the public to provide feedback about the medical care they receive from doctors. In these ways, revalidation will contribute to the on-going improvement in the quality of medical care delivered to patients throughout the UK.
Q: What is the purpose of revalidation?
The purpose of revalidation is to assure patients and the public, employers and other healthcare professionals that licensed doctors are up to date and fit to practise.
Q: Do I need to take up a GMC licence to practise?
If you are medically qualified, you will have received communication from the GMC explaining that you need to make a choice between simply staying on the register and taking up a licence to practise.
It is essential that all practising public health doctors take up a licence to practise. This is because the licence will cover your professional practice which is not limited to clinical activity. Without a licence to practise, public health doctors will not be able to take up a consultant post in the UK, advise local authorities on health-related matters, conduct or oversee clinical trials, act as a medical member on the HPA board or at NHS tribunals, sign cremation certificates or inspect premises for community care. These are only a few examples, with a full list of 400 activities available defined by statute.
Taking up your licence can be done simply and quickly online and FPH advises all of its practising members to do this at the earliest opportunity. Once revalidation begins you will need to be licensed to be revalidated.
Q: How will GMC revalidation work?
Revalidation will be based on a local evaluation of doctors' performance through appraisal. Doctors will be expected to participate in annual appraisal in the workplace and will need to maintain a folder or portfolio of supporting information to bring to their appraisals as a basis for discussion.
There will be some types of supporting information that all doctors will be expected to provide at appraisal over a revalidation cycle. However, doctors can take any other additional information to demonstrate their practice at appraisal.
Information from the appraisal will be provided to a Responsible Officer who will make a recommendation to the GMC, normally every five years, on whether to revalidate a doctor. In order to revalidate a doctor, the GMC will require assurance that a doctor is fit to practise.
Q: Who is my Responsible Officer?
The GMC has developed a tool to aid doctors in identifying their Responsible Officer.
Q: What has happened to recertification?
When the Government published its proposals for revalidation in 2007, it divided revalidation into two elements - relicensing and recertification. We have now moved to a single system of revalidation, which incorporates both of these elements into a simpler, more effective and more efficient process than the two separate strands originally proposed.
Q: Who will need to revalidate?
All doctors registered with the GMC will be legally required to revalidate.
Specialists registered with the UKPHR will be required to revalidate in order to remain on the specialist register. Please refer to the UKPHR page for further details.
Those on the GDC register are very strongly encouraged to maintain similar portfolios of evidence, even if they are not FPH members.
Q: When will I need to revalidate?
Revalidation to the GMC is expected to commence in late 2012. This means the first cycle of revalidation will begin with all doctors holding a licence expected to revalidate by 2016.
Doctors who feel they have sufficient evidence can choose to put themselves forward for revalidation prior to 2016.
Q: How often must I revalidate?
For most doctors, revalidation will be a five-year cycle. Every five years the GMC will require confirmation from a doctor's Responsible Officer that they are up to date and fit to practise and that there are no significant unresolved concerns about their practice.
The GMC may vary the frequency of this cycle where the circumstances of the individual doctor require it. One example is where a doctor has taken a career break and their revalidation may be postponed for a period of time to allow them time to gather sufficient supporting information for the appraisal and revalidation.
Q: When will I need to start collecting supporting information for revalidation?
As soon as possible. You will already have much of the information needed, such as CPD information, annual appraisal information, MSF information, etc.
For more information about what doctors will be expected to bring to their appraisal, please see our guidance on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation.
Q: What will happen if I do not engage in appraisal and revalidation?
We expect that the majority of doctors will have no problem meeting the requirements for revalidation if they engage with the appraisal and local clinical governance processes.
If you choose not to engage, by not providing evidence to support your revalidation or failing to participate in an annual appraisal process, you cannot be revalidated and you risk having your licence to practise withdrawn.
Q: If serious concerns are raised about a doctor's practice what will be the consequences for their revalidation?
If concerns are identified about a doctor's practice that are sufficiently serious to raise questions about whether they should have a licence to practise and the Responsible Officer (RO) is therefore unable to recommend them for revalidation, the doctor will be referred to their regulator's Fitness to Practise processes.
Where concerns about a doctor's practice exist, these should be identified early and, where possible, addressed through relevant local clinical governance processes including appraisal. The identification of, and action on, concerns should not wait until they are due to be revalidated but be dealt with through usual day-to-day systems or at appraisal. The RO might also want to immediately engage with the National Clinical Assessment Service or refer the doctor to the GMC if the concerns raised are sufficiently serious.
Where a doctor is referred to the regulator’s Fitness to Practise department for investigation, their revalidation will be deferred until the outcome of that investigation is known.
Q: What happens if I don’t work in the NHS?
Revalidation is based on registration, not employing organisation. Regardless of employer, you will still be required to revalidate. Please refer to the prescribed connections flow chart to find your designated body for GMC revalidation.
Q: What if I am not in active PH practice, but maintain professional registration?
Discussions are on-going around the professional needs of those members who are not in active public health practice. The needs will be different for fully retired members than those who are taking a sabbatical or career break, on long-term sick leave or maternity/paternity leave.
Q: What if I work overseas?
If you do not have specialist registration with a UK specialist register (i.e. GMC, GDC or UKPHR) you will not be required to revalidate.
If you continue to hold your GMC licence to practise while practising abroad, you will need to revalidate. This means you will need to connect to a UK organisation that will support you with your appraisal and revalidation.
However, you may not need a licence to practise if you practise entirely outside the UK. You may decide it is better to give it up. You can still maintain your registration without a licence, and this will indicate you are in good standing with us. You can apply to have your licence restored if you need it at some point in the future. More information about giving up and restoring your licence is available from the GMC website.
