Reviews, reapplications and appeals

This section provides information about reviews, reapplications and appeals, following decisions on applications for entry onto the Specialist Register or GP Register.

Applicants for entry onto the Specialist Register with a Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) or onto the GP Register with a Certificate of Eligibility for GP Registration (CEGPR) who are unsuccessful may be able to apply for one of the following.

Reviews

A review application is a request for us to reconsider our decision based on evidence we have not yet seen or where the applicant believes we have made a procedural error. We may, where appropriate, send a review application to a Royal College or Faculty, or a Certification panel.

Reapplications

A reapplication is a request for us to reconsider our decision based on evidence we have not yet seen or evidence that the applicant has since obtained because they have completed some, or all, of the top up training that we recommended in our original decision. We may, where appropriate, send a reapplication to a Royal College or Faculty, or a Certification panel for evaluation.

Please read our guidance on reapplications for more information.

Appeals

Applicants may have a right to appeal our decision on their application, or our failure to provide a decision, under very specific circumstances.

The appellant can choose between:

• a written appeal - this is cheaper, held in private with only the Registration Appeal panel members and administrative support present and with no witnesses

Or

• an oral appeal - this is more expensive, with a hearing including both parties and witnesses.

Appeals are handled by the Appeals Office who are a separate team within the GMC. Members of the team do not have any involvement in making or issuing decisions on matters relating to entry to the GP or specialist register or postgraduate medical education and training.

There are strict time limits for each of these applications to be submitted.

For more information read our guidance for unsuccessful applicants - reviews, reapplications and appeals.