Doctors FAQs

  1. What is revalidation?
  2. What does revalidation mean for me?
  3. How will I revalidate?
  4. What part do appraisals play in revalidation?
  5. Can I choose my appraiser?
  6. How do I know which form to use?
  7. What do I do if I’m having problems using an appraisal form?
  8. Can I be appraised by someone outside my specialty?
  9. How many times can I have the same appraiser?
  10. I don’t see patients so how do I get patient feedback?
  11. When will I revalidate?
  12. How often do I need to revalidate?
  13. What is my designated body?
  14. What is a responsible officer?
  15. How do I find my responsible officer?
  16. What if I believe there to be a conflict of interest of appearance of bias with my nominated responsible officer?
  17. Will I need to revalidate?
  18. I work wholly outside the UK. How will I revalidate?
  19. I hold a licence but I don’t do any clinical practice. How will I revalidate?
  20. I do not have a prescribed connection to a designated body
  21. Do I need a specific number of hours or credits to meet the GMC’s requirements for revalidation?
  22. I’m a locum using my own ‘umbrella’ company. Is my prescribed connection to the organisation that contracts my services through my company?
  23. What happens if I don’t revalidate?
  24. Does revalidation apply to all doctors – public sector and private?
  25. I work across different specialties – do I need to be revalidated twice?
  26. I work in a number of different organisations – how will revalidation work for me?
  27. I work part-time – how will this affect my revalidation?

1. What is revalidation?

For answer please go to the GMC website.

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2. What does revalidation mean for me?

As a licensed doctor you are expected to be revalidated for the first time by March 2016. If you hold a licence to practise you’re legally required to revalidate (usually every five years) through a regular appraisal based on the GMC’s core guidance for doctors – Good Medical Practice. If you successfully revalidate then you can continue to hold a licence to practise.

You can find out more by visiting the GMC’s revalidation pages for doctors.

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3. How will I revalidate?

For answer please go to the GMC website.

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4. What part do appraisals play in revalidation?

Regular appraisal is at the heart of revalidation. Your responsible officer will make a recommendation to the GMC about whether to revalidate you, based on evidence from five annual appraisals.

The primary aims of medical appraisal are to enable doctors to:

  • reflect on their entire scope of practice
  • discuss their practice as a whole, reflecting on whether they are up to date in every area and whether their continuing professional development (CPD) is appropriately matched to what they do
  • consider their response to significant events and other feedback, giving an understanding of the learning that has taken place
  • identify personal and professional development needs and ensure they are adhering to the GMC’s Good Medical Practice Framework for Appraisal and Revalidation.

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5. Can I choose my appraiser?

It is the policy of NHS England that your appraiser will be allocated by your responsible officer although this may vary from designated body to designated body. You may have more than one appraiser during the five-year cycle.

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6. How do I know which form to use?

Your designated body should tell you whether you need to use a specific form for your appraisal or revalidation. This should be detailed in the appraisal and/or revalidation policies. You may wish to use the MAG Model Appraisal Form an interactive pdf that allows doctors and appraisers to enter information and upload documents into the form before, during and after the appraisal meeting. This generic form will suit the needs of most organisations and can be used free of charge.

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7. What do I do if I’m having problems using an appraisal form?

  • If you are having problems using the MAG Model Appraisal Form, please refer to the User Guide.
  • If you need further help, contact your local IT helpdesk. Please note that NHS England does not provide IT support.
  • If you are using a different form, your designated body should let you know who to contact in the event of any technical problems.

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8. Can I be appraised by someone outside my specialty?

There is no national mandatory requirement for your appraiser to be from within your own speciality but this may be a requirement of your designated body. The only mandated requirement is that your appraiser should be trained and recognised by your designated body in that role. Ultimately, you will need to check your designated body’s policies on appraisal and revalidation.

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9. How many times can I have the same appraiser?

The Medical Appraisal Policy [link to 4.6] stipulates that ‘A doctor should normally have no more than three consecutive appraisals with the same appraiser and must then have a period of at least three years before being appraised again by the same appraiser. If, in exceptional circumstances, it is deemed appropriate for a doctor to have the same appraiser for more than three consecutive appraisals, the justification for this will be recorded within the governance review processes.

A doctor should not act as appraiser to a doctor who has acted as their appraiser within the previous five years.

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10. I don’t see patients so how do I get patient feedback?

GMC Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation, March 2012 states ‘We recommend that you think broadly about who can give you this sort of feedback. For instance, you might want to collect views from people who are not conventional patients but have a similar role, like families and carers, students, or even suppliers or customers’.

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11. When will I revalidate?

For answer please go to GMC website.

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12. How often do I need to revalidate?

For most doctors, revalidation will be a five year cycle – starting from the date on which their first revalidation recommendation is made.

Every five years the GMC will require confirmation from your responsible officer that you are practising to the appropriate professional standards; and that there are no significant unresolved concerns.

The GMC may change the length of this cycle according to your individual circumstances; for example, if you have taken a career break.

If you practice in England, your first revalidation will be sometime between April 2013 and March 2016. Every licensed doctor will have received a letter from the GMC confirming their first revalidation date by the end of January 2013.

For more on the GMC’s requirements for the first revalidation cycle, please visit the GMC’s revalidation pages.

For more information, see the GMC document Good Medical Practice Framework for Appraisal and Revalidation.

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13. What is my designated body?

For answer please go to the GMC website.

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14. What is a responsible officer?

For answer please go to GMC website.

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15. How do I find my responsible officer?

Most licensed doctors have a formal connection (or ‘prescribed connection’) with one organisation. This organisation is called your ‘designated body’, and will provide you with a regular appraisal, plus help you with revalidation. Each designated body is required to appoint a ‘responsible officer’ who will oversee your appraisal and revalidation, and will make a recommendation to the GMC about whether you are up-to-date and fit to practise.

There is a clear set of rules that determines which designated body you are connected to. For most doctors, their designated body will be the one in which they spend most or all of their practice. For others, however, their connection may be less obvious.

To find your responsible officer, go to GMC Online. More information about the rules and arrangements for doctors with a prescribed connection to NHS England can be found here.

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16. What if I believe there to be a conflict of interest of appearance of bias with my nominated responsible officer?

Where a conflict of interest or appearance of bias has been determined between yourself and your nominated responsible officer, an alternative responsible officer must be nominated or appointed. For more information and to read the conflicts of interest briefing document, please see the Responsible Officers section.

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17. Will I need to revalidate?

For answer please go to GMC website.

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18. I work wholly outside the UK. How will I revalidate?

For answer please go to GMC website.

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19. I hold a licence but I don’t do any clinical practice. How will I revalidate?

For answer please go to GMC website.

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20. I do not have a prescribed connection to a designated body

For answer please go to GMC website.

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21. Do I need a specific number of hours or credits to meet the GMC’s requirements for revalidation?

For answer please go to the GMC website.

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22. I’m a locum using my own ‘umbrella’ company. Is my prescribed connection to the organisation that contracts my services through my company?

For answer please go to the GMC website.

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23. What happens if I don’t revalidate?

The majority of doctors should have no problem meeting the requirements for revalidation. There are three options a responsible officer has when making a recommendation. In brief, these are:

  • positive recommendation
  • deferral request
  • notification of non-engagement.

If you choose not to engage, by not providing evidence to support your revalidation or failing to participate in an annual appraisal process, you will not be revalidated and risk having your licence to practise withdrawn.

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24. Does revalidation apply to all doctors – public sector and private?

Yes.

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25. I work across different specialties – do I need to be revalidated twice?

No, revalidation is based on the entire scope of your practice. You will only have one responsible officer who will make a recommendation to the GMC about your practice as a whole.

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26. I work in a number of different organisations – how will revalidation work for me?

Revalidation still applies to you, whether you’re a locum or working across more than one role. You will need to bring to your appraisal evidence from the full scope of your work, including all roles and positions in which you have clinical responsibilities and any other roles for which a licence to practise is required. Your responsible officer will take all of this into account when making your revalidation recommendation.

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27. I work part-time – how will this affect my revalidation?

You need to revalidate in the same way as full-time doctors, including participating in annual appraisal.

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