The licence to practise
Under our plans for revalidation, all doctors wishing to practise medicine in the UK will need to hold a licence to practise.
The licence will be subject to renewal every five years (a process known as re-licensing).
Holding a licence will enable a doctor to exercise the sort of privileges normally associated with medical practice, such as prescribing medicine, signing death certificates and holding certain posts.
There will be professional obligations associated with holding a licence:
- Doctors must adhere to our guidance, Good Medical Practice.
- They will be under a legal obligation to maintain adequate and appropriate professional indemnity or insurance.
- They will also be subject to the requirements of revalidation, once that is introduced.
Doctors who are not in active medical practice (for example, doctors who are retired or working outside the UK) will not need to hold a licence if they do not wish to do so. However, if they do not have a licence they will not be able to exercise the privileges of medical practice, such as prescribing.
Some doctors who are not in active medical practice, and who do not wish to participate in revalidation, have told us that they wish to maintain their connection with the GMC.
These doctors will be able to do this by continuing to hold GMC registration, without a licence. However, they will not be able to exercise any practising privileges.
We intend to introduce the licence to practise for all doctors who require one in the summer/autumn of 2009.