How can doctors start to revalidate and continue to practice in the UK?

Doctors are one of the most respected professions in the world, and for a good reason. They work hard to keep all their patients healthy and provide them with a sense of security they may not have had before. The problem is that doctors can lose their licenses if they don't revalidate them every ten years or so. This Blog explains how doctors can revalidate and how the revalidation process works for licensed doctors.

There are three possible ways to revalidate, depending on the specific circumstances which apply to the individual.

Having a legally prescribed connection to a designated body will mean that the responsible officer will form the basis of your revalidation. They will put forward a recommendation that will decide the outcome of the revalidation. For example, the designated body could be your employer, faculty of another organisation, and most doctors are connected to one. Designated bodies are responsible for nominating or appointing a person to be the designated officer.

The medical director of the designated body is usually your responsible officer. The revalidation recommendation submitted to the GMC comprises annual appraisals and other information from the clinical governance systems of your organisation.

To check if you are connected to any organisation, there are tools available for you to access in order to check

The circumstance may be that you do not have a responsible officer. Suppose this is the case in order to maintain your licence to practice. In that case, you should keep information each year on your fitness to practice along with your continuous engagement in revalidation. There must also be an independent medical knowledge assessment if requested. This can be assessed externally to arrive at a conclusion around revalidation.

The revalidation process:

Doctors are required to have an appraisal based on the guidelines in our core guidance for the medical profession, Good Medical Practice. Every doctor has an appraiser who will assess them according to what is needed from a professional values standpoint, ensuring they meet the necessary requirements for everyday practice. Doctors in training need not worry; they can still revalidate as long as they go through the Annual Review of Competence Progression process, which provides trainees with additional skills and knowledge so that once fully registered doctors, they may be able to provide care more effectively than if only trained at med school alone. Also worth having a look at Locum doctor appraisal as they can also help with any more advise.

The revalidation process is about the doctors and those who work in a medical organisation: clinical directors and managers. They will be appraised on how they support their staff's continuing professional development (CPD) programme, for example, and any other responsibilities they have that contribute to quality patient care.

Doctors need to maintain a portfolio of supporting information drawn from their practice, demonstrating how they are continuing to meet the main principles and values set out in Good medical practice. Doctors will need to collect some of this information themselves, as well as certificates achieved, and patient feedback forms. 

Doctors must demonstrate they're not only meeting but exceeding standards by collecting various pieces of evidence-based data like Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certificates and feedback from patients filling about your care during an appointment or at-home visits.

A person called a 'responsible officer' makes an important recommendation regarding the doctor's fitness practice, usually every five years. The responsible officer will be the medical director of the doctor's designated body. They make their decision based on appraisals over the last five years, and other information is drawn from their organisation's clinical governance systems.

When a recommendation is received for revalidating a doctor, it's essential to check that there are no other concerns about them. The review process can take nearly up to six months. The National Health Service thoroughly evaluates all prospective medical professionals before granting them a license to practice medicine in Great Britain so that we know they will be able to provide quality care both now and in the future. As part of this evaluation, there are thorough background checks done on any applicants who have been recommended by their responsible officer; these include making sure no other concerns about them exist (i.e., criminal conviction). If it's clear after an investigation that everything seems kosher with your potential new doctor, then they may receive revalidation. This will mean that the doctor can continue to hold their licence to practise.

The responsibility of revalidation lies with each individual doctor and their hospital or employer. The article has given you some great tips on how to get started, so don't wait any longer! Get out there and be a part of your profession's future by exploring these strategies for getting revalidated as soon as possible.