Revalidation is expected to start in early December 2012. Based on plans developed by the four UK countries, the GMC expects to revalidate:
- Responsible officers and other medical leaders first, by March 2013
- About a fifth of licensed doctors between April 2013 and the end of March 2014
- The majority of licensed doctors by the end of March 2016
- All remaining licensed doctors by the end of March 2018.
Since April, the GMC has been working with doctors to understand their connections with ‘designated bodies’. These are the organisations that have a duty to provide doctors with a regular appraisal and help them with revalidation. They include NHS organisations, independent healthcare providers, and locum agencies.
As a result of the GMC’s ‘make your connection’ campaign the council knows the designated bodies for nearly 200,000 licensed doctors on the register. Alternative arrangements are being developed for doctors who do not have a designated body and they will be contacted later in the year with more advice.
Over the summer the GMC worked with responsible officers to schedule doctors for their first revalidation and will start to tell doctors their dates from December onwards.
Recent assessments by the Delivery Boards in each of the four countries of the UK – responsible for overseeing the changes to relevant legislation and regulations – demonstrate that the health systems are ready enough to commence and organisations across the UK are strengthening their systems of appraisal and clinical governance in readiness for revalidation.
Readiness statistics for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are as follows:
England:
- Registered and licensed doctors 2011: 177,659
- Over 90% of doctors are connected to designated bodies that are ready or very close to being ready for revalidation. (A ‘designated body’ is a UK organisation which will provide a doctor with a regular appraisal and help them with revalidation)
- The percentage of doctors linked to designated bodies who have had an annual appraisal rose from 63% in March 2011 to 73% in March 2012.
Northern Ireland:
- Registered and licensed doctors 2011: 6,454
- In NI primary care, 99.7% of those eligible for appraisal were appraised last year.
- Consultant appraisal ranges from 72% to 89% across the five Health and Social Care Trusts. Staff and associate specialist appraisal rates range from 32% to 78% across the same organisations.
Scotland:
- Registered and licensed doctors 2011: 19,373
- Excluding NES (NHS Education for Scotland) who cover trainees, 16 of the 19 Boards are considered to be fully on track to deliver revalidation.
- All appraisers in primary care have been NES trained. Appraiser training in secondary care is progressing and will continue until the end of 2013. To date, 345 have completed their training, and a further 180 are scheduled to do so this year. This will ensure sufficient appraisers are trained and in place for the first year.
Wales:
- Registered and licensed doctors 2011: 10,400
- The GMC will be hosting events, in partnership with the Wales Deanery and Health Boards, to inform doctors about the implementation of revalidation
- 87% of GPs have completed appraisals during 2011/12 and 91% of trainees have been engaged in the annual review process for doctors in training
- 99% of doctors are covered by a designated body that has appointed or nominated a Responsible Officer.
Doctors seeking further information about the new system can visit the GMC’s revalidation page: www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/revalidation/12382.asp
