Revalidation date set for 2012: results of GMC consultation and RCPE commentMedical revalidation in the UK is expected to start from late 2012, according to a joint statement from the General Medical Council and the health departments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Commenting on the announcement of the timetable for revalidation, Dr Neil Dewhurst, President of the RCPE, said,“We welcome the GMC’s commitment to streamlining the revalidation system and to making the process more flexible. The proposed timetable introduces some certainty, however the College remains concerned that the system must be proportionate and can be used by practising physicians who have very little time beyond providing direct patient care”. GMC Consultation ResultsThe GMC has responded to their major consultation undertaken earlier in 2010 into the progress to date on revalidation for doctors. The College contributed to this consultation and is pleased to note that many of the GMC recommendations reflect our own views. The College is determined to work with key partners to ensure that revalidation is proportionate, fair and effective to reassure patients and the profession of the on-going fitness to practice of doctors across the UK. The GMC and the 4 devolved Health Departments across the UK have issued a shared statement of intent following the consultation and which also sets the time target of commencing revalidation in 2012 . The GMC have also published the detailed analysis of the consultation responses received and their own responses to this – it is clear that the GMC have taken seriously the concerns expressed by Royal Colleges and individual doctors. The main themes arising from the consultation and which will dominate on-going development work include: Simplifying and streamlining the processes of revalidation – to this end the College is working with its partners in the Federation to clarify the specialist requirements for physicians. We expect most doctors will revalidate without problem providing they participate fully in local appraisal, engage in patient and peer feedback, take due note of complaints and incidents as reported through local clinical governance systems and undertake relevant clinical effectiveness activity. Ensuring revalidation is flexible – the College recognises that for some doctors, revalidation will be a particular challenge, e.g. those working outside the NHS or mainstream clinical areas. Whilst this should not hold back the development of processes for the majority the College will develop processes and standards that can be adapted for all physicians. Ensuring the process is cost effective – the College has voiced significant concerns about the ability of current information and clinical governance systems to provide the necessary supporting information to allow physicians to demonstrate their on going fitness to practice. Equally important is the time required to capture and analysis this information and relate it to developing processes of strengthened medical appraisal. The College is leading a research project (funded by the UK Academy of Medical Royal Colleges) considering the impact of revalidation on the working lives of doctors. Results are expected towards the end of 2011. In addition the College is part of a wider IT development project to create a revalidation e-system for physicians to facilitate the collection and analysis of information for revalidation. The College will ensure that this new system, available for use on a voluntary basis, will interface with each of the appraisal systems being developed in the devolved nations. The need for further detail – the College is working through the UK Academy with other partners to develop a robust and proportionate method of quality assurance to allow the public and the profession to have full confidence in the twin processes of strengthened medical appraisal and revalidation. This and other uncertainties including the process of Responsible Office decision taking and the remediation of the small number of doctors who may have a difficulty are high priority issues for the College. Further information on GMC consultation responseA timely update on revalidation and the response to the GMC consultation was presented at the recent Gastroenterology symposium held at RCPE on 11 November 2010. This lecture is presented here for information.
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